Pharrell Williams is everywhere and in October he will be hosting an event honoring Warner/Chappell Music CEO Jon Platt.
The City of Hope Gala, hosted by Pharrell is set to honor Platt with the organization’s Spirit of Life Award.
“I’m honored to join my good friend Jon to support the groundbreaking and life-saving advances at the City of Hope,” Pharrell said in a statement to Variety. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with this amazing organization before, and I’m looking forward to what promises to be a fantastic event.”
The City of Hope, an independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases, also houses its own Music, Film, and Entertainment Industry Group. The charity was founded in 1973 and has raised more than $118 million for the organization by honoring top executives like Coran Capshaw, founder of Red Light Management, Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge; Shelli and Irving Azoff, chairman and chief executive officer of Azoff MSG Entertainment; Eddy Cue, senior vice president of Apple’s Internet Software Services; and Rob Light of Creative Artists Agency.
“I’m excited that my one of my closest friends and an iconic artist, Pharrell, has agreed to host the October gala,” Platt said. “As a committed philanthropist in his own right, I knew Pharrell would understand the importance of City of Hope’s mission and want to get involved. It’s going to be an amazing evening.”
Platt joined Warner/Chappell in 2012 after ascending to senior posts at EMI Music Publishing. He has served as vice chairman of the board of directors for the MusiCares Foundation and sits on the boards of the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, the Motown Museum, and the Living Legends Foundation. His family actively supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation — where Platt’s wife, Angie, serves on the JDRF Los Angeles Chapter Board of Directors and the international board of directors. In 2005, he launched the Big Jon Platt Scholarship Program, annually awarding three merit-based college scholarships.
Pharrell, who has won 11 Grammys and Producer of the Year twice, most recently co-wrote and co-produced “APESH*T” by Beyonce and Jay-Z, the lead single from The Carters’ album, Everything Is Love, and co-produced Ariana Grande’s highly anticipated new album, “Sweetener.”
The City of Hope Gala is scheduled to take place on Oct. 11.