Variety’s New York Party 2023 Recap: Shawn Levy, Heléne Yorke

New York’s entertainment industry elite gathered at Loosie’s Nightclub on Thursday night in celebration of Variety’s annual New York issue. Beneath a ceiling of disco balls, the 2023 class from the New Power of New York List drank Jack Daniels specialty cocktails, filmed TikToks and discussed everything that they love about the greatest city in the world.

Notable guests like CNN’s Abby Phillip and Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams sipped champagne on the red carpet before heading down two stories underground to the party bunker where DJ KellyFrost played everything from Ice Spice (the 2023 New York Issue cover star) to disco-era classics. Ross Williams reminisced about hitting Studio 54 as a teen and seeing his documentary subject Donna Summer perform. 

Inside, “The Other Two” star Heléne Yorke and her husband Bary Dunn said they hired a sitter so they could celebrate her spot on the impact list, much to the delight of TikToker and co-honoree Sabrina Brier who posted a photo with Yorke writing, “My Roman Empire.”

Kwame Onwuachi, chef and owner of New York’s red-hot restaurant Tatiana, joked if he could evict one inhabitant from the city, it would be “all of the rats!”

Additional honorees in attendance included “Past Lives” director Celine Song, “Succession” actor Arian Moayed, Broadway’s “Some Like It Hot” Tony winner J. Harrison Ghee, “Fellow Travelers” and Broadway actor Jelani Alladin, TikTokers Davis Burleson and Brier, music artist and “Loop Daddy” Marc Rebillet, “And Just Like That” actor Sarita Choudhury and “Deadpool 3” director Shawn Levy.

Fresh from sharing a box with Taylor Swift at the Chiefs-Jets game, Levy still seemed awestruck by the media frenzy that followed. “I could make 50 more hit movies and shows, and I’ll still be known as the guy in the orange suede jacket going to the Chiefs-Jets game with Taylor [Swift] and others,” Levy told Variety on the red carpet. Levy had joined the pop star, Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively at the MetLife Stadium to watch Chiefs tight end and Swift’s rumored boyfriend Travis Kelce defeat the New York football team.

“Ryan [Reynolds] invited Hugh [Jackman] and I to go to the football game,” Levy continued. “Nothing prepared us for the frenzy of attention that was that outing. Very fun night… I’ve known famous people, but Taylor is definitely a culture magnet unlike anything I’ve seen.”

“What’s Poppin? With Davis” host Burleson paused to record TikToks on the dance floor with fellow social media personality Brier. Creating content in the middle of New York City is something Brier is very familiar with: “I am pretty obnoxious when I [film],” she said. “I’ve definitely had to learn the art of not caring.”

“Variety’s been around for 118 years and it’s always been traditionally based in Los Angeles,” said Variety’s co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh in a toast. “We started our New York issue because we realized there are so many fucking great people here in New York.”

Setoodeh asked those on the New Power of New York list to lift their hands, as the crowd cheered and raised a glass to the honorees.

Setoodeh added, “We started our New Power of New York list to honor and celebrate all the people that are moving forward in Hollywood and creating narratives, producing, directing and changing the industry one person at a time.”

Also spotted among the revelers were “Bachelor” couple Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell, former Bachelorette Tayshia Adams, influencer Claudia Oshry, comedian Sam Jay, musician Marc Rebillet and SVP Creative at Sony Music Publishing Ian Holder.

Steve Madden was a premier partner of the event and provided guests with gift bags. Jack Daniels was the official beverage partner of the party. Loosie’s at the Moxy Hotel was the official venue partner.