DANE COOK TO MC ZIMMER CHILDREN'S BASH
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Zimmer Children’s Museum’s
12th Annual Discovery Award Dinner
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Dane Cook
Comedian and actor Dane Cook will serve as emcee of Zimmer Children’s Museum’s 12th Annual Discovery Award Dinner on Thursday evening, Nov. 8, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Serving as the only children’s museum in the city of Los Angeles, the Museum will present its prestigious Discovery Award honoring extraordinary leaders in their fields and communities to Deborah Klein, a partner at Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein, and her husband Mort Marcus, co-president of Debmar-Mercury; Sharon Sacks, president and founder of event company Sacks Productions; and Carrie Lieberman, partner at Team Tutors and an attorney.
Cook, who has maintained his reputation as one of today's most prolific standup comedians, while simultaneously distinguishing himself acting in a variety of film and television projects, will preside over the ceremony that will include many prominent members of the entertainment industry. The fundraiser will benefit the kids’ museum that welcomes more than 60,000 visitors annually. Zimmer’s mission is to promote values to help make a better society through interactive learning, creative self-expression and art experiences for children and their families.
Deborah Klein and Mort Marcus, who have balanced their 19-year marriage with high-pressure careers, will be honored “for their steadfast commitment to community and education, as well as their unfailing devotion to their family,” said incoming Zimmer Board President Andy Kaplan, President, Worldwide Networks, Sony Pictures Television, and a 2011 Zimmer honoree. “They have pledged support to their many charitable organizations with a total and unabated dedication.”
Klein serves as a partner at one of the preeminent entertainment law firms in the nation and represents some of the biggest names in the world of entertainment. She is a member of the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors and, together with Marcus, supports numerous cancer research projects. In addition to other boards, she just finished a three-year term as the Chairman of the Board at Curtis School.
After 10 years as President of Buena Vista Television, Marcus founded Debmar Studios, selling the syndication rights to South Park. Now he is co-president of Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury, the pioneering TV distribution and production firm behind Anger Management, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Meet the Browns, The Wendy Williams Show and many others.
Honoree Sharon Sacks, a popular lifestyle guru well known to reality TV viewers, combines her role as a wife, mother and grandmother with her 25-year career as president-founder of Los Angeles-based event production company Sacks Productions.
The firm grew out of Sacks’ earlier time with Motown Records and Tandem/T.A.T/Embassy, where she worked alongside entertainment mogul Jerry Perenchio. He became a mentor and friend to Sacks, as well as one of her first clients, when she launched predecessor event company Just Call in 1986.
Sacks will be feted by Zimmer for her charitable work benefiting children and cancer research. The award will cite her for “dedication to giving back, as evidenced by her continued involvement with Revlon Run/Walk, Zimmer and many other organizations,” Museum CEO Esther Netter said.
Attorney Carrie Lieberman is being recognized for balancing her role as a mother with her many educational activities enhancing the lives of children and her active involvement in Zimmer, according to Netter. She has served since 2009 as a partner at Team Tutors, an academic tutoring and consulting company providing private, in-home tutoring and standardized test preparation.
Lieberman had consulted for Team Tutors since its inception in 2000 and began running its business operations in January 2010. She has helped to implement on-campus tutoring programs and classes at four schools in Los Angeles, while also overseeing a monthly speaker series hosted by Team Tutors on a variety of educational topics.
Her fundraising efforts include involvement with the Discovery Awards Dinner, Zimmerpalooza and the Museum’s Mother’s Day Luncheon. She has participated in youTHink activities in local schools and with the internship program run through the Zimmer. Lieberman has chaired the Zimmer Show & Tell Committee for the past two years, helping to solicit artwork and curating the shows.
Previous Discovery Award winners include Lionsgate Television President Kevin Beggs; Hasbro Studios President Stephen J. Davis; USA Network Co-President Jeff Wachtel; Sesame Workshop President-CEO Gary E. Knell; 2 Friends Entertainment Co-President Wendy Moss Klein; director and humanitarian Arthur Hiller; Mark Itkin, executive VP at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment; Barbara Fisher, senior VP of programming for GMC; Missy Halperin, senior VP, talent relations, at FOX Broadcasting; and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, actress and children's advocate, among many others.
A limited number of seats are still available; for more information visit www.zimmermuseum.org or call (323) 761-8141.
About The Zimmer Children’s Museum
The Zimmer Children’s Museum is dedicated to teaching people about the big ideas of global citizenship, community responsibility and cultural sensitivity. Its mission is to make a better society through interactive learning, creative self-expression and art experiences for children, youth and families. The only children’s museum in the city of Los Angeles, the Zimmer’s distinctive mission makes the institution particularly relevant to the diverse community.
Located on Museum Row in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles, the Zimmer Children’s Museum was created in 1991 to provide a gathering space where families could play together and share in human values that build a stronger community. While the museum began as a modest 600-square-foot play space located in the Westside Jewish Community Center (where it was once an affiliate program of Jewish Community Centers of Los Angeles), the Museum became an independent nonprofit organization in 2005. At this time, the organization redefined its mission to broaden its reach to serve all children and families of the city. Today, the Zimmer maintains a steadfast commitment to ensuring that all children, youth and families in Los Angeles can play and learn together.
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