Contact: Genevieve Morrill [email protected] 8272 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046 Phone: 323-650-2688 / Fax: 323-650-2689

WEST HOLLYWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR THE 30TH ANNUAL WEST HOLLYWOOD CREATIVE CITY AWARDS 2013: HONORING INNOVATION IN BUSINESS AND HONORS NATE GOLLER WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

For Immediate Release: (West Hollywood, CA) September 13, 2013 – West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will host the West Hollywood Creative City Awards 2013: Honoring Innovation in Business on Thursday, November 14, 2013 at The London West Hollywood. The festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. with a reception and silent auction; followed by a dinner and awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $175.00 per seat and $1,600 for a Table of Ten. For tickets or sponsorship call 323-650-2688.

This gala is the Chamber’s most prestigious and longest-running event, now in its 30th year. Excitement is palpable as the businesses celebrate the nominees selected by their peers to see who the winners will be! Master of Ceremonies will be emceed by comedienne Shawn Pelofsky. Shawn has given the comedy competition circuit a run for its money as a finalist for The Funniest Woman in Orange County and in Comedy Central's "Laugh Riots". Her television and film credits include Community (NBC), Lip Service (Showtime), The Gossip Queens (LOGO), Chelsea Lately (E!), Pretty Hurts (LOGO), Comics Unleashed (ABC), The Tonight Show (NBC), Pauly Shore's Minding the Store (TBS), Last Comic Standing (NBC), Playboy Channel and Free Enterprise starring William Shatner.

The Creative City Awards is an important fund raiser for the Chamber, a 501c6 non-profit organization. Funds raised from this event help to contribute to programming and promotions for the business community. The nominees were chosen for their innovation in their approach to business and/or creative merits in product and service by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Membership, its Board of Directors and the Special Events Committee. A criterion for selection was that the business be a Chamber Member and have made significant contributions to the West Hollywood community. Members vote for their favorites through an online ballot and the winners are announced at the event.

The nominees selected are: For Creative Concept (awarded to a business that is an innovator of a cool new concept, product or services)-Tortilla Republic, Revolver Video Bar and DiLascia (Formerly PAR-LA); For Corporate Innovation (awarded to a business in any category that has shown creative innovation in their corporate business model) - Innovative Dining Group (IDG), Rock N’ Reilly’s and Tommy Hilfiger; For the John Chase Art & Design Award (awarded to a business that falls into the categories of art, performance art, fashion, design, architecture or any other creative arts realm) - the Cedars-Sinai Landscape Project, Gerald David Bauman-Nobel Shield & Box of Rocks and Marco Pelusi Hair Studio; for Creative Communications (awarded to a business within public relations, marketing, branding, televisual arts, copyrighting, technology, social media, graphic design, writing etc.) - Clear Channel Outdoor, Valentine Group Public Relations and Visionary Digital Enterprises; For the Weho Beacon Award (awarded to a business that attracts visitors to West Hollywood or caters to the visitor and tourism market) - Sunset Tower Hotel, The Rainbow Bar & Grill and the Troubadour; For Creative Community Service, Capitol Drugs, Cardiff Giant and Hornburg Sunset.

The Thomas Crail Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Nate Goller, owner of Phyllis Morris Originals since 1963 and significant property stakeholder in West Hollywood.

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ABOUT WHCC The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is a 501c6 non-profit organization that supports and promotes a community environment where commerce can flourish. The Chamber fosters prosperity and champions local business by providing resources and leadership to advance activity through economic development, by advocating the position of the business community and by enhancing the quality of community life and promotes the uniqueness of West Hollywood.

ABOUT THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT RECIPIENT:

Nathan Goller was born in New York City in 1928 and relocated to Los Angeles in 1944 where he graduated from Los Angeles City College before joining the Army, after which he went to USC School of Law where he graduated in 1951 and immediately started his own practice. In 1956 he married design entrepreneur Phyllis Morris who had a small lamp manufacturing company which became so successful that in 1963 Nate and Phyllis formally formed Phyllis Morris Originals and started manufacturing a complete line of furniture. As Nate continued to be involved in both his law practice and Phyllis Morris Originals, he began acquiring property for their showrooms and factory. Phyllis ran the company from the design, marketing and production end and Nate was involved in the financial aspects of the company. Although he retired from practicing law last year, Nate is very much active in managing various West Hollywood and is currently he is developing a hotel/entertainment/ retail project on Robertson.

ABOUT THE CCA 2013 NOMINEES

CREATIVE CONCEPT NOMINEES This was previously the "Creative Start Up Award," and is awarded to a business that is an innovator of a cool new concept, product or services.

