7th Annual "Evening Before" Benefitting The Motion Picture & Television Fund

CENTURY CITY, Calif., Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Television's biggest night took place in Century Park, CA this Saturday, September 21^st, where the entertainment industry came together for the seventh annual "Evening Before" party, benefitting the MPTF (Motion Picture & Television Fund).

The television industry, from Emmy presenters and nominees, to other TV industry members, helped raise funds to support the MPTF and its numerous programs and services the fund provides for its more than 60,000 members of the entertainment industry.

The Seventh Annual Evening Before's Host Committee consisted of Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, Emily Blunt & John Krasinski, Julie Bowen, Connie Britton, Ty Burrell, Claire Danes & Hugh Dancy, Jeff Daniels, Robin Dearden & Bryan Cranston, Zooey Deschanel, Michelle Dockery, Lena Dunham, Tina Fey, Mariska Hargitay & Peter Hermann, Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Brad Hall, Julianna Margulies, Melissa McCarthy & Ben Falcone, Helen McCrory & Damien Lewis, Seth Meyers, Elisabeth Moss, Jim Parsons, Aaron Paul, Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell, Eric Stonestreet, Emily VanCamp, Kerry Washington and Jennifer Westfeldt & Jon Hamm. The Executive Host Committee includes JJ Abrams, Chris Albrecht, Len Amato, Kary Antholis, Matthew C. Blank, Linda & Jerry Bruckheimer, Charlie Collier, Roma Downey & Mark Burnett, Nancy Dubuc, Robert Greenblatt, Bonnie Hammer, Ted Harbert, Doug Herzog, Steve Koonin, John Landgraf, Paul Lee, Michael Lombardo, Julie & Les Moonves, Steve Mosko, Sue Naegle, Gary Newman, Richard Pleper, Peter Rice, Peter Roth, Josh Sapan, Ted Sarandos, Ryan Seacrest, Anne Sweeney, Dana Walden, Dick Wolf, Michael Wright, Lauren Zalaznick, Cyma Zarghami and David Zaslav.

This year's presenting sponsors were essie, PEOPLE magazine and Target, with additional support from platinum sponsors including AMC Networks and Netflix.

"We are so happy this event is in its seventh year. It truly shows how the television community supports MPTF's mission. We are grateful to our sponsors as well, for making this night possible," said Ken Scherer, CEO of the MPTF Foundation.

Among the celebrities who attended this year's event were Shohreh Aghdashloo, Tim Allen, Morena Baccarin, Scott Bakula, William Baldwin, Greg Berlanti, Mayim Bialik, Matt Bomer, Powers Boothe, Alison Brie, Beau Bridges, Dan Bucatinsky, Rose Byrne, Jim Carter, Anna Chlumsky, James Cromwell, Jon Cryer, Whitney Cummings, Laura Dern, Taye Diggs, Nina Dobrev, Michael Douglas, Adam Driver, Edie Falco, Anna Faris, Vera Farmiga, Nathan Fillion, Michael J. Fox,  Rupert Friend, Tony Goldwyn, Max Greenfield, Chelsea Handler, Marcia Gay Harden, Kit Harrington, Simon Helberg, John Benjamin Hickey, Freddie Highmore, Sarah Hyland, Allison Janney, Mindy Kaling, Alex Karpovsky, Jane Krakowski, Padma Lakshmi, Ali Larter, Melissa Leo, Natasha Lyonne, Joe Mantegna, Margo Martindale, Jack McBrayer, Mary McDonnell, Joel McHale, Christopher Meloni, Stephen Merchant, Shemar Moore, Peter Morgan, Chris Noth, Jessica Pare, Mandy Patinkin, Zac Posen, Pablo Schreiber,  Michael Sheen, Molly Sims, Alexander Skarsgard, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Spacey, David Spade, Toby Stephens, Charlize Theron, Robin Tunney, Jon Voight, Matthew Weiner, Allison Williams, and Robin Wright, among many others.

"This is a week when the television community comes together to celebrate the best of the best, and we love being a part of it," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chairman of the MPTF Foundation.  "The Evening Before honors this fantastic industry while at the same time raising much needed dollars and awareness for a great cause."

Robyn Leuthe Norris produced the "Evening Before" for the seventh consecutive year, with designs of a relaxed town square atmosphere in the Park, by Silver Birches.

The event is designed after the highly successful "Night Before," another fundraiser held annually before the Academy Awards® for the past eleven years to benefit the MPTF.

essie
"essie is thrilled to once again have the opportunity to participate in the Motion Picture & Television Fund's Evening Before Party," said David Greenberg, President of Maybelline New York-Garnier-essie. "This evening is dedicated to celebrating the men and women of television who keep us entertained. We are honored to have the opportunity to support this worthy community. At our booth, guests will experience essie's fall 2013 collection, as well as New York Fashion Week straight from the runway."

America's nail salon expert since 1981, essie was founded in New York City by Essie Weingarten, the authority on color. essie is beloved for a visionary approach to nail lacquer featuring catchy, clever names that created a new standard for the category. A leader in luxury, essie is the go-to nail brand for beauty professionals, industry insiders, celebrities and women of style in over 100 countries. essie is committed to safe standards with an award- winning line of nail care products and more than 900 shades created to date. www.essie.com

PEOPLE
"PEOPLE is thrilled once again to sponsor the Motion Picture & Television Fund's Evening Before event," said Larry Hackett, Editor, PEOPLE.  "Each year we are reminded of the immense support the MPTF and Hollywood's finest provide to the entertainment community, and PEOPLE is proud to be included in such a wonderful evening." 

PEOPLE revolutionized personality journalism in 1974; today it is the world's most successful and popular magazine.  Each week, the PEOPLE brand brings more than 53 million consumers the latest news, exclusive interviews and in-depth reporting on the most compelling people of our time.  In addition to unparalleled access to the entertainment community, the stories of real-life "Heroes Among Us" remain an essential component of PEOPLE's editorial approach.  PEOPLE.com is the premier web destination for celebrity news, photos, style and entertainment coverage. With reporters across the globe, PEOPLE is headquartered in New York City.  For more information visit www.PEOPLE.com.

Target
"Target's continued sponsorship of the Motion Picture & Television Fund's Evening Before event is symbolic of Target's commitment to supporting the entertainment community and all of its great talent, on and off the screen," said Shawn Gensch, senior vice president of marketing, Target.

Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at 1,870 stores — 1,788 in the United States and 82 in Canada­ and at Target.com. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit through community grants and programs; today, that giving equals more than $4 million a week. For more information about Target¹s commitment to corporate responsibility, visit target.com/corporateresponsibility.

Motion Picture & Television Fund
For more than 90 years, MPTF (Motion Picture & Television Fund) has served as a beacon of hope for entertainment industry members in their time of need. As a charitable organization, the MPTF provides financial assistance and services essential to the wellbeing of the community and is a leader in the development and implementation of services and programs for seniors and those who care for them. For more information, visit www.mptf.com.

SOURCE MPTF