Asian American leaders and community members came together to celebrate the 2015 Unforgettable Gala on Dec. 12, hosted by Jeannie Mai inside The Beverly Hilton. The annual event, held for the 14th time last year, honored high-impact Asian Americans in media.
From Lisa Ling to Steven Yeun, Randall Park, Constance Wu and Chloe Bennet, the star-studded event awarded some of the biggest names in the community.
KoreAm contributing writer Esther Cho caught up with some of our favorite stars on the red carpet:
“I never won anything in my life so this is all very exciting. I’m glad that KoreAm and Audrey will still remain to exist online and continue to support Asian Americans.” – Chloe Bennet
“It’s an exciting time, there’s been an explosion of change in media for the Asian community. Honored to take part in this evening. I’ve been working as a journalist for a long time and it’s truly an honor to be awarded tonight.” – Lisa Ling
“It’s always great to support the Asian community at large, coming from Australia we don’t have anything like this there. Most unforgettable moment is probably the show on HBO that I’m currently working on called West World. It airs sometime next year with Ed Harris, Anthony Hopkins, and other amazing talent. JJ Abrams is also producing it.” – Leonardo Nam
“Looking forward to meeting all of the wonderful talent that I don’t normally get to spend time with. Most unforgettable moment would be honestly being here right now, KoreAm and Audrey magazine have been such staples in my life. And I love the cause that we’re bringing attention to this evening regarding human trafficking.” – Jeannie Mai
“KoreAm and Audrey are doing great things and bringing recognition to Asian Americans. It’s very flattering to be recognized for an award tonight, I don’t know if I quite deserve it.” – Steven Yeun
“I hope that continues to open up more doors for asian americans in media so that more stories are being told each in their own way. We need to encourage people to find their voice.” – Constance Wu
Title sponsor Duracoat and presenting sponsor Royal Salute made the evening possible — corporate sponsors were ABC, CBS, Fantasy Springs, Grayson Luxury, Hanoi Capital, Hustler Casino, Lee, Hong, Degerman, Kang & Waimey Law, Ocean Radiation Oncology, Pacific Palms Hotel, Pechanga Resort & Casino, Royal, Buna, Shiseido, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Ten Advertising, Union Bank, WCCT Global and Wilshire Dental. Community sponsors included 011 Communications, BBCN Bank, Berkeley Alumni, Bethel Counsel, Calywire, Councilman David Ryu, Daewoo Securities and KABA Bar Association. Product sponsors included Grayson Luxury, Kelly Yi Make Up, LA Premier and Wildflower Linen. Line Hotel was the hotel sponsor.
