White Cherry Will Be Long-Term Producer of Annual Kennedy Center Honors

Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein and President Deborah F. Rutter announced today that Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment have entered into a long-term agreement to continue producing the annual Kennedy Center Honors. This was their second year of producing the Kennedy Center Honors, after first producing the program in 2015. The long-term agreement provides for a five-year relationship.

"We're thrilled to continue working with White Cherry Entertainment, who has proven to be an excellent partner in producing the Kennedy Center's signature annual event, the Kennedy Center Honors," said Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter. "Glenn and Ricky's immense talent and creativity have us looking forward to future Honors ceremonies as we celebrate the cultural contributions made by the most renowned performing artists of our time."

Since partnering in 1999 to form White Cherry Entertainment, Glenn Weiss (Executive Producer/Director) and Ricky Kirshner (Executive Producer) have become one of the most sought-after and award-winning television producing teams in the world. White Cherry Entertainment specializes in creating compelling live events and translating that same energy to broadcast viewers at home. The company's wide-ranging credits include some of the most critically acclaimed and highest-rated television specials, stadium spectaculars, and events in recent memory. They are well known for producing the perennial award winning Tony Awards for the last 13 consecutive years, and also for producing the NFL Opening Kickoff specials and Super Bowl Halftime Shows, the Democratic National Convention, Presidential Inaugural Galas, the Boston Pops July 4th Spectacular, and many others. In addition to the many shows they produce together, they have individually been involved as producer or director on many other big event programs, such as The Academy Awards, The Emmy Awards, Peter Pan Live and Live from Lincoln Center, among others. To date, White Cherry Entertainment has won eight Emmy Awards, while Kirshner and Weiss have individually received an additional four Emmy Awards, six Directors Guild Awards, a Peabody Award, and more than 30 Emmy nominations.

"We couldn't be more pleased to be back producing The Kennedy Center Honors- helping celebrate the Arts and continuing to provide our vision to one of the classiest programs on television," said Weiss and Kirshner.

The annual Honors gala has become the highlight of the Washington cultural calendar, and its broadcast on CBS is a high point of the television season. Honorees are seated with the President and First Lady of the United States, saluted by some of the greatest performers in the world in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Highlights are then broadcast in a special two-hour show on CBS. CBS is the exclusive sponsor of the Honors, and has been the broadcaster of Kennedy Center Honors since its inception in 1978.

The Kennedy Center Honors Founding Producer is George Stevens, Jr.

Boeing is the Exclusive Underwriter of the 2016 Kennedy Center Honors Gala. Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of the Kennedy Center Honors.

For more information about the Kennedy Center or the Kennedy Center Honors, go to kennedy-center.org.

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