Adcolor, the premier organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting professionals of color and diversity in the creative industries, today announced the nominees and honorees for its 15th Annual Adcolor Awards. The announcement aired during Adcolor Live!, a live stream event presented by media personality and advocate Dana Blair.
“It’s going to be fire,” says Blair, “as we join together to celebrate the folks that truly embody Adcolor’s mission to rise up and reach back as we champion diversity and inclusion in creative industries.” Blair also revealed the awards program will be hosted by Grammy-nominated rapper MC Lyte, who hosted the Black Girls Rock 15-Year Anniversary Fundraising Gala last month.
Adcolor received an undisclosed record number of submissions for its 10 categories accepting nominations, including two new categories: the Adcolor in Music Award and Adcolor TikTok Creator Award. Each nomination was carefully reviewed by more than 60 elected judges, representing a diverse range of industries, titles, levels and backgrounds.
Tiffany R. Warren, founder & president of Adcolor and Sony Music Group’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, recognized Black Women’s Equal Pay Day before delivering remarks regarding the awards and conference. “I’m so happy to be back in the studio with you, especially on Black Women’s Equal Pay Day; a reminder that it takes a Black woman 579 days to earn what a white non-Hispanic earns in 365. That’s 63 cents on the dollar, just one of the reasons we pull up for Adcolor.”
The set on which Warren stood was filled with three large screens, well-choreographed transitions and an exciting production that ran like clockwork on the Adcolor website. It was an indicator of what’s to come in what Warren says is the biggest and best conference awards yet. Two full days of Adcolor conference programming will feature keynotes, fireside chats, and interactive panels with the biggest players in advertising, marketing, media, technology and more.
The advertising and music industry’s most recognized chief diversity officer, Warren, also reflected on last year’s event which went completely virtually during the pandemic, “As we learned from our virtual event last year, we’ll also have over 50 hours of on-demand programming so you have what you need to know at your fingertips.”
In a nod to Warren’s role and growing influence reflective of her move to the music industry, since departing Omnicom last October, Warren told viewers “On Thursday, we’ll be bringing all of that energy and content to our first ever Adcolor and Music Conference. That’s followed by Adcolor After Dark on Thursday night, but please, you have to pace yourself because on Friday night it’s the 15th Annual Adcolor Awards,” says Warren. Grammy-award-winning artist H.E.R. and Epic Records Chairman and CEO Sylvia Rhone headline a star-studded list of nominees and honorees this year.
“After all we endured this past year and seeing how our community responded with meaningful work and action, we knew we would have an incredible list of talent to choose from for this year’s awards,” Warren shared in a press release. “Our judges worked diligently to refine the record number of submissions into a highly competitive list of nominees and honorees. We were so excited to unveil that list at ADCOLOR Live! and look forward to celebrating all the honorees and winners at our annual award show in October.”
This year’s 2021 Adcolor nominees include a mix of business leaders and creatives across several agencies, companies, and industries.
Ad of the Year:
- “A Word” for Asiancy by Wieden+Kennedy
- “Bedtime Stories” for Coda by Google Brand Studio
- “Give Life Back” for Reform Alliance by Droga5
- “The Show Must Go On” for Amazon by Lucky Generals
- “You Love Me” for Beats by Translation
Adcolor in Music (Leadership):
- Heather Lowery, president & CEO, Femme it Forward
- Jeff S. Harleston, general counsel and executive vice president of business & legal Affairs, Universal Music Group
- Phylicia Fant, head of urban music, Columbia Records
Adcolor in Tech:
- Brandon Roots, strategic media planner, Facebook
- Jewel Burks Solomon, head of Google for Startups, Google
- Stephanie Geno, chief marketing officer, Innovid
Adcolor | TikTok Creator:
- Carlynn Greene, journalist intern, ABC News Live; content creator, Scholarship Guru
- Joel Bervell, doctor, medical student
- Jonta Harris, influencer, content creator, OHT Studios
Change Agent:
- Aubrie Lee, brand manager, naming, Google
- Christine Maggiore-Escribano, SVP, head of One Platform Marketing, NBCUniversal
- Kevin Brady, executive creative director, Droga5
Innovator:
- Florian Koenigsberger, image equity lead, Google
- Kristen Marston, culture & entertainment advocacy director, Color of Change
- Oyinda Elias, multicultural lead, TBWA\Chiat\Day\LA
Most Valuable Partnership:
- Edelman & Boris L. Henson Foundation
- The One Club for Creativity
- WhatsApp & Vote.org
Rising Star:
- Brandon Heard, senior strategist, R/GA
- Briana Patrick, senior brand strategist, Goodby Silverstein & Partners
- Jazmin Burrell, creative strategist, Snap Inc.
Rockstar:
- Dani Jackson, VP, influencer & multicultural marketing, Edelman
- Sabrina Lynch, senior vice president, Taylor Strategy
- Zain Masri, head of brand & reputation, MENA, Google
2021 Adcolor Honorees:
AAFCA | Adcolor Breakout Creative of the Year:
- Michaela Coel, actress, screenwriter, director, producer and singer
AAFCA | Adcolor Icon:
- Viola Davis, actress, producer
Adcolor | Adweek Beacon:
- Daniel Dae Kim, actor, producer
Adcolor in Music (Artist):
- H.E.R., Grammy award-winning artist
Adcolor | One Club Creatives:
- Courtney Richardson, creative director, Droga5
- Juan Carlos Pagan, founding partner & executive creative director, Sunday Afternoon
Advocate:
- Robyn Streisand-Luppino, founder and CEO, The Mixx
Catalyst:
- Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer, Procter & Gamble
Legends:
- Carla Hassan, chief marketing officer, JP Morgan Chase
- Daisy Auger-Dominguez, chief people officer, Vice Media Group
- Michelle Lee, global VP of editorial and publishing, Netflix
- Nancy Reyes, chief executive officer, TBWA\Chiat\Day\NY
Lifetime Achievement:
- Antonio Lucio, principal and founder, 5S Diversity; Executive Fellow, Yale School of Management
- Constance Cannon Frazier, principal, Cardinal Change Consulting
- Sylvia Rhone, chairman and CEO, Epic Records
Mr. Adcolor:
- Julian Soto, copywriter, Kettle
Ms. ADCOLOR:
- Nicole Dei, partner programs- global media accounts, Facebook
“This year we know our mission is bigger and more central than ever and we know the problems that we need to solve as Black and Brown people. As members of AAPI, MENA communities, as women, as LGBTQIA+ people, as people with disabilities, as allies, it’s not just on us. These are everybody-problems and they need everybody-solutions,” adds Warren.
The 2021 honorees and winners will be celebrated at the 15th Annual Award Show on October 8th at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. The show will close out the organization’s annual event, ADCOLOR Everywhere 2021, which will be held in New York City from October 5-8, 2021. In-person tickets for the event are now sold out, but virtual options remain available.