Tortilla Republic From the owners of Taste on Melrose and Taste in Pacific Palisades, John Halter, Morten Kaag and Mina Azami, created Tortilla Republic West Hollywood to offer inventive Mexican fare with unexpected flavors utilizing all-natural meats, as well as organic and locally grown produce. Tortilla Republic offers a variety of gastronomic and entertaining experiences, with updated Mexican classics made with fresh and flavorful ingredients such as Tacos de Jicama, Sweet Potato Hibiscus Flower Tacos, and Cucumber Lavender Margarita. Tortilla Republic features brunch, lunch, happy hour, dinner, and Sunday Funday celebrations. In conjunction with renowned interior designer Kirk Pereira, Halter, Kaag and Azami designed Tortilla Republic to reflect a polished aesthetic inspired by their travels to Mexico. The restaurant features modern Mexican cuisine in a contemporary chic setting with spectacular al fresco patio. Tortilla Republic also has a location in Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii.

Dilascia (Formerly PAR-LA) In 2008 designer Patrick DiLascia moved to Los Angeles from New York to launch his brand, DiLascia. Tired of driving to his showroom in downtown LA, Patrick discover his retail space while on a walk in his neighborhood with his dog, Napoleon. Patrick quickly signed the lease and opened in January of 2011. The DiLascia brand is now based in West Hollywood and is sold in 142 stores in 4 countries, including Kitson, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales. The DiLascia brand has also become a favorite among celebrities including T.I., Paris Hilton and Guillermo Diaz from the hit ABC show Scandal.

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Revolver Video Bar A West Hollywood institution for gays in the 80’s and 90’s, Revolver was a favorite destination where friends could catch up over cocktails while watching one-of-a-kind music videos. Named for its revolving front door where guests would funnel in and out of the popular spot, Revolver reopened October 2011 once again putting a new spin on West Hollywood nightlife. Sticking to its roots of the best music video and iconic movie mash ups, inexpensive drinks, signature nights and even the landmark revolving door, the reincarnated Revolver pays homage to its previous self but with an entirely sexy new look.

CORPORATE INNOVATION NOMINEES This is awarded to a business in any category that has shown creative innovation in their corporate business model.

Innovative Dining Group (IDG) Innovative Dining Group (IDG), with restaurants all over Los Angeles, is known for exceptional cuisine and locations meant to rub shoulders with the “who’s who” of the city. At Katana, you can sit on the patio while enjoying sushi and Robatayaki. Take in an ocean view with a beachside dinner at BOA Steakhouse or Sushi Roku Santa Monica, or people watch at the brand new Chinese Hot Spot, Chi Lin, on Sunset Blvd. Step into Riva Bella, a sprawling indoor-outdoor space evocative of a rustic Tuscan farmhouse accented by sleek, ultra-stylish contemporary elements. Whether you’re looking for a Modern Steakhouse, California Bistro, Chic al fresco Dining, Sinful Sushi, Contemporary Asian Cuisine, or Downtown Italian Fare, IDG provides the perfect escape.

Rock N’Reilly’s An Irish Bar with personality, great drinks, delicious food, and more. With their world-famous variety of whiskey and beer, Reilly guarantees a good time! Rock and Reilly’s invokes the kindred spirits of a Prohibition-era speakeasy, infused with hip Brooklyn-style. Great food, a world- famous selection of whiskey, beer & more. Rock & Reilly's, an Irish bar with personality!

Tommy Hilfiger As one of the world’s leading premium lifestyle brands, Tommy Hilfiger delivers superior styling, quality and value to consumers worldwide. The brand celebrates the essence of Classic American Cool and provides a refreshing twist to the preppy fashion genre. Since its debut in 1985, the Tommy Hilfiger Group offers its consumers a breadth of beautifully designed, high quality products. Under the leadership of Founder Tommy Hilfiger and Chief Executive Officer Fred Gehring, the brand can be found in leading department and specialty stores, as well as in its own expanding network of freestanding retail stores, worldwide. Tommy Hilfiger today has become a global brand with strong recognition and a distribution network in over 90 countries and more than 1,000 retail stores throughout North America, Europe, Central and South America and Asia Pacific.

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JOHN CHASE ART & DESIGN NOMINEES This is awarded to a business that falls into the categories of art, performance art, fashion, design, architecture or any other creative arts realm.

