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What a night!
GANYC would like to thank everyone for coming to this year's Awards Ceremony yesterday! It was wonderful seeing everyone in person and treading the boards together again, and we so enjoyed having the chance to celebrate what makes our city so magical with all of you. Now that all the trophies have been give to their recipients, it's about time for us to make our announcement of winners here as well! Our 2023 Apple Awards went to...
To all of our gracious nominees, graceful presenters, and great attendees, the Apple Awards producers thank you from the bottom of our hearts for a truly fantastic evening. We look forward to following your adventures and accomplishments in the year ahead, and hope to see you at the Apple Awards again next year! In the meantime, stay tuned to our website and this blog for photos from the ceremony, news from nominees and presenters past and present, and updates about next year as they come!
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No awards ceremony would be complete without a Lifetime Achievement honoree, and this year, GANYC is honoring Jo Weldon! Jo is an accomplished author, educator, blogger, and star performer in the worlds of burlesque and avant-garde performance art. Weldon describes herself as "an absurdist and a surrealist as well as a lover of glamour," which is more than evident in her phenomenal signature Godzilla act. Captivating on stage, she is also regarded as a leader in her field offstage, with credits consulting on Burlesque (starring Cher and educator roles at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas and The New York School of Burlesque, where she is also the headmistress. New Yorkers may know her best, though, as the producer of Coney Island's annual Follies Fromage, a burlesque show based entirely on cheese, or as a researcher in residence at the New York Public Library, with research conducted as part of her ongoing advocacy for sex workers' rights (a field of advocacy in which she is considered a leader and pioneer by many). More remarkable than any individual accomplishment under her belt is the fact that Ms. Weldon has consistently driven the cutting edge forward throughout her career, leading the way in every way for the performers, researchers and educators who follow in her footsteps. You can learn more about Jo's work here, follow her on Instagram here and here, and purchase tickets to see her honored at this year's ceremony here!  It's about time we shone the spotlight on Susan Birnbaum, this year's recipient of the Lee Gelber Award for Guiding Spirit! Susan is a long-time GANYC member with many organizational accomplishments under her belt, including leading the GANYC Ethics Committee in their mission to uphold professionalism and collegial conduct between guides. She's also a tour guide of many years, leading fabulous food tours across the city as well as tons of history and culture tours. She embodies the best of what it means to be a NYC sightseeing guide, and we're so excited to be giving Susan her flowers tomorrow! To tour with Susan, visit her website here, and buy your tickets to tomorrow night's event here!  Our last presenter is, of course, our fabulous host, Roma Torre! Roma is a seasoned star of written and television journalism, as well as a two-time Emmy® recipient with more than 30 other awards. Past credits include New York’s Channel 2, News12 Long Island, and Total TV. She has more than 30 broadcasting awards, including a 2019 Emmy (for her work as a Theatre Critic) and 1991 Emmy (for coverage of the Avianca plane crash disaster). Torre and "News All Evening" anchor Lewis Dodley were honored in 1993 by New York Magazine's "Best Of" edition as the best news anchors in New York. Torre was the recipient of the Newswomen’s Club of New York's 2003 Peggy Award for Broadcasting for her review of the Broadway show, Big River. She has co-produced a documentary entitled, “Shout Gladi Gladi” – a story of hope and survival – narrated by Meryl Streep. It profiles a Scottish woman who has dedicated countless hours and her own money to improving the lives of African women and children living in extreme poverty. A colon cancer survivor, Torre is a staunch advocate of early screening and has spoken extensively about the need to raise awareness and the importance of cancer prevention. She is a proud board member of the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA). Founded in 1889, NAWA is the country’s oldest organization that promotes and showcases women in the art world. If you would like to learn even more about her, you can visit her website here. To get your tickets to see her as emcee of Monday's events, click here!  