Introducing the Shorty Phenoms - 11th Annual Shorty Awards
Each year, the Shorty Awards honors an individual or group who have made a significant societal impact towards social good while leveraging the power of social media. We’re truly honored to be able to recognize the following Shorty Phenoms at this year’s 11th Annual Shorty Awards.
TERRY CREWS
PHENOM | ACTIVISM
Action-movie hero, sitcom star, advertising pitchman, playable video game character, high-end furniture designer, and human rights activist all describe the man that is TERRY CREWS. If it feels as if Crews is everywhere this summer, that’s because he is: fans caught a glimpse of him in the blockbuster smash hit DEADPOOL 2 and they also saw him in the release of his Sundance hit SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (opposite Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson), which racked up HUGE box office numbers and garnered awards-season buzz along the way. Terry and the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” cast also stormed into San Diego Comic-Con for the first time ever to thank their legion of Internet fans who saved the formerly cancelled show only to have NBC pick it back up and put it on the air for Season 6 (currently airs Thursdays on NBC). The show has received such great ratings on their new network that it has already been picked up for Season 7. Crews is set to star in the titular role of the upcoming feature film JOHN HENRY where he is also an Executive Producer. Crews also recently hosted NBC’s top-rated competition series “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” which brought together the most talented, memorable and fan favorite acts from all of the global “Got Talent” franchises. Crews brought his charisma and high energy to the competition show, helping to make it the #1 show on Monday nights. He has just tapped on to be the official host of the regular season of “America’s Got Talent” which has just begun filming. Crews is also the face (and muscles) of Old Spice, a playable character in Microsoft’s Xbox One game “Crackdown 3”, and a force in the design and art world where his 2017 high-end furniture collection, in partnership with iconic Bernhardt Designs, has been picking up awards across the country and he’s about to release his second collection later this fall. Crews was also named one of TIME Magazine’s 2017 “Person of the Year” as one of the “Silence Breakers,” speaking out against sexual harassment following the #MeToo movement that has taken the world by storm. Crews’ no-holds-barred approach to working has made him a force to be reckoned with as his career continues to evolve.
The three-time People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive actor has starred as a series regular in three consecutive TV series that have surpassed the coveted 100-episode mark (“Brooklyn NineNine,” “Are We There Yet?” and “Everybody Hates Chris”), a back-to-back-to-back fete that is extremely rare in Hollywood. The diversity of his film career is a perfect example of the complexity and range of his ability as an actor – from starring as the hilarious Latrell Spencer in WHITE CHICKS to the scary (and ironically relevant) President Camacho in IDIOCRACY to action hero Hale Caesar in THE EXPENDABLES franchise. Crews has also notably been folded into Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions family, appearing in six of his films (SANDY WEXLER, THE RIDICULOUS 6, BLENDED, CLICK, THE BENCHWARMERS and THE LONGEST YARD).
Crews, a lifelong artist, also added furniture designer to his resume this year with the Fall 2017 release of his capsule collection with Bernhardt Designs, which premiered at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York this past May. The collection, which was recently awarded the prestigious "Best of NeoCon 2017," features five lounge products: Ibis sofa, Lilypad + Lily Chair, Aire benches, and Float tables. While each piece serves as a stand-alone accent, when arranged as a collective group, the broad palette of materials, finishes, and function create a unified visual statement. Deeply influenced by ancient Egypt and the fluidity and worship of water, citing the Nile River as the center and life source of Egypt at the time, the collection offers a diverse range in functionality that exceed the desires in today's modern spaces. Always drawing and sketching alongside his many day-jobs, Crews joined the ranks of a number of other design-world heavyweights including Yves Béhar, Jaime Hayon and Ross Lovegrove as a contributor to Bernhardt's portfolio.
Always curious and inventive, Crews got into gaming last summer after building a PC from scratch with his son, Isaiah. After the Internet exploded with fans from around the world encouraging Crews to continue his computing journey, he got the attention of Microsoft, who created a playable character, 'Commander Isaiah Jackson' - named after his son, in their upcoming game "Crackdown 3."
But behind the brawn, bullets, and laughs is a renaissance man from Flint, Michigan who, as a teen, got his first big break after high school with an art scholarship at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. This was followed by an Art Excellence scholarship and a full-ride athletic scholarship for football at Western Michigan University, where, as a star defense end, he helped lead the Broncos to a Mid-Atlantic Conference Championship in 1988.
After several years in the NFL (where he painted portraits of teammates to supplement his income) with the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles, Crews turned his talents to the performing arts, where his talent, hard work, character and dedication has made him one of the most sought out and respected talents in the industry.
