The Platinum Showcase Partners with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles

Ricky Martin signing a hardhat after a recent HFHFH event.

We are thrilled to announce that we'll be partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFHGLA) for the Platinum Showcase. HFHGLA builds and rehabilitates hundreds of homes each year for those who need them most, incorporating green building principles into everything that they do. We could think of no better partner for the Lofts @ Cherokee Studios and definitely wanted to find a way to support HFHGLA in the amazing work that they do; mobilizing, building, and educating.

Mark your calendars for a special rock-n-roll benefit party on October 15th. More details on how to buy tickets are coming soon.

We spoke to Ali Winkler, VP of Music and Talent Partnerships, to find out more about the connection between rock-n-roll and the good work of HFHGLA.

Who is Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity and what exactly do you guys do?

Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity (HFHFH) is an entertainment industry partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFHGLA) that launched in 2000 with a 20 house "blitz build." HFHFH was founded by Screenwriter/Director Randall Wallace (Braveheart, We Were Soldiers) to encourage the entertainment industry to support Habitat for Humanity's goal of eliminating substandard housing worldwide.

HFHFH works with talent and industry leaders who support the organization through donations, volunteer hours and advocacy. Thousands of volunteers from the entertainment industry have helped build homes in the United States and around the world.

Celebrity supporters and volunteers include: 30 Seconds To Mars, Alejandro Sanz, Christian Bale, Jacinda Barrett, Jon Bon Jovi, Julie Bowen, Garth Brooks, the casts of “90210” “Big Love,” “Boston Legal,” “Entourage” “My Boys,” and “Prison Break,” Harry Connick Jr., Green Day, Paige Hemmis, Dustin Hoffman, Kyle Howard, Enrique Iglesias, Hugh Jackman, Quincy Jones, Linkin Park, Gabriel Macht, Ricky Martin, John Mayer, Chris Pine, Brad Pitt, Sidney Poitier, Susan Sarandon, William Shatner, Maria Shriver, Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Switchfoot, Third Day, Glynn Turman, Carrie Underwood, Robin Williams, Chandra Wilson, Wisin y Yandel, Trisha Yearwood and more. All major agencies and studios have been involved with HFHFH over the years, as well as many production companies and record labels, and we continue to expand our reach into the industry on a daily basis, interacting and developing partnerships with musicians, agents, managers, producers, directors and talent.

How did the connection between Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity and the music industry come about?

In 2006, Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity was looking to expand its programs further into the entertainment industry. I was hired, along with Alison Treleaven, previously of Harpo Films, to jointly oversee entertainment industry programs, with my focus being on growing music and talent partnerships. My experience and relationships developed while I was a music agent at CAA and a concert promoter prior to that have been tremendously helpful in my work at Habitat, and I have been privileged to continue to work with many of my former clients, colleagues and managers. Additionally, new relationships have developed during my tenure at Habitat in the past three years, enabling us to grow our programs substantially. We customize each program to suit the artist’s individual philanthropic goals and have been praised for our ability to deliver artist friendly programs with tangible results. We recognize that people’s time is valuable, whether they are an agent, manager, artist, label executive, producer, writer or other creative type, and we try to make the best use of each person’s time as we work together to further Habitat’s mission of providing safe and decent housing for all.

Over the past three years, we have been fortunate enough to develop long standing partnerships and ongoing programs with a diverse group of talented musical artists such as Jon Bon Jovi (who has been the catalyst for over 60 homes being funded and built in the US in less than four years); Ricky Martin (who provided funding for over 228 homes built in conjunction with HFH and continues to advocate on our behalf, lending his name and image to advocacy campaigns, speaking at the Jimmy Carter Work Project Los Angeles and donating tickets to his concerts to Habitat families); Linkin Park (through their disaster relief organization, Music for Relief, the band has funded and built multiple homes in the gulf coast and will have several upcoming programs with HFHFH this year); Green Day (who have built with HFH in multiple US cites, blogged about their experiences, donated to our online auctions and continue to support our mission in many ways); 30 Seconds to Mars (who raised over $10,000 in less than a week by running a “Win a Chance to Build with the Band” contest and whose fans then on their own raised an additional $50,000 as a result of the band’s advocacy for our cause, and who continue to support Habitat in many ways) Switchfoot and Third Day (who created the Music Builds Tour where funds from every ticket sold were donated to HFH, band members advocated for HFH from the stage, funds from merchandise were donated to HFH and bands built in multiple cities.). There are too many more who have contributed to list here, but each of these artists has contributed to Habitat in a unique way, helped us put more families into more houses and helped us further our mission. We are very grateful to all of those who support us by building, advocating and donating.

