This past Saturday, Gold House, the “home of collective power where leaders unite to forge culture”, hosted its fourth annual Gold Gala, an iconic celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage. Held at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles, over 600 influential Asian Pacific and multicultural leaders across industries came to celebrate the progress and cultural change that our community has made, as well as this year’s A100 List of most impactful leaders. For Gold Gala 2025, the theme was First Lights, honoring “those who provided glimmers of hope in uncertainty and darkness, lighting the path for all to follow.”
Gold Gala 2025 Honorees:
Filmmakers Andrew Ahn, Nisha Ganatra, Samantha Quan, and James Sweeney presented the Gold Legend Honor to director Ang Lee for his achievements in cinema and elevating Asian Pacific stories to global acclaim.
Music group Far East Movement presented the One House Honor to musical artist Megan Thee Stallion for her support of Asian Pacific culture and creatives through music collaboration, fashion looks, TV/film projects, and anime advocacy.
Comedian and actor Naomi Watanabe presented Tsunekazu Ishiharu, CEO of the Pokémon Company, who was accompanied by Pikachu, with the Gold Legend Honor for shaping a multi-generational cultural phenomenon that transcends borders.
Actress and producer Sandra Oh and filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung presented the Gold Legend Honor to Min Jin Lee, author of “Pachinko”, for her literary achievements and impact on global storytelling.
Academy President Janet Yang, Chairman and CEO of East West Bank Dominic Ng, and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Amy Homma presented the Gold Generation Award to the cast and director of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” to commemorate the film’s 25th anniversary, which was accepted by actress Zhang Ziyi.
Actresses Brenda Song, Kelly Marie Tran, and Ming-Na Wen presented the cast and directors of “Moana 2” with the Gold Ensemble Honor for groundbreaking representation of Pasifika stories, which was accepted by Auli’i Cravalho, Dana Ledoux Miller, and Dave Derrick Jr.
CEO of Billboard Mike Van and filmmaker Kogonada presented the Billboard Gold Music Honor to Icelandic singer, songwriter and writer Laufey for her artistic impact in contemporary music.
Rapper and actor Jonnie “Dumbfoundead” Park presented the Gold Mogul Honor to Anderson .Paak for his multi-hyphenated success across music, film, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy.
Academy President Janet Yang, actor-dancer Harry Shum Jr., and actor-musician Hayley Kiyoko presented Jon M. Chu with the A1 in Entertainment and Media for his accomplishments directing “Wicked” and its anticipated sequel “Wicked: For Good”.
CEO of Business Insider, Barbara Peng, Managing Partner at Kleiner Perkins, Mamoon Hamid, and General Partner of Gold House Ventures, Eric Feng, presented the A1 in Business and Technology to CEO and co-founder of Perplexity, Aravind Srinivas, for his company’s leadership in democratizing access to the world’s information.
Fashion designer Prabal Gurung presented the A1 in Fashion, Lifestyle, and Fine Arts to designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee for his visionary creativity and commitment to preserving traditional craftsmanship.
Olympians Allyson Felix and Jordan Chiles presented the A1 in Sports and Gaming award to Team USA athletes and gold medalists Suni Lee, Lee Kiefer, Chuck Aoki, and Torri Huske for their historic achievements at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Chrissy Teigen and Tan France presented the LA Wildfire Heroes with the A1 in Social Impact for their bravery, resilience, and dedication to rebuilding Los Angeles after this year’s wildfires, which was accepted by Ann Lee of CORE and Natalie Tran of CAA Foundation.
Previews at Gold Gala 2025:
Attendees were treated to early looks at multiple upcoming works, including:
- The documentary about the founder of the K-Pop agency SM Entertainment, “Lee Soo Man: King of K-Pop” premiering on Prime Video today
- Atsuko Okatsuka’s second comedy special “Father”, premiering on Hulu on June 13, 2025
- The upcoming Apple Original series “Chief of War”, premiering August 1, 2025
Billboard x Gold House Founders Party:
Following the Gala was the Billboard x Gold House Founders Party headlined by DJ Pee .Wee (Anderson .Paak). Bopomofo and Panda Express returned to cater boba and American Chinese bites throughout the evening. Rakuten Viki also returned, this time with an arcade corner featuring claw machines that were themed to K-drama genres. And of course, the party would not be complete without its iconic Celebrity Karaoke Room.
Be sure to revisit Dorkaholics for more stories about impactful Asian stories like from Gold Gala 2025, such as “Karate Kid: Legends” later this month and of course Anime Expo later this summer!
