Forbes Announces The Celebrity 100 Signature Event: The Entrepreneur Behind The Icon

Forbes announces “The Entrepreneur Behind The Icon” event to be held in celebration of the Forbes’ 13^th annual Celebrity 100 List on June 8^th, 2011, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. PT, at the Drai’s Hollywood. The Forbes Celebrity 100 Event will pay tribute to the entertainment industry’s most influential celebrity entrepreneurs and influencers. This will be an annual Forbes signature event.
Forbes President and CEO Mike Perlis says, “Forbes has championed entrepreneurism since its founding. With the growing force of celebrities creating personal brands and businesses, it makes great sense to honor those who have pioneered this extension of their careers; those that are a force today; and those we see as the future stars in this exciting arena.”
Forbes will honor forward thinking icons through three awards: Startup of the Year, Next Gen Entrepreneur and a Lifetime Achievement award. Bethenny Frankel, who was featured on this year’s Forbes’ Celebrity 100 cover, will also be honored at the event. She debuted on the Forbes’ 2011 Celebrity 100 list at No. 42.
For Startup of the Year Forbes looked for an entertainment company that took a risk to build a business. This year’s Startup of the Year will be awarded to DumbDumb Productions, a sponsor-driven comedy enterprise led by Will Arnett and Jason Bateman in partnership with television and film producer, Ben Silverman.
As more Hollywood celebrities are building businesses and brand empires, Forbes looks to the next generation of Hollywood by honoring the Kardashians with the Next Gen Entrepreneur award. In addition to starring in their own reality show, co-owning boutiques and launching fragrance lines, the Kardashian sisters - Kourtney, Kim and Khloe - have built a business off of their successful branding and enterprising spirit.
The Lifetime Achievement award honors an individual who has a drive and passion for success. Through his long career, entrepreneur and famed musician Gene Simmons has been known for both his business acumen and creative ability. He is the force behind thousands of licensed KISS products, numerous ventures and brand marketing.
Drai’s Hollywood is situated on the famous corner at Hollywood and Vine - the cradle of the Hollywood nightlife resurgence - Drai’s Hollywood (www.drais.net) crowns the new W Hollywood Hotel and boasts over 20,000 square feet of unparalleled views of the Hollywood Hills, the historic Capitol Records building and the Hollywood sign. The club provides multiple environments to ensure guest comfort and fun, reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour.
Forbes Media:
Forbes Media encompasses Forbes and Forbes.com, the leading business site on the Web that reaches on average more than 18 million people monthly. The company publishes Forbes and Forbes Asia, which together reach a worldwide audience of more than 6 million readers. It also publishes ForbesLife magazine, in addition to licensee editions in Africa, China, Croatia, Bulgaria, India, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Latvia, Middle East, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine.
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Steve Forbes serves as Chairman and Editor in Chief. Mike Perlis is President and Chief Executive Officer. Lewis D’Vorkin is Chief Product Officer.