A Dream Come True Attending the 2024 Gold Gala | Gold House
A year ago, I stood outside of the Gold House Gold Gala hoping to catch a glimpse of some of my favorite AANHPI icons who made me feel seen and represented in entertainment and media. That day, I started manifesting that I’d be able to do social media coverage of the event at the next gala, and I cannot believe that I get to say my dream came true last night thanks to Creators and Meta!
If you haven’t heard of Gold House before, they are the leading cultural ecosystem that unites the Asian Pacific community around common causes, invests capital and resources into passionate creators and companies, and shows the world how impactful we can be in every industry and endeavor. The work they do every single day inspires me in so many ways, and it was a huge honor getting to attend this event and being in the same room as these amazing change makers.
I arrived a few hours before the event started and I ran into my friend Deborah who I finally got to meet in person for the first time! She was so sweet and it was so nice to start off my evening seeing a familiar face.
Since it was still a bit quieter on the gold carpet, I had to grab a quick photo before things started to get busy!
I got to say hi to Cole Walliser (I love seeing all the fun videos he makes with the GLAMbot!) and also ran into my OG YouTube girlies Remi Cruz and Lauren Riihimaki!
Here’s a quick look at all of the fun goodies guests received in their gift bag - loved seeing that all the products included were from AAPI-founded companies.
I loved chatting with Adele Lim for a quick minute, who wrote some of my favorite films Crazy Rich Asians and Joy Ride. She was so kind and we both talked about how much we loved Sherry Cola!
I then got some photos taken by The Lounge Booth which was a fun alternative to a traditional photobooth. Everyone got to take professional photos and I loved how these turned out!
Then, it was back to the gold carpet where I saw Hello Kitty and Poorna Jagannathan arrive!
Sarayu Blue was so lovely and I loved her in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movies!
Grabbed some quick selfies with Harry Shum Jr., Bella Poarch, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, and Leah Lewis!
Loved this mini Never Have I Ever reunion with Poorna Jagannathan, Ramona Young, and Lee Rodriguez!
I got to meet Lee and Ramona last year at the Never Have I Ever season 4 premiere and it was great seeing both of them again!
It was also a Mean Girls reunion seeing Renee Rapp and Avantika - love them both so much!
I also met Minnie Mills who I loved in The Summer I Turned Pretty! I wish we got to see more of her after season 1.
I cannot believe I got to meet Lucy Liu, who was being honored with the A100 Gold Legend Award! She had skipped most of the interviews along the press line, but she was kind enough to snap a quick photo with me before she was escorted to her seat. She is one of the AANHPI icons I have looked up to since I was a kid!
Padma Lakshmi looked stunning and not only was she being honored the A100 Gold Legend Award, but she also designed the menu with Chef Vijay Kumar from Semma!
Loved getting to see Darren Barnet again (I still have a huge crush!) and also met Jay Shetty whose work has been so healing in my life!
I got to see my girl Sherry Cola who I’m so proud of! We went to the same high school and it’s been so inspiring seeing all the work she’s been in and how she continues to break barriers in the entertainment industry while advocating for the AANHPI and LGBTQIA+ communities.
I also ran into my friend Hillary from The Music Center and it was so fun getting to hang out on the gold carpet together!
Ross Butler was the only person who I was able to get a photo with when he arrived at the Gold Gala last year, and it was a full circle moment getting to see him again this year. I also ran into Joel Kim Booster who I love in Loot!
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Iman Vellani were so beautiful and I love their work in Never Have I Ever and Ms. Marvel! They both have such bright futures ahead of them and I look forward to continuing to support them in all that they do.
How stunning is this special edition Variety magazine that was created just for the Gold Gala?
Saweetie was honored with the A100 Billboard Gold Music Award and I loved her speech!
I also had to snap a photo with Valkyrae - one of Kev’s favorite streamers on Twitch! She was honored with the A100 Gaming & Sports Award.
After dinner, I hung out inside the lobby as it was starting to get chilly outside, and after the awards were presented, the honorees and presenters would come inside to get photos taken together. I was able to meet Manny Jacinto, Iman Vellani, Xochitl Gomez, Maia Kealoha, and Auli’i Cravalho who were all so kind!
I also saw Steve Aoki who had flown in from Vegas as he was set to DJ for the Gold House x Billboard after party.
I cannot tell you how excited I was to meet Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Erivo! I can’t wait to see them both in the Wicked movie later this year.
Then it was time to head inside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the Gold House x Billboard after party! They had yummy late night treats from Bopomofo (one of my favorite boba spots!) and Panda Express.
I also ran into so many peeps including Patrick Ta, Prabal Gurung, Karrueche, Rupi Kaur, Poorna Jagannathan, and Joseph Lee!
We were surprised with a special performance of Lady Gaga’s “You and I” from Nymphia Wind, the season 16 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race!
I also got to say hi to Jeannie Mai, who I’ve been following since she hosted one of my favorite TV shows How Do I Look? back in the early 2000s. I also ran into one of my favorite foodie content creators, Soy Nguyen, on my way out!
I love seeing all of the work Gold House does year-round to honor our AANHPI community, and I am so grateful and proud to have been a part of the Gold Gala celebrations this year! I look forward to seeing how I can continue to get involved and contribute towards this amazing organization!
Thank you again to Creators, Meta, and Gold House for having me - it’s an honor just to be Asian!
xo,
Keshia