Cable’s annual Diversity Week culminated last night with the 30th Annual Walter Kaitz Foundation Dinner, held at the New York Marriott Marquis. For 30 years, The Walter Kaitz Foundation has stood at the center of the cable industry’s long-standing focus on diversity and the annual dinner is the hallmark event of this commitment. Through fundraising and events, the Walter Kaitz Foundation supports grant and scholarships, and produces programs that serve as a catalyst for increasing diversity in cable’s workforce, supplier base and programming.
This year’s dinner was hosted by Mario Lopez, the host of the NUVOtv original series Mario Lopez: One on One, and featured a special performance by Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson. Sony Pictures received the organization’s 2013 Diversity Champion Award and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) was honored with the Diversity Advocate Award. Last night’s dinner raised $1.75 million, totaling over $35 million throughout the dinner’s 30-year history.
As a special feature of the 30th Annual Walter Kaitz Dinner, Walter Kaitz unveiled a new website: 30 Moments / 30 Years sponsored by ESPN. The site is a collection of cable executives who share their impressions of cable diversity through short online videos. New videos will be released periodically, but the first five are available now on the Walter Kaitz Foundation website. Every year, the Walter Kaitz Dinner and Diversity Week as a whole serve as an opportunity to reflect on the ways diversity makes the cable industry stronger. For cable, diversity isn’t just a hiring strategy – it’s a way to building a better business and to creating content that connects to more people’s lives. If you were able to attend the Walter Kaitz Dinner last night, share your experience in the comments.