Sunset Soirée: Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Honors Max Original Series “The Pitt” and Supports Innovation to Impact Campaign

The Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors honored award-winning medical drama “The Pitt” and its star and executive producer Noah Wyle, executive producer and director John Wells and creator and showrunner R. Scott Gemmill at the Sunset Soirée on the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank. The evening also celebrated philanthropists Jaime and Andrew Schwartzberg, bringing together more than 750 leaders from entertainment, healthcare, business, finance, law and philanthropy.

Ahead of accepting the honor, Wyle shared his connection to Cedars-Sinai. “As an Angeleno, I’ve got a lot of ties to Cedars-Sinai, my first child was born there,” he said. “A lot of our background nurses and experts come from the Cedars staff, so we owe them a debt of gratitude that we're just paying back a small percentage of tonight, by trying to raise money.”

The Schwartzberg family received the Philanthropic Leadership Award in recognition of their decades of meaningful service, mentorship and transformative support of Cedars-Sinai’s mission and the wellbeing of the broader Los Angeles community.

Jaime Schwartzberg said Cedars-Sinai has played an instrumental role in her family’s health. “Andrew and I are incredibly honored to receive the Philanthropic Leadership Award from an institution that has meant so much to our family,” she shared. “Our relationship with Cedars began at one of the most frightening times in our lives, when our youngest daughter, Kate, had serious medical complications and ended up at Cedars in an induced coma. When you're a parent in that situation your entire world becomes very small. We will never forget the extraordinary doctors and nurses at Cedars-Sinai, who cared for Kate and our family during that time.”

Attendees raised more than $3.1 million to support the Board of Governors Innovation to Impact campaign, a $60 million fundraising initiative focused on advancing early-stage research across five critical areas: children’s health, cancer, neurosciences, autoimmune diseases and metabolic diseases, and aging. Scientific discoveries in single-cell technology are central to the initiative, empowering investigators to study diseased cells at the individual level to uncover root causes of complex medical conditions and develop new care options for patients.

“With deep appreciation, I recognize the Board of Governors for extraordinary generosity and commitment to advancing discovery,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai and the David and Meredith Kaplan Presidential Chair. “The Board of Governors’ work empowers Cedars-Sinai investigators to pursue bold ideas, translate breakthroughs into care and create new hope for patients and families.”

Actress Katherine LaNasa, who also stars in “The Pitt,” presented The Hollywood Leadership Award to Wyle, Wells and Gemmill. The award recognized the series’ authentic portrayal of life in the emergency department and its commitment to depicting the realities of emergency medicine with accuracy and heart.

“Fate and HBO brought these remarkable men together to bring ‘The Pitt’ into being,” LaNasa said. “John creates a culture of respect in which artists can do their best work. Scott protects the show’s vision, truth and authenticity, and Noah sets the standard for our ensemble with his generosity and humility.”

LaNasa also paid tribute to the dedicated healthcare professionals at Cedars-Sinai. “Dana, the character I play, is a love letter to the nurses whose skill, strength and kindness have meant so much in my own life,” she added. “Dr. Sam Torbati, chair of Cedars-Sinai’s Department of Emergency Medicine, and the exceptional team of caregivers in the ED meet people in their most difficult moments with a remarkable presence of mind.”

The historic Warner Bros. Studios lot—home to the sound stage where “The Pitt” is filmed—was transformed into an immersive Hollywood experience centered on purpose and celebration. Attendees—including event co-chairs Casey Bloys, chair of the Board of Governors and co-chair and chief creative officer of Skydance Direct to Consumer, and Richard Weitz, co-chair of the WME Group—joined celebrities Fiona Dourif, Grant Show, Scott Budnick and Katie Wincor Hacker on the red carpet.

A live auction featured a luxury vacation to Los Cabos, Mexico, tickets to the global premiere of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone” and an exclusive opportunity to travel aboard the Los Angeles Rams’ team charter for an unforgettable, away-game weekend against the San Francisco 49ers. Award-winning musician Andy Grammer closed the evening with a special performance of songs including “Love Showed Up” from his sixth studio album, “Big Stupid Heart,” set for release on October 16 (S-Curve Records/Hollywood Records).

Event sponsors included Warner Bros. Discovery, Warner Bros. Television, HBO Max, City National Bank, Douglas Emmett, Smidt Foundation, Adi & Jerry Greenberg, and acclaimed Beverly Hills steakhouse, Steak 48, which provided a signature pop-up dining experience. In-kind partners included A3 visual, Aero, Amazon Web Services, Chameleon Beverage, EZPZ, FabFitFun, Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, Los Angeles Rams, Sōgo, Sweetgreen, Levain, Pink’s Hot Dogs and Van Leeuwen.

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