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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250814T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250814T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T022642
CREATED:20250613T012302Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250821T192355Z
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SUMMARY:PRSA-LA Sunrise Honors
DESCRIPTION:WE ARE GRATEFUL TO ALL WHO ATTENDED THE 7TH ANNUAL SUNRISE HONORS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US IN THE CELEBRATION OF OUR ESTEEMED HONOREES!\nAugust 14 • 6:00 – 9:00 pm\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLos Angeles River Center & Gardens • 570 W Ave 26\, Los Angeles\, CA 90065\n\n  \nCLICK HERE TO VIEW EVENT PHOTOS\n\n\n  \n\n\nCLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR PRESS COVERAGE PUBLISHED BY HISPANICAD.COM \n  \n\n\n\nThis year marks the seventh year of PRSA-LA’s Sunrise Honors. The event will be held on August 14\, 6:00 – 9:00 PM at the beautiful Los Angeles River Center and Gardens. \nSunrise Honors recognizes trailblazers and pioneers in the public relations and marketing world who have opened doors to increase the diversity and inclusion of underrepresented populations into the field of Communications. Through their perseverance and tenacity\, we learn how to continue the important work to make the PR industry more inclusive and embracing of diverse perspectives. \nThe Sunrise Honors is PRSA-LA’s way of celebrating the longtime work of these champions. \n\nProgram: \n\n6:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception \n7:00 p.m. Program Starts \n9:00 p.m. Program Ends \nWe are thrilled to celebrate PR leaders who have risen to the top of their careers through innovation\, commitment\, and a determination to break down barriers to make our industry more inclusive and diverse. \nThis year’s honorees include: \n\nChristopher Cathcart\, CEO & Founder\, OneDiaspora Group | LINKEDIN\nLaarni Rosca Dacanay\, Senior Comms Leader\, Entertainment & Media  |  LINKEDIN\nFrancisco Oaxaca\, Chief\, Communications and Community Relations\, L.A. Care Health Plan |  LINKEDIN\nMonica Trasandes\, Senior Director of Spanish-Language & Latinx Media & Representation\, GLAAD  |  LINKEDIN\n\n\n\nHONOREE BIO\nChristopher Cathcart\, CEO & Founder\, OneDiaspora Group \n \nChristopher D. Cathcart is a seasoned branding and public relations strategist with more than 37 years of experience helping individuals\, organizations\, and brands tell their stories with clarity and purpose. His distinguished career includes roles with major media powerhouses such as CNN\, Motown Records\, and Warner Bros. Television. In 1995\, he founded OneDiaspora Group\, a communications consulting firm that has served a diverse range of clients across entertainment\, business\, and public service sectors. \nA proud graduate of Howard University\, Cathcart is also an author\, college professor\, public speaker\, and passionate advocate for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Among his most meaningful projects is HBCU Experience – The Book\, a celebrated collection of essays he co-edited that honors the vibrant legacy of Black college life. \nCathcart has served as an adjunct lecturer at California State University\, Northridge\, for more than nine years\, where he teaches public relations and journalism courses to a diverse student body. He is also a part-time instructor for Syracuse University and the UCLA Extension program. In addition\, he spent a decade as a faculty member at Columbia College Hollywood\, a leading film and television school in the Los Angeles area\, where he taught marketing and public relations. \nThroughout his career\, Cathcart has had the privilege of working with iconic artists including Stevie Wonder\, Boyz II Men\, Jill Scott\, and Queen Latifah. He has trained more than 60 public figures in effective media communication and has delivered keynote addresses and workshops for organizations such as Verizon\, Ross Stores\, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation\, Roblox\, and dozens of colleges and universities\, including USC\, UCLA\, Howard University\, and numerous HBCUs across the country. \nCathcart is deeply committed to mentorship\, volunteerism\, and community uplift. He is the author of The Lost Art of Giving Back\, a powerful guide to finding personal fulfillment through service. He has spent decades supporting youth and social causes\, including long-standing work around HIV/AIDS awareness through the Black AIDS Institute\, and the creation of Ledge\, a lifestyle magazine for Black college students. \nWhether speaking on branding\, leadership\, or the power of service\, Christopher