Lady Rizo, The Fela! Band and More to Salute Tom Freston at The Paley Center for Media's Annual New York Benefit Dinner Thursday, May 31, at 6:30 p.m. at Gotham Hall in Manhattan

NEW YORK, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Paley Center for Media will honor Tom Freston (principal, Firefly3) at its annual benefit dinner in New York, which will take place on Thursday, May 31, at 6:30 p.m. at Gotham Hall in Manhattan. The exciting line up of events for the evening will include live musical performances from Lady Rizo and The Fela! Band; special video tributes from Stephen Colbert , Oprah Winfrey , and Bono among others; and in-person salutes by Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter , the Paley Center's Pat Mitchell , Hearst Corp.'s Frank A. Bennack, Jr. , and Vice Media's Shane Smith .

Freston will be awarded the Paley Prize for Innovation and Excellence for his achievements in leading media transformations and using media to effect social change around the globe. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Paley Center's ongoing programs to increase the public's understanding of media and its growing significance in today's society through public, industry, international, and education programs for students and teachers. 

Tom is currently a principal in Firefly3 LLC, a consulting and investment company, and was the former CEO and President of Viacom.  He was also CEO of MTV Networks for eighteen years and in that role he was a leading pioneer in the creation of MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and other related networks. He is currently Board Chair of Bono's anti-poverty advocacy ONE Campaign.  He is a consultant to Moby Media in Afghanistan and Vice Media here in Brooklyn.  He serves on the boards of Dreamworks Animation, Oprah Winfrey 's OWN network, and Asia Society, where he funded a new department focusing on issues in Afghanistan. 

Recent recipients of the Paley Prize are Jeff Skoll , and Frank A. Bennack, Jr.   For more information go to www.paleycenter.org/ny-annual-benefit-dinner-2012.

Press Contact:
Carrie Oman in New York
212 621 6785
coman@paleycenter.org 

SOURCE The Paley Center for Media

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