Honoring Robin Thede, Courtney A. Kemp, & Niija Kuykendall
Uptown Ventures Group, the parent company of Uptown Magazine, today announced the honorees for the prestigious LEXUS UPTOWN HONORS HOLLYWOOD pre-Oscar gala on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, at NeueHouse in Hollywood, California.
This year's honorees include: Writer, producer and creator of 'Power,' Courtney A. Kemp, Executive Vice President of Film Production at Warner Bros. Pictures Niija Kuykendall, and writer, performer, producer and show runner Robin Thede.
“This will be an evening to remember and we are looking forward to celebrating our talented honorees who are leading the way, transforming and contributing to the industry in front and behind the camera,” says Len Burnett co-CEO and chief revenue office, of UPTOWN Ventures Group.”
The annual invitation-only event will be hosted by writer/producer Chris Spencer and speaker, producer and confidence coach Tai Beauchamp. As a prelude to the Academy Awards, Lexus Uptown Honors Hollywood will be an evening to remember, bringing together and celebrating the accomplishments of individuals who have made extraordinary contributions in entertainment. This prestigious annual event will pay tribute to the industry's elite talent, creators and visionaries behind and in front of the camera.
For almost a decade, “Uptown Honors Hollywood” is made possible by the generous support of Lexus as the returning title sponsor.
“Lexus is honored to be a part of such an amazing night celebrating excellence and the honorees who represent groundbreaking contributions in the industry,” says Mia Phillips, Senior Manager, Lexus Advertising.
Honorees of the evening:
Niija Kuykendall is a visionary and on the path to becoming one of the highest ranked black women in film. She is the Executive Vice President of Production at Warner Bros. Pictures where she is in post-production on the ‘Untitled Fred Hampton’ movie and just released the compelling biopic and box office hit ‘Just Mercy’ starring Michael B. Jordan and Oscar Award-Winning actor Jamie Foxx. In her time at Warner Bros., Kuykendall has overseen the production of movies such as ‘A Star Is Born’, Stephen King’s ‘It’, ‘Kong: Skull Island’, ‘Everything, Everything’, as well as; Magic Mike’, 1 & 2, Edge Of Tomorrow’, and ‘Contagion’.
Courtney A. Kemp holds her own spotlight as a highly regarded creator, showrunner, producer, and writer. Kemp is the mastermind behind Starz's critically acclaimed gritty New York drama, 'Power'. Her next project is 'Dirty Thirty', a one-hour drama surrounding the corrupt NYPD cops operating out of the 30th Precinct in the early 1990s. Previously, Kemp was a writer and supervising producer on the Emmy and award-wining television show 'The Good Wife'. Kemp's profile continues to rise, named by the Hollywood Reporter as one of the top 50 "Power Show Runners" three years in a row, Marie Claire Magazine named her as one of "The 50 Most Influential Women In America," and she was included as one of the female powerhouses in Elle Magazine.
Robin Thede is a multi-talented writer, performer and producer known for her hilarious characters and social and political commentary. She is currently the creator, showrunner, executive producer, writer and star of HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” The show will be returning for a second season in 2020. For her work on the series, VARIETY recently named her one of the 10 Comics to Watch in 2019. Previously, Thede made her mark as one of the only black women to ever host a late-night television talk show as the creator, executive producer, writer, and host of “The Rundown with Robin Thede” on BET. Thede also served as both a correspondent and head writer on Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,” becoming the first black woman to earn the title of head writer in late-night television. She was also the head writer for Wilmore when he hosted the 2016 White House Correspondents Association Dinner. Her additional memorable film and TV roles include: “Difficult People,” “Key & Peele,” “A Haunted House,” “Goodwin Games,” “Hot in Cleveland,” “@midnight,” and more.
About Lexus
Lexus' passion for brave design, imaginative technology, and exhilarating performance enables the luxury lifestyle brand to create amazing experiences for its customers. Lexus began its journey in 1989 with two luxury sedans and a commitment to pursue perfection. Since then, Lexus has developed its lineup to meet the needs of global luxury customers in more than 90 countries. In the United States, Lexus vehicles are sold through 242 dealers offering a full lineup of luxury vehicles. With six models incorporating Lexus Hybrid Drive, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader. Lexus also offers eight F SPORT models and two F performance models. Lexus is committed to being a visionary brand that anticipates the future for luxury customers.
Note to Editors: Lexus product information and images are available online via our news media website https://pressroom.lexus.com/
About JPMorgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways Program
JPMorgan Chase created Advancing Black Pathways to invest in black individuals, families and businesses so they can share fully in economic growth. Through ABP, JPMorgan Chase is hiring black talent, developing black leadership and investing in black businesses and households to improve the financial health of black communities around the world. The program focuses on three key areas in which black people continue to lag other groups: wealth, educational outcomes and careers. Visit JPMorganChase.com/ABP to learn more.
About UPTOWN Magazine
Founded in 2004, UPTOWN is the only luxury lifestyle brand that targets the Affluent African American (AAA) Market. UPTOWN Magazine affords luxury purveyors the broadest access to this highly sought-after audience. Uptown offers both traditional and innovative strategies across multiple platforms including UPTOWN Magazine, UptownMagazine.com, signature events, branded and original content.