Two Nights Celebrating Diversity & Creativity in Entertainment
This past weekend, stars from TV and Film came out to celebrate their excellence and their craftsmanship. The Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) hosted the 2024 HCA Astra Awards – one evening for film and another for TV. If any organization knows how to celebrate its community, it’s a creative one, and that’s what the Hollywood Creative Alliance is known for. The vision and mission of the HCA is to amplify diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and culture in film and television. The HCA is a membership-based, not-for profit organization and includes actors, critics, entertainment journalists, publicists, content creators and industry insiders. They focus on celebrating the arts and the creative minds and talent working within them. The Astra awards are two nights filled with celebrations – for those nominated, those who’ve won and those cheering on their craft.
Getting to interview celebs as they walk the red carpet is glamorous – and don’t worry, we will talk fashion in a moment – but it’s also a chance to learn. To learn what has made people successful, what motivates them, what they’ve overcome and how they hope to grow. These are all interesting facts of course to know about your favorite celebrities, but more importantly, they’re tips you can walk away with in your own life, no matter the field you work in, where you live or if you never walk a red carpet in a ballgown or tux. A common theme I heard among those I interviewed and those being interviewed around me, is that you never how you will succeed unless you try, you should never give up on a dream and you should take inspiration from everything around you.
Take actress Tara Westwood for example. While chatting with Tara about her funky and fabulous look for the night, she told me she loved the In Earnest fashion label and wanted to wear one of their designs. She reached out, asking if they would dress her, and voila, they did! She said, “you’ll never know if you don’t ask.” Maybe actress Anjali Bhimani’s message will spark some inspiration. Again, talking about her fabulous and glamorous look for the night, I asked her, since she was there for Ms. Marvel, a mini-series about a girl who gets superpowers if she took that into play with her outfit and felt like it was an armor that made her feel powerful? Her reply was simple but strong. “It isn’t about being powerful but feeling empowered. They are two different things. This community makes me feel empowered. This look, including a necklace from mom, makes me feel empowered.” Actress Jessica Parker Jackson, a presenter at the awards, had a sweet acknowledgment to that same community. When I asked Jessica about her stunning, and sparkly gown, she said she wanted to have a moment to shine on stage, but felt like she was paving a path -literally, with the shimmering lights on her sparkling look – for those being nominated and the person who would come to stage to claim their award. Sure, these were all fashion-based questions, it is a red carpet after all, but the messages weren’t about fashion. They were about feeling a part of a welcoming creative community! The HCA Astra’s exemplified and celebrated that community.
The night wasn’t only about feelings, it included plenty of frills and fun too. Because I am a fashion girl and love to see red-carpet looks all during awards season, I’ll share some of my favorites from the Astras with you now and some fun tidbits from the stars who chose them!
Photo Credit: Sarah Meyer
