LOS ANGELES — Did you know Cedric the Entertainer’s nickname as a kid was Hollywood?
Although friends saw it in him even then, he was not always sure he saw it himself.
“I was raised in Missouri — feels like a million miles away from Hollywood,” he said.
What You Need To Know
- The Emmys Golf Classic was held at the Riviera Country Club
- It's a a major fundraiser for the TV Academy’s charitable arm, the TV Academy Foundation, and its internship program designed to give diverse young people access to Hollywood
- By hosting the last four tourneys, Cedric helped raise over $1.3 million for the Television Academy Foundation
- For more information about the TV Academy Foundation, go to www.emmys.com/foundation
A stellar career in television and comedy changed all that.
Cedric is not just a friend of the Television Academy, hosting the Emmys to great ratings in September, but also an avid supporter.
He just hosted the 21st Annual Emmys Golf Classic at the Riviera Country Club — his fourth time hosting the tournament.
It is a major fundraiser for the TV Academy’s charitable arm, the TV Academy Foundation and its internship program designed to give diverse young people, like Eurice McNeal, access to Hollywood.
As if getting an internship in the foundation’s new Diversity and Inclusion Unscripted internship Program this past summer was not enough, she was able to meet Cedric on the red carpet of the Emmys Golf Classic.
“It gives people like me a dream to actually get into this internship,” McNeal said.
Cedric has long used his platform and success to give back. He has his own nonprofit, the Cedric the Entertainer Charitable Foundation, that gives college scholarships to graduating seniors from his high school.
When it comes to supporting the TV Academy Foundation, his “why” is clear: he sees himself in the very kids the foundation helps.
“It’s a desire to know you can do it, to say ‘I have dreams and ideas, but I just don’t know how, where to go,’” he said.
Cedric said it is all about “showing” kids where to go — or in this case, how to putt. He said showing kids like McNeal has arguably never been more needed. Just as much as these kids need access to the industry, the industry needs them.
"We still need to make great strives on the executive side, people behind the scenes," he said.
Sometimes all it takes is someone giving a kid a chance at a lesson — you never know where he or she will take it.
Hole in one or next powerhouse industry exec. Maybe we should start calling Eurice Hollywood.