2012 ADCOLOR® Honorees Announced at ADCOLOR Live! Event: Boris Kodjoe to Receive the ADCOLOR® All-Star Award

NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ADCOLOR LIVE! 2012, streamed live last night from The Time Warner Center Park Cafe, and was hosted by Antonio Neves, CEO& Founder of THINQACTION. This year actor, philanthropist and entrepreneur Boris Kodjoe will join an illustrious group of industry innovators when he receives the 2012 ADCOLOR All-Star Award presented by Omnicom Group, in recognition of his exceptional work with his charity dedicated to his daughter Sophie and his contributions to film, TV, stage, business and media.  He will be honored at the advertising industry's premier event celebrating diversity and the contributions of some of the industry's brightest stars. The 2012 ADCOLOR® Awards and Industry Conference will take place in Las Vegas at the infamous Bellagio Hotel from October 18^th through the 20^th.  Past All-Star Award recipients include influential members in multicultural society like: Actor-comedian George Lopez, television host Cristina Saralegui, activist, entrepreneur and "Father of Hip-Hop," Russell Simmons, businessman and former NBA champion Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Queen Latifah, multi-platinum recording artist and award-winning actress.  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120808/NY54212LOGO )

"We're so thrilled to be honoring Mr. Kodjoe this year; deciding who to name All-Star is never an easy decision with so many game-changers out there, but after meeting with Boris, learning more about him and the amazing philanthropic work he does, I knew he really exemplified what we look for in an All-Star," Tiffany R. Warren, Founder of The ADCOLOR Awards and Industry Conference and senior vice president, chief diversity officer for Omnicom Group Inc., explains.

Also unveiled at ADCOLOR Live! was news that for the first time ever, ADCOLOR will launch its very own App in early October. In collaboration with Wieden + Kennedy, the app will feature a comprehensive schedule, site map, attendee profiles, photo booth and an honoree slot machine where instead of playing for money, you play for the chance to meet the honorees and All-Star! Additionally, the event provided an opportunity for attendees to preview the new campaign created for ADCOLOR by TBWA\Chiat\Day New York. The campaign, "Color Adds Depth" will center on bringing to light people of diversity and their contributions to the advertising, marketing and media industries.

Shot by famed director and photographer Mark Zibbert, and lead by executive creator director of TBWA New York Mark Figliulo, the campaign will use a 3D design element that serves as a metaphor for the industry, literally adding depth as color comes together through a series of dynamic portraits and high energy digital videos. In addition, it will also highlight some of the many faces that are currently leading these industries, including some celebrities currently making waves in media. "Color Adds Depth will show that diversity is not only integral to our industry, it's what makes the world pop," says Doug Melville, Chief Diversity Officer, TBWA\ Worldwide.

Space is still available for the 2012 ADCOLOR Awards and Industry Conference.  To reserve a seat, visit: http://adcolor.org/

List of ADCOLOR 2012 Award Honorees:

The ALL-STAR presented by Omnicom Group
Boris Kodjoe, Actor, Philanthropist, Entrepreneur, Los Angeles, CA

The CATALYST presented by Draftfcb
Soledad O'Brien, Host of CNN's "Starting Point" & Co-Founder, Soledad O'Brien and Brad Raymond Foundation, New York, NY

The MVP presented by CNN
Fleishman Hillard & Open Channels Group

The LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Awards presented by the American Advertising Federation
Special recognition of 2012 AAF Hall of Fame Inductees of color
Johnathan A. Rodgers, Former President and CEO, TV One
Tere A. Zubizarreta (1937-2007), Founder, Zubi Advertising

The LEGENDS presented by DIAGEO
Louis Carr, President, BET Networks, Chicago, IL
Chiqui Cartegena, VP, Corporate Marketing, UNIVISION, New York, NY

The CHANGE AGENTS presented by Deutsch, Inc.
John Osborn, President & Chief Executive Officer, BBDO, New York, NY
Peter Drakoulias, Global Chief of Staff, Draftfcb, New York, NY
Gina Christie, SVP, Management Director, Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, NY

The INNOVATORS presented by Wieden + Kennedy
Shane Santiago, President & Chief Creative Officer, SBS Studios LLC, Jacksonville, FL
Andre Woolery, Digital Synthesis Director, kbs+ New York, New York, NY
Remen Wong, Analytic Solutions Director, Team Detroit, Dearborn, MI

The RISING STARS presented by Google
Lila Anton, Account Executive, TBWA\ Media Arts Lab, Los Angeles, CA
Carl Desir, Manager of Diversity & Inclusion, 4A's, New York, NY
Neisha Tweed, Copywriter, Publicis USA, New York, NY

The ADVOCATES presented by GLAAD & McCann Worldgroup
Rashad Robinson, Executive Director, Color of Change, San Francisco, CA
Jerime Black, National Sales and Marketing Manager, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Los Angeles, CA

The ONE CLUB|ADCOLOR CREATIVES presented by The One Club & Publicis USA
Jayanta Jenkins, Global Creative Director, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY, Los Angeles, CA
Tim Allen, VP, Executive Creative Director of Interaction Design, R/GA, New York, NY

About Boris Kodjoe
2012 ADCOLOR All-Star

From his big screen, television and theater roles to his entrepreneurial and charitable endeavors, Boris Kodjoe has proven to be the true renaissance man. 

