On January 29, People magazine and the Entertainment Industry Foundation once again hosted their Screen Actors Guild Awards Gala, the official after-party immediately following SAG awards on a transformed Shrine Auditorium stage. While this year’s event marked the 23rd annual award show, it was the 21st year that the magazine, the foundation, and SAG connected for the gala.
Lisa Simpson Briel—special projects director for People, In Style, and Entertainment Weekly—oversaw the event, working alongside longtime partner Tony Schubert from Event Eleven, who has produced and designed the party for nine consecutive years.
For the gala, organizers transformed the Shrine’s stage with a look and feel meant to evoke a Parisian street scene. On-theme details included facades of cafes and bistros, a department store, a large park-like fountain, tree-lined streets, and lush furnishings.
"I was inspired by a fashion show I saw in Paris that took place on the street,” Schubert said of the event this year. “It was this wonderful contrast of gray, moody wet streets with great fashion. Shards of white light caught in the haze of the night looked amazing. This was the inspiration behind the Paris street scene."
Wolfgang Puck created a France-inspired menu, and guests sipped wines by Sterling Vineyards, Champagne Taittinger, Chopin Vodka, and Clase Azul Tequila, and hydrated with water from sponsor Fiji Water. DJ Michelle Pesce spun for the crowd.
As the exclusive beauty sponsor (excluding fragrance) for the award ceremony and gala, L’Oréal Paris offered makeup touch-ups and new-product sampling for guests. Dunkin’ Donuts, the exclusive coffee provider for the gala, offered specially drinks and Munchkins doughnut holes.
At the end of the night, attendees left with a stocked gift bag created by Gift Bags by Rachael, with swag from sponsors plus other items.
Attendees included A-list names, such as the SAG award-winning casts from Hidden Figures (Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell, Janelle Monáe, Jim Parsons, Kirsten Dunst, Octavia Spencer, Saniyya Sidney, and Taraji P. Henson), Stranger Things (Caleb McLaughlin, Charlie Heaton, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, Millie Bobby Brown, Natalia Dyer, and Noah Schnapp), and dozens of other stars.
