Those responsible for creating the first Tommy Awards included: Michael Schwartz
(director/producer), Katie Coleman (performer), James Snyder (host), Meredith
Anderson (performer), Bryce Ryness (performer), Danielle Faitelson (performer),
Kyle Barisich (performer) and Kate Russo (executive producer).
(photo by Callie Schweitzer)

NEW YORK -- Nearly 400 people gathered at the New World Stages theater in New York City Monday night for the first annual Tommy Awards, honoring five USC alumni for their contributions to the business, arts and sports communities in New York.

The evening, a take on Broadway's Tony Awards, was a combination of musical performances and awards highlighting the work of past, present and future Trojans.  

The honorees included Kevin McCollum, the Tony-award-winning Broadway producer of "In the Heights" and "Avenue Q," Andy Tennant, the director of "Hitch" and "Sweet Home Alabama," Sheryl Staples, the principal associate concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, Steve Smith, wide receiver for the New York Giants and John Blair, a director of Credit Suisse.   

In addition to the acknowledgement of the alumni, more than $30,000 in scholarships were awarded to eight incoming and current USC students from the area, five of whom were present to accept their awards.  

James Snyder, the former star of "Cry-Baby," hosted the event, which included the music of Laurence O'Keefe from "Legally Blonde" and performances by Bryce Ryness of "Hair" and Kyle Barisich of "The Phantom of the Opera."  

The alumni award recipients said they were humbled by the recognition.  

Blair, who was acknowledged in part for his role in helping East Coast Trojans find jobs in the securities industry, said, "The rewards of involvement and of giving back are so much greater than I expected."

Having left Los Angeles in 1996, Staples said the award came as "a complete surprise."  

"It feels a little bit like a homecoming," she said.  

The event was sponsored by the USC Alumni Club of New York, which has more than 8,600 members.  

Kate Russo, the program's executive producer, said she had no idea the event would be so successful.

"When this whole thing started it was going to be a tiny cabaret event that we put together for $2,000," she said.  

Russo said once word spread about the event, she started to receive calls and e-mails from Trojans all over the greater New York area looking to get involved.  

Although planning began in January, the event "turned into something 10 times bigger than we imagined," Snyder said.   

According to Russo, the event is unprecedented among USC Alumni Clubs.  

"Our club entertained this idea several years ago and ultimately decided that they didn't have the resources to pull it off," she said.  

It would end up being a night in which more than $30,000 dollars would be raised for future New York scholarships -- a combination of ticket presales, sponsorships, a donation from the USC Alumni Association and the university's matching funds, according to Amir Akhavan, the president of the Alumni Club of New York.  

The program's director/producer, Michael Schwartz, said he hoped the evening would establish a greater USC presence in New York.  

"Given everything that's going on in the world today, the most important thing we can do is connect our communities," Schwartz said.  

Par the course for USC events, even Pete Carroll and the USC Song Girls managed to make a cameo appearance in the opening video montage in which Snyder sets out to find an outfit for the evening and stage the opening number.  

That opening number would turn out to be an original song, "Spirit of Troy," written by two alumni that included lyrics about "Trojan mojo," the 9-0-1 Bar & Grill and how New York's Shake Shack is "wack" compared to Carl's Jr.  

Many of the evening's jokes compared New York to Los Angeles.  

"It's been hard to head out to Long Island and 'hang 10,'" Ryness said.  

"There are things I don't miss," Meredith Anderson, one of the evening's performers and Ryness' wife, said. "Mostly numbers -- the 5, 405, 605."  

Throughout the evening, the theme was loud and clear -- alumni on the East Coast want to foster a Trojan network to rival that of the West Coast.  

Blair said the event was "a great recognition of how truly national our school has become."  

All of the alumni recipients said they have found ways to connect their work to their time at USC.  

"My body of work is all about new voices and USC is a place of cinema and theater that celebrates new voices," McCollum said, adding that he learned the importance of following your passion during his time at USC.  

Tennant echoed these sentiments.  

"My time at USC grows more and more special as I get older," he said.   

Smith acknowledged USC as a jumping off point.

"This is only the beginning," he said.  

With attendees from Los Angeles, Washington, DC and all over New York, and marketing efforts from the alumni clubs of Taiwan and London, Russo said the event reminded her of "Trojan Nation," a phrase that was commonly used to describe the strength of USC's bonds during her years there.

"The response and support that we got from the other club leaders and the university is really reflective of this whole idea of the 'Trojan Nation' and what it really means to be a part of this larger community," she said.  

As for the future, Russo said the producers and volunteers have already begun discussing next year's awards.  

"This is definitely going to be an annual signature club event," she said. "We're hoping in three years, this will be a $100,000 night in proceeds, and in five years, maybe a $500,000 night. It's ambitious, but it's achievable."