Raised in Germany by a German mother and a Ghanaian father, Boris Kodjoe was one of the top Junior Tennis players in his country. Although a back injury prevented a professional career in sports, a scholarship to Virginia Commonwealth University gave him an opportunity to study in the US. After receiving a degree in Business Marketing he moved to New York with an offer to sign with the Ford modeling agency. Following a successful career in modeling during which he took acting classes in order to get rid of his German accent, Boris made his acting debut as Damon Carter in the Showtime drama "Soul Food". The show introduced him to co-star and future wife Nicole Ari Parker and garnered him three NAACP Award nominations. Four years later he starred with Parker in the sitcom "Second Time Around," which he also produced. After TV roles on "Crossing Jordan", "Nip/Tuck" and "Boston Public", super producer JJ Abrams handpicked Boris to star as "Steven Bloom" in the NBC series "Undercovers." Among his feature film credits are the Spike Lee produced "Love and Basketball," "Brown Sugar," "The Gospel," "Tyler Perry's "Madea's Family Reunion," and "Surrogates" with Bruce Willis. In September, Boris will reprise his role as Luther West opposite Milla Jovovich in the action thriller "Resident Evil: Retribution."

On Broadway in 2008, Boris made his debut as "Brick" in the Tennessee Williams classic "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opposite James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, and Giancarlo Esposito. In 2009 Boris and his wife Nicole founded Sophie's Voice Foundation in honor of their daughter Sophie who was diagnosed with Spina Bifida at birth. The non-profit organization's mission is to elevate the quality of life for children and adults diagnosed with spina bifida and to raise awareness of its prevention. Their efforts have resulted in the first Spina Bifida center to open at Emory University at the Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta this year, with the goal to eradicate all preventable Spina Bifida globally within ten years.

Boris also created WorldOfALFA.com with his brother Patrick, an online clothing company offering the luxury of High Quality Custom made clothing to everyone. In a world where an average custom suit costs $1,800 and a custom shirt costs $150, ALFA (Affordable Luxury For All) custom suits start at $179 and custom shirts start at $29. In September the two brothers will launch the ALFA Initiative, a program enabling thousands of people to build their own business and supplement their income by becoming ALFA consultants.

This fall, Boris and Nicole will be launching "Strive to Thrive" in association with Huffington Post/Black Voice, an interactive platform of continuous informative content to cultivate a healthy lifestyle in our community. With the help of a team of experts from medicine, nutrition, fitness, psychology and self help/ success, Boris and Nicole discover easy to follow solutions and encourage dialogue in order to help people transform their mind, body, and soul into their healthiest to eventually maximize their true potential.

In addition, Boris and Patrick Kodjoe have partnered with The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to develop "Brand U", a program for High School and College students teaching personal branding and the laws of presentation. This concept has been part of the UNCF college tour for the past two years.

Most recently, Boris has been supporting his wife Nicole Ari Parker's new product and company "Save Your Do", a GymWrap designed to help women protect their hair while leading an active lifestyle. Boris strongly believes that it's his responsibility and calling to use his voice in order to uplift and empower others, to serve in socially conscious ways, and to use his resources to affect positive change. In all of his companies parts of the proceeds go to the Sophie's Voice Foundation.

Boris and Nicole have two children, Sophie and Nicolas, and they reside in Los Angeles.

About ADCOLOR®
ADCOLOR® is a 501(c)(6) organization that was founded in 2005. ADCOLOR seeks to support and inspire professionals of color and diversity champions within the advertising, marketing, media and related industries by celebrating the accomplishments of diverse role models and industry leaders. Since 2007, the ADCOLOR Awards and Industry Conference has become their signature event presented by some of the most prestige brands and organizations in the nation to celebrate and promote diversity in the industry.

The ADCOLOR award honorees and alumni are the trailblazers and the torchbearers for the next generation of young diverse achievers. The three day event is presented by ADCOLOR® and sponsored by 4A's, ameredia, inc. American Advertising Federation, The Advertising Club of NY, BBDO, CNN, Deutsch, DIAGEO, Draftfcb, GLAAD, Google, The Home Depot, McCann Worldgroup, Omnicom Group, The One Club, Publicis USA, TBWA\Chiat Day, Time Warner and Wieden + Kennedy.

For all ADCOLOR® Awards & Industry Conference information, sponsorship opportunities and to register, please visit ADCOLOR's microsite, designed by SBS Studios LLC, at www.adcolor.org.

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