Cedars-Sinai Landscape Project Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has turned the campus into an urban oasis. When completed in 2014, the site will include water fountains, sculptures and roadways framed by palm trees and other greenery. Cedars-Sinai is undertaking the makeover to tie together a campus that accommodates 18,000 to 20,000 patients, medical staff and visitors on a typical day. The medical center will be ringed by greenery, including dozens of palms trees and other leafy plants and trees to soften its border and provide shade for pedestrians. Streets and walkways on the medical center campus also will be greened, and the changes will include a cascading water sculpture called “George and Gracie,” named for Hollywood legends George Burns and Gracie Allen, whose names adorn the streets that run through the heart of the medical center. The plaza level will be transformed into a “healing gardens” with lush species of plants and trees, terraced waterfalls, an amphitheater and more than a dozen new works of art.

Gerald David Bauman. – Noble Shield and Box of Rocks Gerald David Bauman has been a private jewelry designer in the area for 38 years at the wholesale level by appointment only. Now that there is a new demand in the wedding market for LGBT weddings, Gerald has been designing same-sex wedding rings for Men & Men or Ladies & Ladies. He designed and hand makes a Sterling silver line Called Nobel Shield and a store on Melrose Avenue just east of Doheny Dr., West Hollywood.

Marco Pelusi Hair Studio Marco Pelusi is globally recognized as a leading Haircolor Authority, renowned Platform Artist & Educator, and fashion-forward Celebrity Haircolorist. Marco’s love for haircolor began during his hairdressing days at his family’s upscale chain of East Coast salons. Early on in his career, he became a top Educator at one of the world’s leading Milan haircolor companies. He was then sought out to be the National Haircolor Educator for an esteemed Los Angeles-based color company. Marco’s premier studio opened in the heart of the ultra-chic West Hollywood Design District on Robertson Boulevard, where he and his talented staff of seasoned Hollywood hair stylists offer world-class hair fashion to numerous regarded celebrities and trendsetters at the luxurious, tranquil, spa-like salon, the Marco Pelusi Hair Studio. He quickly introduced the Marco® Collagen Color Guard™ HairCare System, the first and only complete collagen-based system developed for color and chemically treated hair. To date, Marco executes standing-room-only, mainstage performances at the New York and Las Vegas Annual International Beauty Shows as well as The International Salon & Spa Expo in Long Beach.

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CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS This is awarded to a business within public relations, marketing, branding, televisual arts, copyrighting, technology, social media, graphic design, writing etc.

Clear Channel Outdoor Recognized as one of the world's largest Out of Home companies, Clear Channel Outdoor has built an inventory of specialized outdoor advertising products uniquely tailored to meet the needs of today's advertising industry. Their priority is to understand a business’s unique needs and goals in order to provide superior Out of Home products and services that exceed expectations. Their leadership team and staff are dedicated to helping achieve maximum impact from an advertising investment. Clear Channel Outdoor also is a huge community supporter and has donated billboards for the SSMF at a donated amount of over $120,000 and has helped with Outfest at a donated amount of over $57,000. They provide 100 of thousands of dollars for the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus over the year as well as the West Hollywood Book Fair.

Valentine Group Public Relations Steve Valentine, President of Valentine Group Public Relations has more than a decade of experience in Public Relations, Management, and Marketing Communications. LA Weekly included Valentine in 2011’s “Most Interesting People” issue following his Gold Medal win at the Gay Games in Cologne, Germany. Many former and current clients, associations, and resources in West Hollywood and beyond are the City of West Hollywood’s Parks & Facilities Dept. (as Producer of same sex ballroom classes for three years), The Roxbury on Sunset (restaurant/club launch), Sofitel Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Beverly Center, Lyricist Bernie Taupin, as well as, being credited with launching Eva Mendes, a former assistant. Valentine’s team of Trisha Davis, Christopher Zermeno and James Miller and their relationships with the media, locally, nationally and internationally, creates important multi-layering marketing campaigns and big results for which the agency has become known and awarded a “PRism” award – the Oscars of the PR world.

Visionary Digital Enterprises Visionary Digital Enterprises is the designer and manufacturer of revolutionary digital imaging systems that place their company in the unique position of being able to work individually with each customer on a highly custom level that enables each client to meet their specific high resolution micro and macro imaging needs. As one of the world pioneers in Cyber taxonomy, Roy Larimer, inventor of the VDE patented digital imaging system, has once again proven his remarkable ability to leap ahead of existing technology into previously unexplored territory for the benefit of numerous fields of study. Some of these fields include: entomology, medicine, metallurgy, gemology, art restoration, geology, forensic anthropology and pathology to name a few. The applications of these prescient systems are limited only by the end user's imagination. VDE strives to continue to provide the finest digital imaging equipment available anywhere in the world while expanding into new fields and industry and growing their product line to include new inventions and applications that help their clients capture the absolute finest digital images imaginable.

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WEHO BEACON NOMINEES This is awarded to a business that attracts visitors to West Hollywood or caters to the visitor and tourism market.