What's HFHFH cooking up for this year?

Ongoing supporters Linkin Park and Music for Relief will be running several programs with us again this year, one of which is an exciting and innovative online campaign to raise funds to build a “green house” in Los Angeles. Linkin Park fans and Habitat supporters will have the opportunity to donate online to the house, as well as to win a chance to build the house with the band at a later date. This follows a successful campaign we did last year with Music for Relief and Linkin Park during the Projekt Revolution tour. Additional programs with Music for Relief and Linkin Park will be announced later in the year, all containing a “green” component, as this is very important to both the band and to Habitat.

Many of the families served by HFH GLA and HFHFH are from the Latin community and we are fortunate to have the ongoing support of top Latin artists such as Ricky Martin, Alejandro Sanz, Juanes, Enrique Iglesias and now Wisin y Yandel.

Wisin y Yandel are new Habitat supporters, and are currently #1 on the Billboard Latin Charts, having won every award possible and shattering all sales records with their new album “La Revolucion..” Their arena tour this fall, promoted by AEG Live, will include a multi-tiered advocacy program run by HFHFH, which will incorporate Habitat’s message into the entire tour. Funds from every ticket sold will be donated to local Habitat affiliates in tour cities, VIP experiences and packages have been created to be auctioned off with all funds raised going to local Habitat affiliates, the band has created a series of PSA’s to run onsite and online and footage of the band building will be incorporated into the band’s next music video. This is the first time a Latin artist has done a program like this in the US and we are very excited to partner with Wisin y Yandel.

We have recently run a series of successful online auctions, and will be holding another one this fall. Can’t give too much away before we announce in a couple of weeks, but to give you an idea of who we work with, our most recent auction (March, 2009) was a “Celebrity Hardhat Auction,” and included over 90 autographed hardhats from artists such as U2, Jonas Brothers, Zac Efron, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Pine, Miley Cyrus, Stevie Wonder. Keith Urban and more! Our latest “VIP Experience and Memorabilia Auction” (October, 2008) included set visits with Hugh Jackman, the casts of “Entourage,” and “My Boys,” premiere tickets and party passes to “Milk” and “The Spirit,” front seats plus meet and greets with Carrie Underwood and 30 Seconds to Mars plus autographed memorabilia from Jon Bon Jovi, Sidney Poitier, Linkin Park, Dave Matthews, Ryan Braun, Christian Bale, the casts of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Prison Break,” “Breaking Bad,” and over 50 other items and experiences.

Look for our auction at www.charitybuzz.com later in the month and check www.hollywoodforhabitat.com for exact launch date of the auction.

How do HFHGLA and HFHFH build sustainability into their projects?

We define “Green Building” as providing housing for people with methods, products and processes that lessen the detrimental impacts on the health of human and ecological environment, while not placing a financial burden on the homeowner. Habitat for Humanity is at the forefront of developing affordable housing that is also sustainable.

Our Green Building practices include:

• Energy-efficient design, lighting, heating and cooling systems, and Energy Star® appliances

• Active solar technology

• Recyclable building materials, recycled carpets, environmentally friendly green siding, thermal pane windows and doors

• Low emission finishes – paints and varnish with low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)

• Water-efficient toilets and showerheads

• Water filtration systems to minimize pollution from storm runoff

• Native drought-tolerant landscaping

• Recycled blown-in insulation and Dow foam insulation

We bring pragmatic aspects of affordable housing and Green Building to create tangible benefits like cost-savings and upkeep for families. Our Home Improvement Store and Housing Center for Excellence are excellent examples of our Green Building. The Home Improvement Store diverts millions of pounds away from area landfills and works with deconstruction companies and our Housing Center for Excellence is the hub of construction for HFHGLA and a regional center for innovation and education to develop, support, and advance best practices in new construction technologies and sustainable building.

HFHFH and HFHGLA continue to look for creative and groundbreaking ways to work with the entertainment industry and we welcome any and all ideas for new programs and partnerships.

Please feel free to contact me at awinkler@habitatla.org for additional information and to find a way to get involved. It is an honor to be a part of the Habitat family and I hope that you will join us as we build hope, lives and communities.