Tom Selleck, a bald eagle, and a confetti cannon - three key ingredients for throwing down for a great cause in the nation's capital. Linder Global, the events company that puts on the annual Horatio Alger Awards, hired me to do my thing at the 2015 awards back in April.
It was ridiculous fun capturing the people who breathe life into the glitz and glam of the evening, including a male a capella group, a bald-eagle handler, and the countless clipboards waiting behind the curtains. Heads of state, Congressmen, Paul Mitchell, and the swoon-worthy Broadway star who played Phantom in Phantom of the Opera (nerd moment alert!!) for fifteen years came together along with hundreds of Associate members for an EXCITING NIGHT. Ridiculous? Yes. I photographed a bald eagle IN HIS GREEN ROOM. And Tom Selleck's mustache was there. And the a capella guys were playing CORNHOLE. ALL OF THE THINGS.
That said, it was all for a good cause. The annual Horatio Alger Awards grants highly motivated but economically disadvantaged youth the scholarships they need to go on to college. It was a night where it was impossible not to be inspired by the awardees' courage and tenacity. Kids from across the country who had overcome some of the most difficult situations imaginable were on the launchpad to their future. How could they not look invincible?
My favorite wild and weird behind the scenes photos can be found below.
