The Pioneer of the Year dinner, an industry tradition for 75 years, honors leaders of the motion picture industry and within the philanthropic community. In April 2016, the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation honored Donna Langley, Chairman of Universal Pictures, as the 2016 Pioneer of the Year honoree. She’s credited for reinvigorating and growing some of Universal’s most lucrative franchises. This year’s event raised over 1.5 million dollars, with proceeds going to the Pioneers Assistance Fund, an industry charity that helps movie industry veterans who are encountering an illness, injury or life-changing event.
Past honorees of the award include: Cecil B. DeMille, Jack Warner, Darryl F. Zanuck, Frank G. Mancuso, Jack Valenti, Terry Semel, Sumner Redstone, Sherry Lansing, Alan Horn, Jeff Blake, Mike Campbell, Dick Cook, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Tom Sherak, and last year’s honoree Jim Gianopulos.
In addition to the photo gallery below, you can also click here to view video highlights of the evening’s festivities.