On Saturday, June 4th, at its 89th Annual Dinner Gala and Silent Auction, the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce will recognize Miami Beach born filmmaker, Brett Ratner, with its first annual Hi-Tides Outstanding Achievement Award. This award was created to recognize an extraordinary Miami Beach native whose achievements in a specific industry have extended into assisting the greater economy as a whole. The Hi-Tides is also the mascot of Miami Beach Senior High School from where Brett graduated.
The award will be presented annually by Chairman of the Miami Beach Chamber, Jason Loeb, who often uses the business mantra, “High tides raise all ships,” to illustrate the concept that when one business does well it is causes a multiplier effect to the greater economy. Brett Ratner was chosen for the Hi-Tides Award, for exhibiting such traits and establishing himself as one of Hollywood’s most successful directors/producers with eight feature films grossing over one and a half billion dollars worldwide.
After recognizing his passion for filmmaking, Ratner enrolled in New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts at 16 years old. He launched his career with short films which then evolved to music videos. In his career, Brett has directed over 100 music videos for a variety of music genres and artists, including Madonna, Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, Miley Cyrus, Jay- Z, Wu-Tang and many others.
Brett is best known for his feature films which include the Rush Hour series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, and X-Men: The Last Stand and After the Sunset.Brett also received a Tony Award for producing Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. He is currently directing the Imagine/Universal film Tower Heist which is scheduled for theatrical release in November 2011.
Along with his incredible success as a movie producer, Ratner volunteers his time and efforts to philanthropic causes that he is avid about. He sits on several Boards, such as the Board Directors for Best Buddies and Chrysalis, and is on the Board of Governors for the We Are Family Foundation. Ratner is also the youngest member of the Board of Trustees of the Simon Wiesenthal Center & Museum of Tolerance. He has taken a leadership role in the community to try to better the lives of disadvantaged and homeless individuals.
“We are so pleased to have the opportunity to honor Brett for all of his personal, business and philanthropic achievements” said Immediate Past Chair and this year’s Gala Chair, Aaron Perry. “Brett was the perfect choice as the inaugural recipient of the Hi-Tides Award and we look forward to him sharing the stage with our other award recipients on what promises to be our greatest gala ever.”