Next up: Maine Anders is a legend of burlesque known onstage as The Maine Attraction. Energetic, sensual, and wildly charismatic, her uninhibited rhythmic style and sense of humor blend an ensemble of samba, belly dance, African, improvisation and contortion, and pole dancing into a movement she’s defined as Burlesque Fusion. she has performed alongside James Brown and Lionel Richie, pop sensations Jessica Simpson and Pharrell Williams, and burlesque divas Dita Von Tease and Amanda Lepore. Her role in Million In The Mirror, a PSA for breast cancer research, recently won The Viewers Choice Award on the Lifetime Channel. She was scouted as a featured burlesque performer for an episode on a season of Royal Pains (USA Network). Most recently she was a featured dancer for the 2015 Grammy Award Winner Cheek To Cheek PBS Special with Lada Gaga and Tony Bennett and the popular downtown burlesque murder mystery, Lady L’ Amour’s Final Bow. Maine will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to New York School of Burlesque headmistress Jo Weldon at the GANYC Apple Awards on Monday, March 6th. You can learn more about Maine Attraction here, and purchase your ticket to see her present this award here!  Next, more friends and long-time GANYC family members! Both Patrick Casey and Riley Kellogg are veteran tour guides and active GANYC members. He is chair of the Government Relations Committee and secretary on the Executive Board. She is an adjunct lecturer at Queens College and owner of Wonderful Town Tours. Both have served on the Awards Committee at various times and, together, both are members of the Ethics Committee, along with our award recipient, making them perfect fits to present this honor. Patrick and Riley will present the Lee Gelber Award for Guiding Spirit to Ethics Committee Chair Susan Mills Birnbaum at the GANYC Apple Awards on Monday, March 6th. You can learn more about Patrick here, find out more about Riley and Wonderful Town Tours here, and book your tickets for this year's ceremony here!
Husband and wife duo Michael and Holly Gerbino are the Founder/Creative Director and Designer/Art Curator of Archigrafika. In addition to branding buildings, they also design historic signage, banners, wall art, and other materials that provide context for New York’s classic buildings for the next generation. Michael opened Archigrafika in 2009, fueled by his passion for connecting people with spaces and inspired by a lifelong affinity for art, architecture and design. Holly began her career as a freelance illustrator and joined Archigrafika in 2011, where she applies her significant talents to multiple projects and collaborations, in addition to producing original illustrations for use in printed materials and environmental graphics. Michael and Holly will present the award for Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC Preservation at the GANYC Apple Awards on Monday, March 6th. You can learn more about Archigrafika's work here, and purchase your tickets to see Holly and Michael present this year's award here!
Laura Caparrotti and Yue Wang give tours in Italian and Chinese respectively. She as a Master Degree in Performing Arts, Cinema and Theatre History from the University “La Sapienza” in Rome. He specializes in museum tours “from Van Gogh to Gauguin, Chinese vases to French tapestries, we all can gain something new, following the museums tour.” Both are true blue New Yorkers and phenomenal guides, and we are thrilled to have them present the award for Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC Tourism at the GANYC Apple Awards on Monday, March 6th. You can see more of Laura's work here, watch Yue's here, and purchase your tickets to this year's ceremony here!
Joseph J. Landon is a travel enthusiast, lover of music, historian, and founder of Jojo’s Ventures. As a teenager, he navigated the five boroughs both on foot and by way of public transportation. He has worked in the tourism and entertainment industry for more than 15 years before founding his company, where he now offers historical and cultural themed walking tour experiences aimed at educating the curious minds about the untapped history that makes this vast metropolis so special. We are honored to have Joe present the In Memoriam montage at the GANYC Apple Awards on Monday, March 6th. You can learn more about Joe's company here, and purchase your ticket for this year's ceremony here!  Today's presenter post is about yet another Apple Awards veteran! Esther Crain is the GANYC Apple Award-winning creator of the website Ephemeral New York, author of two books about New York City in the Gilded Age, and a licensed tour guide and GANYC member. She has an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College and has put her degree to work in Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Yahoo, and as editorial director of Health.com in addition to on her own site. Esther will present the award for Outstanding NYC Website at the GANYC Apple Awards on Monday, March 6th. You can learn more about Esther's work on her website, and purchase tickets to see her present at this year's ceremony here!  |
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