Cable network USA has extended its Characters Welcome brand to events celebrating the arts, activism, and cultural achievements. USA and Vanity Fair hosted the second annual Character Approved awards on February 25, at the IAC Building, where producers took advantage of the venue's sprawling video wall to premiere shorts dedicated to this year's honorees.
After a cocktail reception, attention turned to the presentation, during which Royal Pains star Mark Feuerstein announced each of the 10 honorees against the backdrop of the venue's high-resolution video wall, the world's largest.
With the announcement of each honoree—including Nora Ephron, Katheryn Bigelow, and Green Day—the 700 guests got the first look at vignettes directed by Henry Alex Rubin, featuring profiles of honorees. USA vice president of brand marketing Colleen Mohan worked with event producers XA to have the video integrated into the usual player.
"Awards season was the perfect time to honor the unique accomplishments of these inspiring innovators," said Mohan, who capped off the evening with a premiere performance from the cast of Green Day's upcoming musical, American Idiot.
