13th Annual Salute LIVE from Hollywood
Supporting our military students’ journeys in entertainment while strengthening their ties to the industry.
This Veterans Day, we salute our more than 1,200 active military students and alumni who are pursuing their dreams in a variety of film, entertainment and music careers. We honor our veterans and military service members by hosting a Salute to Veterans in Entertainment event, which brings together our military community under one roof. This is the 13th year that we’ve held our Annual Salute celebration, and we are proud to be back on campus after two years of virtual celebrations.
The host for the evening is actor, comedian and fellow veteran, BJ Lange. He is an instructor at The Improv Trick, 3-2-1 Acting Studios, and The Second City Hollywood where he leads the Improv for Veterans Program. Lange is a retired USAF Reserve medic and a two-time testicular cancer survivor. He is a service-connected disabled veteran yet continues to be an athlete, ambassador, and mentor in the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program.
Special Guests from Veterans in Entertainment Media (VME), SAG-AFTRA and American Legion
One of our amazing guests is actress, screenwriter and director of screenings for Veterans in Media & Entertainment, Y’Dhanna Daniels. VME is a professional organization that provides veterans with mentorship, job placement, casting opportunities, educational classes and more. Daniels shares the VME programs and fellowships that are available to veterans in the community. Some of the VME support services include writing workshops, internship opportunities, guest speaker series, and more.
To keep things light, we invited veteran comedians to take the stage and share their talents with the audience. Karen Vasquez and Josh O’Brian are both veterans and comedians who cracked self-deprecating jokes and kept the audience engaged all evening long. Thank you, Karen and Josh, for being with us!
A Special Thanks
A big thank you to all of our amazing guests and partners who make our Annual Salute possible every year. A special thanks to our friend BJ Lange for being the best emcee of the evening. This event would not be possible without our dedicated faculty and staff who support our military student community through school events like the Annual Salute. If you are a military student, we encourage you to reach out to your advisors and stay connected with this tight-knit community.
