Cannes Lions has named entertainer and entrepreneur Kevin Hart as the 2023 Entertainment Person of the Year. Hart is founder and chairman of Hartbeat, the global media company creating entertainment where comedy meets culture.
Presented in recognition of the vital role that entertainment plays in the marketing and communications landscape, the Cannes award celebrates the creativity that inspires others to produce truly compelling, meaningful and entertaining content.
Philip Thomas, chairman, Lions, said, “We’re delighted to honor Kevin Hart with this year’s Entertainment Person of the Year accolade. He is a trailblazing entrepreneur and through his creation of Hartbeat he has shown an unwavering commitment to building the most innovative and inclusive comedic storytelling company. This is the kind of creativity that acts as an inspiration to others and we’re pleased to recognize the important role that Kevin is playing in the entertainment space.”
Hart commented, “I am so honored to receive this award and be recognized for my work in the entertainment and advertising space. It’s been incredible to work with Hartbeat’s branded entertainment studio and marketing consultancy, along with my brand partners, to take comedy in advertising to the next level and craft culturally relevant campaigns that unite people through laughter. My team and I are just getting started and we will continue to raise the bar and make an impact in advertising.”
On Tuesday, June 20, Hart will speak on stage at Cannes Lions for the first time as part of the Entertainment Person of the Year seminar, and will be presented with the award during that evening’s Cannes Lions Awards Show.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More