The Paley Center for Media to Honor AOL CEO Tim Armstrong and MAKERS with The Paley Prize for Innovation and Excellence at Annual New York Spring Benefit Dinner
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
New York, NY—The Paley Center for Media will honor AOL CEO Tim Armstrong and MAKERS at its annual spring benefit dinner in New York, which will take place on Wednesday, May 15, at 6:30 pm. Armstrong and MAKERS will be awarded the Paley Prize for Innovation and Excellence in recognition of their landmark achievements in media and their impact around the globe. Representing MAKERS: technology journalist Kara Swisher, broadcast journalist and media entrepreneur Yang Lan, television commentator and marathon runner Kathrine Switzer, and advertising executive Shelly Lazarus are among the esteemed group of women innovators being honored with Armstrong. Several media luminaries will salute Armstrong and MAKERS as presenters, including Barbara Walters and Marlo Thomas.
Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Paley Center’s ongoing programs to increase the public’s understanding of media and its growing significance in today’s society through public, industry, international, and education programs for students and teachers.
“Tim Armstrong has transformed an iconic brand, AOL, into one of the most innovative businesses on today's media and technology landscape," said Pat Mitchell, president and CEO of The Paley Center for Media. “Along with game-changing acquisitions, strategic content partnerships, and market-based solutions, Tim has also led AOL to invest in initiatives like MAKERS, a digital platform showcasing women changemakers, groundbreakers, innovators. The Paley Center celebrates Tim and AOL for their leadership in optimizing the power of media to connect, to inspire, to inform, and entertain.”
Tim Armstrong has served as Chairman and CEO of AOL since 2009. In December of 2009, he took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange. AOL serves over 200 million consumers a month and is one of the world's biggest consumer brands.
Prior to joining AOL, Armstrong served as President of Google's Americas Operations and served on the company's operating committee. Prior to Google, Armstrong served as an executive of multiple Internet and media companies, including Snowball, Disney's ABC/ESPN Internet Ventures, and Paul Allen's Starwave Corporation. He also has started or co-founded multiple companies during his career including Associated Content (sold to Yahoo) and Patch (sold to AOL). Armstrong also serves as a Trustee of the Board of The Paley Center for Media.
MAKERS is a multi-platform video experience from AOL and PBS, and presented by Simple Facial Skincare, that documents how women have transformed America through their pioneering contributions over the last 50 years. MAKERS.com launched in February 2012 and it documents the impact women have made over the past fifty years and the women who are continuing to drive change, innovation, and lead the movement into the future. MAKERS aims to be the largest, most dynamic collection of women’s stories ever assembled.
Those interested in purchasing tickets should contact Larry Henry at 212.621.6622.
About The Paley Center for Media
The Paley Center for Media seeks to preserve the past, illuminate the present, and envision the future through the lens of media. With the nation’s foremost public archive of television, radio and Internet programming, the Paley Center produces programs and forums for the public, industry professionals, thought leaders, and the creative community to explore the evolving ways in which we create, consume, and share news and entertainment. In an era of unprecedented change, the Paley Center advances the understanding of media and its impact on our lives. The Paley Center was founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, a pioneering innovator in the industry. For more information, please visit www.paleycenter.org.