Paramount’s Pat Gonzalez Receives Studio Movie Grill’s Fourth Annual Opening Hearts and Minds Award

PRESS RELEASE

Hollywood, CA, July 11, 2019—Studio Movie Grill (SMG) announced that it will present its fourth annual Opening Hearts and Minds Award to Pat Gonzalez, SVP, in-theatre marketing at Paramount Pictures, for her tireless work in the community, most especially with Variety, the Children’s Charity of Southern California and Variety Boys and Girls Club of Boyle Heights.

The Opening Hearts and Minds Award is given to innovative leaders who have impacted their communities in a meaningful way by going above and beyond to create a positive wake in their neighborhoods. Gonzalez, the first entertainment industry recipient, will be honored at a special ceremony on July 30, 2019 at SMG Monrovia. The program will celebrate her years of service to further the efforts of children’s charities and support non-profit organizations and will include a special screening of Paramount Pictures’ film Dora and the Lost City of Gold, opening nationwide on August 9, 2019.

“One of the most important decisions we make each year is selecting our ‘Opening Hearts and Minds Award’ recipient,” said Brian Schultz, founder & CEO, Studio Movie Grill. “Candidates are thoughtfully chosen based on their dedication to helping others and the positive impact they have made in the world. This year we unanimously agreed the recipient should be Pat Gonzalez. Her work at Paramount, is admirable, as is her tireless commitment, for over 20 years, to empowering young people particularly and personally in Southern California.”

Gonzalez grew up in Los Angeles. Her experiences as a hard-working kid who made her own way is why, as an adult, her philanthropic work has always focused on building up children and nurturing their potential. She’s committed to and passionate about shaping the futures of young individuals, and that is reflected in every aspect of the work she does for her community.

Gonzalez has been involved with Variety, The Children’s Charity for over 20 years and was integral to launching the first ever chapter of its youth group: Jr. Variety. She joined the executive board of Variety, The Children’s Charity of Southern California in 2002 and currently serves as co-chairperson for Variety’s Kids, the charity’s online and silent auction philanthropic endeavors, which has raised more than $2 million to support Variety’s children’s causes since its launch in 2005.

Gonzalez also chairs the charity’s annual Poker Night Tournament, which has raised over $1 million in support for Variety in Southern California since its inception eight years ago. Most recently, Gonzalez joined the Board of Directors of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Boyle Heights. Since 1949, the  organization has responded to the needs of children in the Boyle Heights/East Los Angeles community offering academic and leadership development programs, tutoring and mentoring, sports and aquatics programs, arts and crafts, a computer learning center and library, social recreation, college scholarships, and special events to award members’ achievements.

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