D. Cathcart remains dedicated to a singular mission: to inspire others to lead boldly\, serve with purpose\, and communicate with impact. \n  \nLaarni Rosca Dacanay\, Senior Comms Leader\, Entertainment & Media \n \n\n\n\nLaarni Rosca Dacanay is an award-winning communications leader with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment\, driven by purpose and powered by inclusion. A trusted advisor to senior leadership\, she champions inclusion as a catalyst for workplace culture and business growth. \nCommitted to representation at every level — from interns to the C-suite\, above and below the line\, in front of and behind the camera\, and in newsrooms — Laarni is a fierce advocate for representation in media. \nShe currently serves as External Communications Consultant for Creator Television\, the first creator-led streaming network and content studio dedicated to bringing the authenticity and energy of social media storytelling to TV\, with a mission to increase representation in television by showcasing creator-led programming that better reflects today’s diverse world. \nPreviously\, Laarni made history as the first Manager of Diversity\, Equity & Inclusion\, Programs & Outreach for ABC’s long-running hit television franchise “The Bachelor\,” produced by Warner Bros. Television. \nLaarni has held roles and consulted with major media companies including Warner Bros. TV\, Comcast\, TIME Magazine\, NBCUniversal\, Focus Features\, and NBC. Among her industry firsts: she was the first Asian American to Co-Chair the Television Academy’s Diversity Committee\, and the first Asian American to earn PRSA’s prestigious “Distinguished Service Award\,” and she won six consecutive PRSA National Diversity Awards. She’s also a founding member of NBCUniversal’s Asian Pacific American Employee Resource Group. \nA dedicated community leader\, she serves on multiple boards and committees\, including Chair of the PBS SoCal Community Advisory Board; Advisory Board Member\, National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) LA Chapter; FilAm Arts Advisory Board; and the PRSA National Diversity\, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She also co-produces the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience at Sundance\, SXSW\, Tribeca\, TIFF\, and Hawai‘i International Film Festivals — amplifying underrepresented voices in film and TV. \nA proud alumna of Cal State Fullerton\, Laarni co-founded the university’s Communications Alumni Chapter and now advises the CSUF Board of Directors through its Titan Pride Marketing & Communications Committee. She also completed UCLA’s Entertainment Publicity professional certification program. \nBorn and raised in Ohio and now based in Southern California\, Laarni is the daughter of immigrants and she continues to uplift stories that reflect the world we live in. Follow her on X (fkaTwitter) @laarnid1. \n\n\n\n  \nFrancisco Oaxaca\, Chief\, Communications and Community Relations\, L.A. Care Health Plan \nFrancisco joined L.A. Care Health Plan\, the largest publicly operated health plan in the country with 2.7 million members\, in 2014 as Director of Communications. In 2016\, he was promoted to Senior Director of Communications and Community Relations and in 2020 was promoted to Chief\, Communications and Community Relations. In this role he reports to the Chief of Staff\, is a member of the CEO’s Executive Leadership Team and serves on the organization’s Equity Council Steering Committee. He oversees a staff of over 150 responsible for the organization’s internal and external communications\, provider communications\, community relations and sponsorships programs\, community outreach and engagement including oversight of 9 consumer advisory committees\, a 16-member volunteer Health Promoters Program\, and a network of 14 community resource centers. He also oversees all health plan public facing websites and social media channels\, media relations\, video production and photography services and crisis communications. He will complete by mid-2025 an effort to expand the health plan’s community resource center network across Los Angeles County to 14 in a first of its kind 10-year\, over $300 million partnership between L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan. Prior to joining L.A. Care\, he served as Director of Public Affairs at First 5 L.A.