Book Author Jason June is Nominated for a LABA Icon Award

Author Jason June

Beverly Hills, California, USA. 14th September, 2023. Jason June (aka Jason Gallaher) is a New York Times best-selling author of children and teen novels. He divides his time between Austin TX , New York, and Los Angeles and is a very respected author and advocate for teens. His novels create “safe havens” for them and establish support for some of the more difficult periods they must deal with. He is one of the leading young authors and has projects in the works for Disney and Harper Collins.

His works include Never Forget Eleanor, Jay’s Gay Agenda, Riley Weaver Needs a Date to the Gaybutante Ball, and the instant New York Times best-seller, Out of the Blue. His picture books include Whobert Whover, Owl Detective, illustrated by Jess Pauwels, and Porcupine Cupid, a queer-inclusive Valentine’s Day story, illustrated by Lori Richmond, both from Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster. For under-the-sea whimsical adventures, check out the Mermicorn Island chapter book series from Scholastic.

When not writing, June zips about Dallas, Texas, with his husband and their Pomeranian, Pom Brokaw. June is a tried and true Laura Dern stan, and he is actively looking for an Andalite friend.

The Beverly Arts News is sponsored by The Beverly Arts Foundation

Artist and Designer Gordon Sun is Nominated for a LABA Icon Award

Art Designer Gordon Sun

Beverly Hills, California, USA. 12th September, 2023. Art designer Gordon Sun is nominated for a LABA Icon Award. Gordon Sun is a Los Angeles-based artist and designer who works as a toy designer and concept artist. His experience includes working in many areas of entertainment such as live action, video games, and collectibles/merchandise, and major brands such as Disney, Sanrio, Kidrobot, Digital Domain, and Viacom.

Growing up, Gordon loved watching animated shows like Dragonball Z, Teen Titans, Pokemon, etc. and enjoyed playing around with his action figures like the ones from Power Rangers and Star Wars. He was so inspired by these shows that Gordon started drawing his own characters and designed his own worlds, even in his school books! Teachers would get upset at Gordon for doodling in his books but he kept continuing.

While applying for colleges during high school, most of Gordon’s peers were deciding to go to academic colleges and he felt very lost on what he wanted to do and where to go. Gordon knew he loved designing and illustrating but still felt the pressure of going on an academic path to succeed. Luckily, his cousin introduced him to the Art Center College of Design where he could study and do what he loved and also be surrounded by people of the same passion of making art. He ultimately decided to apply and pursue his dream where he studied industrial design and illustration. The journey through college was full of blood sweat and tears but overall a life changing and fulfilling experience.

With a strong foundation in art/design and a vast imagination, Gordon loves creating art toys that captivate the imagination of both children and adults. His unique blend of skills allows him to create not only aesthetically pleasing designs, but also functional and captivating pieces that he hopes can bring joy to people's lives.

The Beverly Arts News is sponsored by The Beverly Arts Foundation

Art Gallerist Georges Bergès is Nominated for a LABA Icon Award

Art Gallerist Georges Bergès

Beverly Hills, California, USA. 11th, September 2023. Art Gallerist Georges Bergès is nominated for a LABA Icon Award. Drawing and channeling inspiration from the work of Leo Castelli, Georges Bergès sought to create an art gallery that was artist-focused; and to bring back and highlight the human connection and interpersonal relationship between the artist and the collector, a bond which has been gradually eroding and minimized for decades under the increasingly corporatized art industry.

When sharing his idea early on, Georges met a number of naysayers who would discount his

vision as ‘an outdated model’ for running a gallery, and who even downplayed his chosen and beloved gallery location in SoHo (“Art is dead in SoHo”, they said). But Georges decided to listen and follow his inner voice and he proved that his way of dealing art and of re-introducing the ‘human person’ (the artist and the collector) to the art business, and in a location of historical significance to art and artists was, and is, not only needed but can be infinitely successful.

In 2022, world renowned art critic Donald Kuspit described Georges Bergès as a “tour de

force, psychologically minded, and someone who takes art seriously”. Today Georges Bergès

represents and collaborates with some of the most consequential living artists and prominent

leaders of the art industry around the world. At 47 years old, Georges Bergès has been able to build and give national and international prominence to his brand and art gallery, Georges

Bergès Gallery.

Georges Bergès holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology (Art & Human Personality) from

University of California, Santa Cruz; a Masters of Arts Degree in Diplomacy and International

Affairs and a Masters of Public Administration (Arts) from Seton Hall University. He considers

his daughter Sofía Anaïs Bergès to be his greatest life achievement. He lives in Manhattan with

Cheryl (his mate of 14 years and counting), their daughter Sofía, dog Sebastian, cat Belle, and a number of very colorful, animated, and friendly fish.

The Beverly Arts News is sponsored by The Beverly Arts Foundation