Corporate
March 1, 2011
Special Event Producer Hillary Harris Promoted To Executive Director, Warner Bros. Special Events
(March 1, 2011 – Burbank, CA) – Special events producer Hillary Harris has been promoted to Executive Director, Warner Bros. Special Events, it was announced today by Jon Gilbert, President, Warner Bros. Studio Facilities.
Harris, who founded and developed the Warner Bros. Special Events department in 1993, produces over 250 events per year including Hollywood premiers, lavish cast parties, themed corporate events and product launches and dazzling charity fundraisers for Warner Bros. clients—including “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Lopez Tonight” and “America’s Best Dance Crew”—as well as third-party clients, including “Conan,” Cartoon Network, DIRECTV, HBO, MTV, Bank of America, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nestle and Yale University to non-profits including the Environmental Media Association, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the National Kidney Foundation and the Los Angeles Ballet.
“Hillary has built the Warner Bros. Special Events department from the ground up, developing it into one of the premiere special events groups in Hollywood and beyond,” said Gilbert. “Her well-deserved promotion is in recognition of her creativity, excellent client relations and unmatched performance in the industry.”
At the 2011 Gala Awards, Harris and Warner Bros. Special Events received top honors in the Best Décor: Total Decor Budget $20,000 to $49,999 category for their work on Warner Bros. International Television Distribution's 2010 L.A. Screenings, a weeklong event held on the Burbank lot in May. Presented by Special Events Magazine, The Gala Awards recognize the finest work in special events worldwide.
In 2009, Harris was inducted into BizBash Media’s Hall of Fame in recognition of her major contributions to the special event industry. A member of the distinguished BizBash Los Angeles Advisory Board, she has also led her Warner Bros. Studios Special Events team to win four BizBash Event Style Awards: Best Corporate Event Concept and Best Entertainment Program/Concept for Ellen DeGeneres’ 50th Birthday Party and Best Corporate Event Concept and a Silver Award for Best PR for The CW Network Launch Party. These milestones topped a 2006 co-production of an episode of the Bravo hit series, “Top Chef,” in which contestants had to cater a holiday party on the Warner Bros. Studio lot. Harris is a member of the Event Solutions Advisory Board and has served as a guest speaker at national and regional industry conferences, including the BizBash Expo in Los Angeles, The Special Event, Best Events Expo California and the International Special Events Society “Meet the Masters” panel.
Harris began her events career as co-owner and operator of Orange County-based catering company Cuisine/Cuisine. Concurrent to that, in the 1980s, she was co-owner and operator of Mixed Grille Productions, a special event production company servicing the building and development, medical and entertainment industries. Through Mixed Grille Productions, Harris did work for Warner Bros. Studios, becoming its outside event producer and caterer in 1988.###