In the golden light of the California sun last Saturday evening, more than 600 guests converged at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles for Gold House’s third annual Gold Gala, one of the most extraordinary gatherings and celebrations of the Asian American community. 20 Asian countries were represented on a guest list that spanned from East Asia to Southeast Asia to India.
The event recognizes the A100 list, which features Asian trailblazers who have most impacted American culture and society throughout the past year. This year, 22 Korean individuals and groups were honored including: Steven Yeun and Lee Sung Jin from Netflix’s Emmy-winning “Beef”, BTS founder and HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk, Target Chief Legal Officer Don Liu, the cast and creator of “Past Lives”, and “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae.
“Beef” creator and cast, Lee Sung Jin and Steven Yeun. Photo Gold House.
Also in attendance were many previous Korean honorees, including actor John Cho, Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung, Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim, NYT Chief Growth Officer Hannah Yang, and the godmother of K Entertainment herself, Miky Lee.
Gold House is a cultural accelerator that encourages the Asian power broker network to mix, mingle, and do more business together. The Gold Gala is its annual pinnacle celebration that rolls out a glamorous gold carpet where you can see some amazingly creative interpretations of the “heritage black tie” dress code.
The extensive program featured many Korean honorees and presenters, including HYBE Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk, who flew in from Korea to accept his Gold Legend award in person. “Beef” creator Lee Sung Jin and his cast accepted the Gold Icon award after sweeping nearly every awards race last season.
Seven Korean individuals and groups are included in the Gold House A100 Hall of Fame for appearing on the A100 list more than three times: BLACKPINK, BTS, Chloe Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, David Chang, Sandra Oh and Steven Yeun.
The gala featured a glittering roster of Asian American Olympians, including Kristi Yamaguchi, Chloe Kim, and Apollo Ono. Photo Gold House
The Mission of Gold House
CEO and Chairman of Gold House, Bing Chen, summed up his mission at the end of the evening with some powerful words:
“It is our community that needs to remember that instead of begging for a seat at someone else’s table, we now have the power across the arts and business to build our own f****** houses, period.”
Chen reminded the guests that Asians have recently had outstanding successes in many industries. In the entertainment world, he highlighted the accomplishments of “Squid Game”, “Beef”, and “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”. He also noted that 43% of companies that have gone public in the past two years have been API-founded, and his call to action included giving back after finding success, “We have an intrinsic power, therefore we have a responsibility and privilege of giving back.”
Honoree Padma Lakshmi toasted the evening with words of gratitude for her heritage, “I wouldn’t have the career I do, I wouldn’t have made the impact that I’ve been lucky enough to be able to make, if I didn’t have my Asian culture to rely on for a broader view of the world. My heritage, our heritage is our strength.”
Saweetie, a 2024 honoree, gave a multi-song musical performance that had the crowd on their feet, and Steve Aoki headlined a rollicking yet intimate Billboard x Gold House afterparty.
Patricia Liu, Steve Aoki, and Don Liu at the Gold Gala, May 11, 2024.
List of Gold House A100 Honorees of Korean Heritage for 2024:
Gold Legend: Bang Si-Hyuk – Chairman Hybe, Creator of BTS
Gold Icon: Cast and Creator of “Beef” – Director Lee Sung Jin, Steven Yeun, Joseph Lee & David Choe
New Gold: ATEEZ – K Pop Group
Honorees:
Albert Kim – Showrunner & Executive Producer of “Avatar: The Last Airbender”
Anita Lee – Chief Programming Officer, TIFF
Ann Young Lee – Co-Founder & CEO, CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort)
David Park – Partner & Television Agent, UTA
Don H. Liu – Chief Legal Officer, Target Corporation & Co-Founder of the Alliance for Asian American Justice
Genie Kwon – Chef, Kasama
Jason Kwon – Chief Strategy Officer, OpenAI
Jess Park – SVP, Chief of Brand & Fan Engagement, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Ji-young Yoo – Actor
Jung Kook (Jeon Jeongguk) – Solo Artist, Member of BTS
Kristen Kish – Chef & Host of Bravo’s Emmy Award-Winning “Top Chef”
Lee Jung-Jae – Filmmaker, Actor & Star of “Squid Game”
“Past Lives” Director & Stars: Celine Song, Greta Lee, & Teo Yoo
Peter Sohn – Director of “Elemental”
Son Heung-min – Captain, Tottenham Hotspur Premier League Club & the South Korean National Soccer Team
Stray Kids – JYP Entertainment’s 8-Member Boy Band
Susie Nam – Global Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis Groupe & CEO, Publicis New York
Park Chan-wook – Film Director, Screenwriter, & Producer
Steven Lee – Partner, SV Angel
A complete list of A100 Honorees can be found at Gold House.
