Fourth Annual ADCOLOR Awards Set to Honor Queen Latifah

Miami Ceremony to be Hosted by CNN's Soledad O'Brien

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Jun 07, 2010, 11:35 ET

NEW YORK, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The ADCOLOR® Industry Coalition today kicked off the 2010 ADCOLOR Awards nominations season by announcing that this year's All-Star honoree will be Queen Latifah.

The ADCOLOR Awards is an initiative launched by the ADCOLOR Industry Coalition – a collective formed in 2005 that includes the Ad Club of New York, Association of National Advertisers (ANA), American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As), American Advertising Federation (AAF), Arnold and Omnicom Group. ADCOLOR serves to promote increased diversity in the advertising, marketing and media industries, and to inspire current and future communications professionals of color by celebrating the accomplishments of diverse role models and industry leaders.

"We have two very distinct goals through ADCOLOR: to celebrate the achievements of talented communications professionals who are making a mark in business and giving back to their communities, and to redefine diversity," said Tiffany R. Warren, founder of The ADCOLOR Awards and senior vice president, chief diversity officer for Omnicom Group Inc. "For us, diversity is truly about bringing together people with a variety of experiences, backgrounds and points of view, regardless of any ethnic or cultural background. We are looking forward to receiving nominations for ADCOLOR honorees who are bringing their distinct experiences to bear in their work and in their communities."

This awards show – which kicks off the 12th Annual Association of National Advertisers' Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Conference presented by Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide — will be hosted by CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien. The ADCOLOR Awards honor individuals and corporations in seven categories: Rising Star, Change Agent, Innovator, Legend, Creative of the Year, MVP (Most Valuable Partnership) and All-Star. The ceremony will take place on November 7, 2010 at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami. The deadline for nominations is Friday, August 6, 2010.

An actress, singer, mogul and entrepreneur, Queen Latifah's work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six Grammy nominations, an Emmy Award nomination, an Academy Award® nomination and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

"Through her work Queen Latifah is not only redefining diversity but she is redefining success," Warren continued. "Queen Latifah is the true definition of an All-Star because her success crosses all genres and industries and we will be honored to highlight her achievements alongside those of our 2010 ADCOLOR Awards recipients."

"ADCOLOR is one of the industry's crown jewels to promote increased diversity," added Bob Liodice, president and CEO, ANA. "We are thrilled that Queen Latifah recognizes our efforts and will contribute her time and energy to advance the industry's core objectives. She is an outstanding individual and her accomplishments make her an excellent choice as our All-Star Honoree."

Past "All-Star Honorees" have included Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jr. (2007), Russell Simmons (2008), and Cristina Saralegui (2009).

The 2010 ADCOLOR Awards are presented by CNN, DIAGEO, Google, Omnicom Group and Publicis NY & The Advertising Club. Additional sponsors include ADWEEK, BET Networks, Creative Artists Agency, RAPP, Deutsch, DraftFCB, 4As, ANA, AAF, JWT, McCann New York and TBWA.

ABOUT ADCOLOR®

ADCOLOR® was established in 2005 to promote increased diversity in the advertising, marketing and media industries, as well as to inspire current and future communications professionals of color by celebrating the accomplishments of diverse role models and industry leaders. ADCOLOR® is a historic collaboration between the Advertising Club of New York, the Association of National Advertisers, the American Advertising Federation, the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Arnold Worldwide and Omnicom Group. The first of its kind cross-industry initiative is meant to serve as a catalyst for the next generation of diversity programs by combining the energy of the marketing, advertising and media industries to identify current issues and opportunities around diversity.

2010 ADCOLOR® Industry Coalition Corporate Members

AT&T, Advertising Women of NY, Campbell-Ewald, CNN, Publicis Group, One Club, Gotham and Wieden & Kennedy.

For more information, visit www.adcolor.org, www.youtube.com/adcolorawards and www.twitter.com/adcolor.