Rosario Dawson, Bill Cosby and Spike Lee Among 2011 Honorees As Adcolor Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary

THE ADCOLOR® INDUSTRY COALITION ANNOUNCES HONOREES FOR 2011 ADCOLOR AWARDS

ROSARIO DAWSON, BILL COSBY AND SPIKE LEE AMONG 2011 HONOREES AS ADCOLOR CELEBRATES ITS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

2011 ADCOLOR AWARDS AND INDUSTRY CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN LOS ANGELES SEPTEMBER 16 & 17

NEW YORK, July 26, 2011 – The ADCOLOR® Industry Coalition (AIC), the advertising industry’s premier organization dedicated to fostering and promoting increased diversity in the advertising, marketing and media industries, is pleased to announce the outstanding individuals who will be honored at the 2011 ADCOLOR Awards and Industry Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, September 16-17. Among the 2011 honorees are actress and activist Rosario Dawson, who will receive ADCOLOR’s All-Star Award, presented by Omnicom Group; Bill Cosby, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, presented by Pepsi and the American Advertising Federation; and, director and advertising agency founder Spike Lee, who will receive a Catalyst Award.  For the first time, GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) will present an ADCOLOR Advocate Award in recognition of industry influencers from the LGBT community.

“ADCOLOR is pleased to honor and recognize this year’s outstanding group of honorees whose work has influenced the industry, while positively impacting the lives of people across the country and globally,” says Tiffany R. Warren, founder of ADCOLOR and The ADCOLOR Awards & Industry Conference and senior vice president, chief diversity officer for Omnicom Group Inc.  “We look forward to honoring them at the 5th Annual ADCOLOR Awards this September and to welcoming the hundreds of industry professionals who plan to attend the Conference.”

The ADCOLOR Industry Coalition is now celebrating its fifth anniversary.  AIC’s annual ADCOLOR Awards and Industry Conference has become one of the industry’s most coveted and notable events.
In 2010, the 2010 ADCOLOR Awards and Industry Conference was hosted by CNN’s Soledad O’Brien and honored Queen Latifah along with leading executives from a range of corporations and agencies.

The 2011 ADCOLOR & Industry Conference is presented by The ADCOLOR Industry Coalition and sponsored by American Advertising Federation, 4A’s, The Advertising Club of NY, Akande Music + Publishing, Arnold Worldwide, CAA, CNN, Deutsch, DIAGEO, DraftFCB, Google, GTM, Inc., Iced Media, Omnicom Group, The One Club, McCann Worldgroup, Microsoft Advertising, Pepsi, Publicis USA, RAPP, The Results Driven Agency, Ruder Finn Multicultural & Image Marketing, SBS Studios LLC, Sonicbids.com, TBWA\Chiat Day, The Home Depot, Time Warner and Wieden + Kennedy.

The 2011 ADCOLOR Award honorees are:

The All-Star Award presented by Omnicom Group  
Rosario Dawson, Actress, Singer, Writer

The Lifetime Achievement Awards presented by Pepsi & The American Advertising Federation*
Earl G. Graves, Sr., Chairman, Founder & Publisher – Black Enterprise
Bill Cosby, Comedian, Actor, Author, Television Producer, Musician, Educator and Activist
Eduardo Caballero, Founder – Caballero Radio & Television
* Presented to the 2011 American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame Inductees

The Legend Awards presented by Diageo
Esther Franklin, EVP, Director of Cultural Identities – Starcom MediaVest Group
Aldo Quevedo, President & Chief Creative Officer – Dieste
Mauricio Sabogal, President, World Markets – Initiative and UM

The Rising Star Awards presented by Google
Kenji Summers, Community Manager – BBH ZAG
Sarah Torres, Multicultural Sales Planner – CNN
Zoe Bell, Copywriter – Publicis

The Innovator Awards presented by Microsoft Advertising
Jacqueline Hernandez, Chief Operating Officer, Telemundo – NBCUniversal
Eric Harris, President & Co-Founder – Sixth Floor Developers

The Change Agent Awards presented by The Home Depot
Lincoln Stephens, Program Director & Co-Founder – The Marcus Graham Project
Pawan Mehra, Co- Founder & Principal – Améredia
Felicia Geiger, VP, Director of Diversity & Inclusion – Deutsch, Inc.

The One Club | ADCOLOR Creative Awards presented by The One Club & Publicis USA
Keith Cartwright, Group Creative Director – The Martin Agency
Donna Lamar, Creative Director – TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles

The Advocate Awards presented by GLAAD
Aaron Walton, Co-Founder – Walton & Isaacson
Laurence Boschetto, President & CEO — Draftfcb

The Catalyst Awards presented by The ADCOLOR® Industry Coalition
Spike Lee, Chief Executive Officer – SpikeDDB
Dan Wieden, Co-Founder & CEO – Wieden + Kennedy

The MVP (Most Valuable Partnership) Award presented by CNN
Jennifer Randolph, VP, Organization Development – Saatchi & Saatchi
Dorothy Thompson, Executive Director – Streetlights

About the ADCOLOR Industry Coalition
The ADCOLOR Industry Coalition is a 501(c)(6) organization that was founded in 2005. The AIC seeks to support and inspire professionals of color and diversity champions within the advertising, marketing and media industries by celebrating the accomplishments of diverse role models and industry leaders.

As its first initiative, The ADCOLOR Industry Coalition launched the ADCOLOR Awards in 2007 to promote increased diversity in the advertising, marketing and media industries.

For all ADCOLOR® Awards & Industry Conference information, please visit ADCOLOR’s microsite, designed by SBS Studios LLC, at www.adcolor.org.

PR Contact:    
Helen Shelton
Executive Vice President
Ruder Finn Multicultural & Image Marketing Group
212-593-6443
sheltonh@ruderfinn.com