Sunset Tower Designed in 1929 by architect Leland A. Bryant, the Sunset Tower (as originally called) was a trendsetter from the moment it opened. Its dramatic setting on the Sunset Strip and elegant Art Deco styling, together with its proximity to famous restaurants and nightclubs of the 1930s & ’40s, contributed to its landmark status. West Hollywood has always catered to celebrities wishing to draw attention to their star power. The Sunset Tower embodied these aspirations, counting among its former residents Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Billie Burke, Marilyn Monroe, Errol Flynn, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Paulette Goddard, Zasu Pitts, and even gangster Bugsy Siegel. Leland Bryant specialized in luxury apartments, but the Sunset Tower was his crowning achievement. His work was predominantly in Period Revival, but with this building he proved that he was equally adept with the then contemporary Deco style.

The Rainbow Bar & Grill The is a bar and restaurant on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, adjacent to the border of Beverly Hills, California. The Rainbow Bar and Grill with its exclusive club upstairs called "Over the Rainbow", which consists of a full bar, dance floor, and a DJ booth. The restaurant was founded in early 1972 by , , Mario Maglieri and others, opening on April 16, 1972 with a party for . At the time, the word "rainbow" signified peace and freedom. It quickly became known as a hangout for celebrities of all types. John Belushi ate his last meal (lentil soup) at table #16. The Rainbow became known as a hangout for rock musicians and their groupies. Notable regulars at The Rainbow in this period include , , Micky Dolenz, Grace Slick, , , Janis Joplin, , and many others. As musical trends on the Strip changed towards heavy metal in the 1980s, The Rainbow followed suit. Members of Mötley Crüe, Poison, and Guns N' Roses frequented the bar.

Troubadour Since opening in1957, the legendary Troubadour club in West Hollywood has helped launch some of contemporary music's most talented performers. Greats such as Elton John, James Taylor and Tom Waits performed there early in their careers, and it continues to be a destination for cutting-edge acts from around the world. The Troubadour also remains a popular venue among serious music fans that enjoy listening to live music in an intimate and historically rich setting.

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CREATIVE COMMUNITY SERVICE This is awarded to the business or individual who has shown exemplary service to the community as a volunteer, an ambassador, a non-profit or a representative of government.

Capitol Drugs Owner of Capitol Drugs Ruth Tittle strives to build a business that remains relevant to the needs of her community, offering alternative treatments, a ‘whole person’ approach to treatment and a deeply held belief that personal knowledge is a powerful tool for an individual. She remains committed to the community of West Hollywood providing choices for their health care needs. Her brother, who founded Capitol Drug Pharmacies, passed away in 1993 from the complication of HIV/AIDS. Ruth remains driven by her brother’s legacy, holding true to his core belief of giving back to the community served. As a visible member of the Los Angeles LGBT community she continues to commit her time, energy and resources to community action, social equality and standing up for the under-served. She serves on numerous boards and has been the recipient of many awards. As the CEO of a locally recognized and respected company, Ruth is well aware of the economic challenges facing West Hollywood businesses. Professionally she offers the solid leadership knowledge of a successful business along with a deep respect for and commitment to her neighborhood community. Her visionary leadership, humor, interest in people and willingness to be innovative when facing change offers a significant advantage to any business community wanting to prosper in the future.

Cardiff Giant The Cardiff Giant family prides itself on creating unforgettable experiences in dining and social entertainment, as well as celebrating healthy lifestyle choices in the products we offer. Officially formed in July 2012, they are the brains behind West Hollywood's popular neighborhood bar and restaurant The Hudson, West 3rd Street's rustic, vibrant gastropub The Churchill, new owner of the club formerly known as Voyeur, and Clover Juice, a healthy lifestyle brand serving fresh cold-pressed juices and organic cafe items. Mike Jay, a partner in the company has been a resident of West Hollywood for the last four years and recently founded the Center City Improvement Committee (CCIC) which has privatized security in the area and facilitated a universal valet system solving the parking issue in the Center City area. His desire to serve comes from wanting to see all the businesses of West Hollywood flourish and to be part of the revitalization of the East Side where he both lives and works.

Hornburg Sunset Since its opening on Sunset in 1948, Hornburg Sunset has built its reputation on quality service and on extensive product selection. Hosting multiple events throughout the year, the store maintains a favorable presence in the community. As the only franchised Jaguar and Land Rover dealer in West Hollywood, the dealership is able to deliver the product and service that the brand is famous for. Over the years Hornburg has sponsored enumerable events and programs for various non-profits, as well as the City of West Hollywood, the Chamber, the Sunset Strip and the Design District.

For more information on the Creative City Awards or the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce check us out online at www.wehochamber.com or call 323-650-2688. # # #

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