Crews has frequently returned to his Flint roots, recently directing his own Travel Channel documentary for their docu-series “Celebrity Adventure Club,” in which he explored his own childhood, interviewing his mother and former school teacher and even paid visits to two automotive companies in Detroit that have seen a major comeback - General Motors, where he stepped onto the assembly line to fasten some bolts, and Ford, where he got to test drive a 2016 Mustang convertible. He also met up with baseball legend Willie Horton at Comerica Park to discuss Detroit's resilience and rising community.
A true definition of success, Crews’ life off-screen is as exciting and dynamic as his public persona. Crews is the caring husband of 29 years to wife Rebecca and proud father of five. Crews dedicates his free time to keeping physically fit — both in mind and body while also working with several nonprofit organizations including Safe Horizon, Peace Over Violence and the Polaris Project. For his dedication in helping these organizations, he was awarded the UN Global Generation Award at the UN headquarters in 2015 and continues to be honored by numerous organizations for his tireless advocacy in helping to combat sexual harassment and abuse, domestic violence and human trafficking.
KEVIN LOVE
PHENOM | ATHLETE
Five-time NBA All-Star and 2016 NBA Champion Kevin Love became a leading voice in the conversation around mental health after sharing his own lifelong struggles with anxiety and depression in a powerful essay on The Players’ Tribune called “Everybody Is Going Through Something”.
The overwhelming response inspired Kevin to double-down on his efforts to normalize the conversation around mental health and encourage change. He has appeared on The TODAY Show and ESPN to talk about his experiences, interviewed other superstar athletes like Michael Phelps and Paul Pierce in an ad campaign centered around toxic masculinity and participated in a New York Times talk for students at Tufts University called “The Mental Game with Kevin Love”.
His passion in the mental health and wellness space is not just for advocacy and awareness, but for also action. In September of 2018, he launched the Kevin Love Fund (KLF) with the mission of inspiring people to live their healthiest lives while providing the tools to achieve physical and emotional well-being. The fund strives to promote the search for help with emotional struggles as a sign of strength and to emphasize that mental wellness challenges those from every walk of live.
Early beneficiaries of KLF include Bring Change to Mind, Just Keep Livin’ Foundation and the athletics department at his alma-mater, UCLA. Strategic partners of KLF include the Entertainment Industry Foundation and the mediation and mindfulness app Headspace, which gifted subscriptions to all student-athletes at UCLA.
MARCH FOR OUR LIVES
PHENOM | CHANGEMAKERS
March For Our Lives is national student-led movement to end gun violence in America by mobilizing young people to demand policy and other changes at local and national level. March For Our Lives’ mission is to harness the power of young people across the country to fight for sensible gun violence prevention policies that save lives. Since March 2018, students from all across the United States have called for common-sense reforms that will save the lives of more than 3,000 young people each year, including: implementing universal, comprehensive background checks; creating a searchable database for gun owners; investing in violence intervention programs, specifically in disenfranchised communities; funding the Centers for Disease Control to research gun violence so that reform policies are backed up by data; and banning high-capacity magazines and semi-automatic assault rifles.
March For Our Lives impact by the numbers:
1 Million Students nationwide who participated in the 3,000 school walkout protests on March 14
800K People who marched in D.C. on March 24, to demand an end to gun violence —alongside the millions around the world who took part in 800 sibling marches
47% Increase in young people who voted in the midterms since 2014. 31% of all young people turned out to vote —the highest in a midterm election ever 40% Voters inspired to vote because of the March For Our Lives movement, according to US News and World Report 50K+ Voters registered by MFOL to date 50 New pieces of gun violence prevention legislation passed by states after Parkland 71% Young voters who think school shootings are the most important
MARSAI MARTIN
PHENOM | ENTERTAINMENT
Rising star Marsai Martin, at just 14-years-old, is already on course to be a whirlwind sensation. At the age of five she landed her first national commercial and shortly after relocating to Los Angeles, she was cast as Diane Johnson on the ABC Emmy-nominated hit comedy “black-ish.” Alongside an all-star cast, the young starlet has stolen the hearts of viewers who tune in every week to see her hilarious and witty antics on the show. Her work on the show has earned her seven NAACP Image Awards as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award. At the age of 10 she conceptualized and pitched a movie idea to Will Packer and Universal which became the upcoming feature film, Little. As the star and Executive Producer on the film, she has become a part of Hollywood history as the youngest person to EP a major Hollywood film. With opportunities presenting themselves daily, Marsai is excited about uplifting diverse and young voices through her production company, Genius Productions, who recently signed an overall deal with Universal. In addition to acting, she loves producing, singing, dancing and creating her own content for social media.
