| EVENT REPORT 09.26.08 1:42 PM |
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Washington's Top Arts & Entertainment Events 2008
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 | A Liz Lerman Dance Exchange performance during the Capital Fringe Festival
Photo: Courtesy of Capital Fringe Festival |
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1. Kennedy Center Honors
Steve Martin, Martin Scorsese, Diana Ross, former Beach Boy Brian Wilson, and pianist Leon Fleisher were honored with awards for artistic achievement at this black-tie gala in December 2007. Traditionally attended by the president and first lady, the gala is broadcast on CBS, and Restaurant Associates caters the dinner. Independent event producer Carolyn Peachy of Campbell, Peachy & Associates is planning this year’s December 7 event with co-chairs Buffy Cafritz and Ann Jordan.
2. Ford’s Theatre Annual Gala
The historic theater has been under renovation for most of 2008, so the 28th annual gala was temporarily relocated to the National Theatre this June. The gala featured performances by Tricia Yearwood, Clay Aiken, and Hal Holbrook. The president and first lady were among the 575 attendees, and Lincoln Medals were awarded to Maya Angelou and actress Ruby Dee. Produced by the theater’s associate director of development and special events, Jennifer Kiefer, the gala will return to Ford’s in June.
3. SilverDocs Film Festival
One of the nation’s largest documentary film festivals comes to the American Film Institute in Silver Spring, Maryland, each June. This year’s sixth annual festival expanded to eight days, 21,000 attendees, and more than 100 film screenings and panels, including the Charles Guggenheim Symposium, which honored director Spike Lee, and the opening-night party, held at the nearby Discovery Channel headquarters. Festival director Patricia Finneran oversaw the event with director of programming Sky Sitney and Discovery Communications director of global events Elika Hemphill.
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| ASK BIZBASH 07.30.08 9:00 AM |
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How Do You Make Out-of-Towners Feel Welcome?
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 | The National Building Museum shop.
Photo: Kevin Allen |
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Whether it’s a C.E.O. or hundreds of attendees coming to Washington, guests always appreciate a little local hospitality. Here are ways to thank people for coming, entertain them, or simply help them get oriented.
Elika Hemphill, director of global events for Discovery Communications, usually finds gifts for visiting colleagues at Discovery’s online store. But when she’s looking for something with local flair, she goes to the National Building Museum gift shop. “They have a fantastic assortment of green products, a wonderful library, and everything modern and funky you could want for the home and office,” she says. The shop carries D.C.-specific items such as city guidebooks, neckties with a map of the city, and cards filled with origami foldouts of the city’s monuments.
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RELATED TOPICS
Discovery Channel, DC Magazine, Smithsonian Young Benefactors |
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| EVENT REPORT 06.18.08 3:35 PM |
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Discovery Opens Headquarters for SilverDocs Opening-Night Party
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 | The SilverDocs party at the Discovery offices in Silver Spring
Photo: Jonah Koch for BizBash |
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The sixth annual SilverDocs documentary film festival, sponsored by the American Film Institute and Discovery Channel, kicked off its weeklong run at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center on Monday night. To mark the occasion, Discovery opened up its nearby headquarters, as it had in previous years, after the nighttime showing of All Together Now, a film about Love, the Beatles-inspired Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas.
For Elika Hemphill, Discovery Communications' director of global events, the evening's look was an obvious choice. "The Cirque theme in and of itself is very celebratory, so it was important that the thread of the party had the same thread as the film," she said. "We definitely wanted the event to feel theatrical and circus-themed in an elegant way."
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RELATED TOPICS
SilverDocs, Discovery Channel, American Film Institute, Cirque du Soleil |
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| NEWS 06.13.08 12:59 PM |
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Discovery Channel Helps Kick Off SilverDocs Film Festival Next Week
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SilverDocs, the documentary film festival from the American Film Institute and Discovery Channel, starts its week-long run on Monday at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring. With 21,000 attendees expected, the six-year-old festival will show 108 short and feature films representing 63 countries, and will also offer a series of performances, events, and symposiums. The program includes a conversation with director Spike Lee on Thursday night at the theater's Cinema Lounge.
Among the various festivities, Discovery Channel is hosting the official opening party for 650 guests on Monday night at its Silver Spring headquarters after the showing of All Together Now. The film, which follows the Beatles-themed Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, also serves as the event's decor inspiration, and several of the performers are set to attend. —Danielle O'Steen
RELATED TOPICS
SilverDocs, Discovery Channel, American Film Institute |
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