\, an independent Los Angeles County commission that is the leading funder of programs for families with young children in California. \nFrancisco earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California\, his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Redlands and is a certified notary public. He also serves on the City of Rancho Cucamonga’s Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District Public Financing Authority board and on the board of Project Angel Food. \n  \nMonica Trasandes\, Senior Director of Spanish-Language & Latinx Media & Representation\, GLAAD \n \nMonica Trasandes is the Senior Director of Spanish-Language & Latinx Media & Representation at GLAAD. Born in Uruguay and raised in San Diego\, she studied International Relations at U.C. Santa Barbara and Writing at Emerson College. Monica has worked as a newspaper reporter and a magazine editor. She has published a novel (“Broken Like This”)\, short stories and essays and has written and produced several plays. Monica is proud to co-parent her wonderful 12-year-old daughter. \nMonica was invited by the U.S. State Department to train embassy employees in Chile\, activists in Guatemala and advocates participating in the U.S. International Visitors Council through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She has been invited to give talks to journalism and communications students about LGBTQ issues at Stanford\, USC\, and Northwestern\, among others. In 2023\, she was part of the GLAAD delegation that traveled to the Vatican to meet privately with Pope Francis. \nHer essays have been published in The Huffington Post (Latino Voices and Voces in Spanish); NBC Latino; Advocate.com\, cnn.com and Writer’s Digest. Honors include: Telemundo’s  “Mujeres Imparables” campaign; Recognitions from the Latino Equality Alliance\, the California State Legislature and the city of West Hollywood. Profiles include: “Two Latinas Making a Difference” on nbc.com\, Latina Magazine and Hispanic Executive magazine. \n\n\n\nA HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR 2025 SUNRISE HONORS SPONSORS.\n \nCLICK HERE TO VIEW EVENT PHOTOS
URL:https://prsala.org/event/prsa-la-sunrise-honors/
LOCATION:Los Angeles River Center & Gardens\, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority\, 570 West Avenue 26\, #100\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90065\, United States
CATEGORIES:PRSA-LA
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250820T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250820T200000
DTSTAMP:20260411T022642
CREATED:20250724T200130Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250820T223654Z
UID:26680-1755711000-1755720000@prsala.org
SUMMARY:PRSA-LA Speed Pitch Mixer
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a fun and fast-paced evening where local journalists and PR pros connect\, share\, and spark stories\, all while supporting the next generation of communicators.\nPRSA-LA Speed Pitch Mixer\nSpeed dating meets story pitching. You won’t want to miss it!\nDate: Wednesday\, August 20\, 2025\nTime: 5:30 – 8:00 PM\nLocation: ASU California Center\, 1111 S. Broadway\, Suite 100\, Los Angeles\, CA 90015\nREGISTER HERE \nSpeed Pitch Mixer: Connect with local journalist and pitch your story ideas\nWant to get your story in front of the media? The Speed Pitch Mixer is your chance to meet face-to-face with local journalists\, share your best story ideas\, and build lasting media connections. \nHow it works:\nYou’ll rotate through a series of short focused meetings with journalists. Each interaction is designed to give you a meaningful opportunity to pitch\, ask questions\, and learn what makes a story stand out. \nWhen the bell rings\, you’ll move on to the next journalist\, so come prepared and make every second count! \nConfirmed Media Guests:\nGustavo Arellano\, Columnist\, Los Angeles Times\nJacqueline García\, Senior Reporter\, CALÓ News\nMarques Harper\, Deputy Editor\, Features\, Los Angeles Times\nCora Jackson-Fossett\, Managing Editor\, Los Angeles Sentinel\nClaudia Uballez\, Associate Producer\, Acceso Total\, Telemundo\nErick Galindo\, Contributing Editor\, LAist\nKristen Muller\, Executive Editor\, Los Angeles Local News Initiative\nGisselle Palomera\, Editor-in-Chief\, Los Angeles Blade\, CALO News\nMario Perea\, Correspondent\, Hoy Día\, Telemundo \nWhy attend?\nPitch your ideas directly to journalists\nLearn what editors and reporters are looking for\nBuild relationships that lead to stronger media coverage\nExpand your PR network in a single evening \nWhether you’re seeking coverage or growing media connections\, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Connect in-person with local journalists in a fun and engaging format. \nLimited spots are available. Grab your ticket today! \nREGISTER HERE \nMedia Guests Bios: \n 
URL:https://prsala.org/event/prsa-la-speed-pitch-mixer/
LOCATION:ASU California Center\, 1111 S. Broadway\, Suite 100\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90015\, United States
CATEGORIES:PRSA-LA
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