Halcyon Awards to Honor Lee Daniels, Mitch Landrieu, Shinola

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Filmmaker Lee Daniels, Hon. Mitch Landrieu and Shinola are recipients of the 2018 Halcyon Awards, which recognize and honor talented arts icons, successful social entrepreneurs and public policy visionaries.

"This year's honorees are changemakers and trailblazers who have dedicated their lives to pushing past traditional boundaries to create a movement, lead an organization, or impact the world," said Kate Goodall, co-founder and CEO of Halcyon.

The awards program and dinner will take place Friday, June 1, at 6 p.m. at the Washington National Cathedral. The evening will conclude with the Neon Nave After Party featuring London-based DJ TAYYLOR MADE. Proceeds from the event support Halcyon programs. Sheila C. Johnson, Founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, and Frederick S. Humphries, Jr., Corporate Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs, Microsoft Corporation, are the event co-chairs. For a full list of sponsors visit Halcyon Awards Sponsors.

About the Honorees
Producer, director and writer, Lee Daniels is recipient of Halcyon's 2018 Arts Icon Award. He is best known for critically acclaimed films "Lee Daniels' The Butler," "Monster's Ball," and the Academy Award-winning film "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" as well as the hit television series "Empire." Daniels was the first African American to be nominated for a Director's Guild of America Award for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film" on behalf of "Precious." He is a passionate advocate and activist. Halcyon celebrates Daniels' artistic genius and fierce commitment to community, creativity, innovation and democratization of Hollywood, fostering pathways to opportunities for people of color.

Hon. Mitch Landrieu, who served as the 61st Mayor of New Orleans, is recipient of Halcyon's 2018 Policy Visionary Award. Landrieu was first elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. He previously served for six years as Louisiana's Lieutenant Governor. Landrieu sparked national debate with the removal of confederate statues in New Orleans— the details of which he shares in his book, In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History. With this award, Halcyon celebrates and honors Landrieu's visionary leadership in creating the nation's first Office of Social Entrepreneurship to advance social innovation by supporting the most innovative, measurable and sustainable solutions to the social problems affecting Louisiana's citizens, and for championing the arts as a critical driver of New Orleans' economy and workforce.

Shinola, the Detroit-based design brand known for its dedication to thoughtful manufacturing by creating jobs and making watches, bicycles, leather goods and more, is the recipient of Halcyon's 2018 Business Luminary Award. Founder Tom Kartsotis and the team at Shinola believe that, of all the things they do, stimulating the return of manufacturing jobs might just be the thing they're most proud of. Shinola is founded in the belief that products should be well-made and built to last. Across a growing number of categories, the brand stands for skill at scale, the preservation of craft, and the beauty of industry. 

For additional information about the honorees and committee members, visit Halcyon Awards.

About Halcyon
A nonprofit organization that believes in the power of creativity and compassion to empower humanity, Halcyon provides space, community and access to socially engaged artists and social entrepreneurs working to use their vision and talent to address the world's greatest challenges. Signature programs include Halcyon Incubator, Halcyon Arts Lab, Halcyon Dialogue and the By the People festival. In only three years, Halcyon's social entrepreneurs have created 460 jobs, raised more than $37 million and impacted nearly half a million lives around the world. 

Contact: Janice Kaplan, 202-277-5461
[email protected]

SOURCE Halcyon