Famed hip hop superstar and Hollywood film star Chris "Ludacris" Bridges will present The One Club's first-ever "Green Pencil" award honoring excellence in the field of environmentally conscious advertising at "The 34th Annual One Show" on May 6th, it was announced today by Mary Warlick, Chief Executive Officer of The One Club.
The One Show is widely regarded as the advertising industry's equivalent to the Oscars and this year it is the centerpiece of an ambitious festival celebrating all forms of creativity called "Creative Week NYC." The week's events take place in New York from May 4-8th at several venues around the city. "Creative Week NYC" includes three prestigious awards shows honoring the year's best achievements in advertising, integrated branding and design in addition to events devoted to digital, music, film and the fine arts.
"As history has proven, the power of advertising can do more than just create awareness for a brand," said Warlick. "It can inspire. It can influence. It can even change the fortunes of a brand on a global scale. Just imagine what it could do for our planet. We are delighted that Chris Bridges, a popular singer and actor who has devoted himself to causes involving youth and the environment, will present The One Club's first Green Pencil award."
The One Show remains the premiere international advertising awards show honoring excellence in print, television, radio, outdoor, innovative marketing, integrated branding and branded content. Every year, Gold, Silver and Bronze winners are announced at this gala event.
"During the past few years, The One Club has made a concerted effort to minimize its carbon footprint," says Kevin Swanepoel, President of The One Club. "In addition to reducing the number of printed materials, The One Club recycles all paper entries as well as all entry packing materials." The Green Pencil is made from recycled glass to keep with the eco-friendly theme, tittot - Asia's leading contemporary glass art maker - crafted the award for The One Show.
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges has achieved fame as an actor as well as being an internationally recognized singer. His most recent album release, "Release Therapy," won two Grammys in 2007 including Best Rap Album. The 28-year-old rapper put not only his experience as an artist into "Release Therapy," but also his experiences as the CEO of Disturbing Tha Peace Records, the Founder of The Ludacris Foundation, and an actor in the Oscar-winning film "Crash."
In his burgeoning film career, Chris took home both a Screen Actor Guild Award and a Critics' Choice Award for his performance in "Crash" and won rave reviews for his appearance in NBC's Law & Order: SVU - a role he will reprise next year. His Ludacris Foundation continues to grow and has raised over half a million dollars towards helping kids to empower themselves. He performed at the Live Earth Concert, appeared in "Battleground Earth" (debut of the Planet Channel) and was recently named the winner of Hollywood Life's first Eco-friendly Celebrity Award.
In the fall of 2008, Bridges also appeared in Guy Ritchie's "RockaRolla" and Fox's "Max Payne." 2009 will see the release of his new independent film "Ball Don't Lie" Lie as well as Lionsgate's "Citizen's Game" in September. He will also be releasing another album.
The One Show is just one of many events that comprise "Creative Week NYC." The week opens on May 4 with One Show Design, now on its ninth year, which has become a highly respected worldwide competition that is unique in the industry for recognizing excellence for innovative design in advertising, branding and other categories. This year's show will take place at the landmark IAC Building.
The following night, (May 5), there will be a special sneak preview of "Art & Copy," the acclaimed documentary about the world of advertising that was a selection at this year's Sundance Film Festival. There will be a screening at 6:00 P.M. and 8:00 p.m. at the IFC Center and it is being shown as part of "Stranger Than Fiction" film series.