It seems appropriate that Kevin Feige was the honoree at a dinner that would became the most successful for the philanthropic Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation Assistance Fund in 22 years.

It appears everything the producer and Marvel Studios president touches turns to gold. The annual Pioneer of the Year dinner raised $1.9 million, the biggest haul since 2004 for the group that helps those in the motion picture distribution and exhibition industry in dire need.

And yes, there was lots of talk about money when extolling the virtues of this year’s Pioneer of the Year, with Focus Features distribution head Lisa Bunnell and Disney chairman Alan Bergman both among those on stage noting the record-breaking box office success of Feige — particularly just after a weekend where a reissue of Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame managed to top the charts against all new movies and earn another $80 million globally.

Bunnell also mentioned the most recent achievement of Spider-Man: Brand New Day becoming the biggest movie of all time at the domestic box office, among other records set. Feige’s 38 films as a producer for Marvel have all opened to No. 1 earning a collective $35 billion. It is nice he could extend that streak for this worthy cause.

“The Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation makes an extraordinary difference for the people in this industry, and it’s a mission I’m very, very honored to stand behind. And of course, to be mentioned in same breath as Will Rogers is incredibly humbling,” Feige said as he accepted the award.

A tradition for more than 75 years, the Pioneer of the Year Award is bestowed upon esteemed and respected members in the motion picture industry whose leadership, service to the community, and commitment to philanthropy are exceptional. It is one of the most distinguished honors in the entertainment industry and within the philanthropic community. All proceeds raised at the event benefit WRMPPF’s Pioneers Assistance Fund, the only charity of its kind in the nation which provides financial assistance and social services to individuals in the motion picture distribution and exhibition community in times of need.

The Beverly Hilton ballroom was packed Wednesday night to celebrate Feige, and before the man called “the most successful producer in the history of motion pictures” hit the stage, his Guardians Of The Galaxy star Chris Pratt appeared to sing his praises. “Kevin and I, we go way back. I auditioned for this man honestly, probably seven or eight thousand times before he said, ‘You know what? This guy just might be able to act’, either that or he just really needed a third Chris to complete the set,” he laughed. “And to be fair, when I was finally cast in Guardians Of The Galaxy, it took someone with real vision to look at me and say, ‘Yeah, that’s a guy that can guard the galaxy, since at that point, all anyone knew me as was Andy Blair from Parks and Recreation. Yeah, nobody was thinking that there’s an action star who carry a big sci-fi film franchise.”

Before he presented the award to Feige, Iron Man director Jon Favreau shared his stories about the man of the hour, especially during the making of that very first Marvel giant hit which actually was a negative pickup, essentially an independent movie at the time. He said they didn’t always see eye to eye in the editing room, even as Favreau fought to save scenes. “They were very nice scenes, and Kevin would just be like, ‘cut this, cut this, get out there. I think you don’t even need that scene’. And I would just turn to him and I would say to him, ‘why do you hate movies?’ And he would laugh. Eventually, of course everything that he suggested (worked), but not because he forced me to, but because he was right. And I learned like later that you know you got to keep things moving. You can’t be too indulgent when you’re making movies,” he said. “If there’s one individual who has been quality control central in this kind of thing Kevin was a personification of what pioneers are because he had this vision of putting together films that were going to be part of a total universe. Not only do the films have to stand on their own, but they had to connect, not by plot but by character. He loves films and always wants it to be the best it could be. His love of storytelling and storytellers is who the guy is.”

Feige thanked everyone for making the evening possible, but said his initial thought was to turn it down. “This cause, of course, is important. But the truth is, when the team first called and told me about it, my instinct was absolutely to be flattered and to be honored and to say I’m too busy. And then they sent me a picture of that statue. And my wife knows that I have a mildly concerning habit of collecting a lot of things, and collecting toys and action figures because I want to find a way to bring movies home with me, and I think that’s one of the coolest action figures I’ve seen in a while. It’s real bronze,” the Marvel President marveled while assuring the crowd he is just getting started. “I love movies. It’s the greatest privilege of my life that I get to make movies. The motion picture industry has given me my career, my closest friends, and my sense of purpose. So this award means something to me-not just a recognition for the work, but a reminder of the responsibility that comes with it.”

EXCLUSIVE: Ed Helms has wrapped a lead role in The Streak, a sports comedy marking Academy Award-winning outfit Lion Forge Entertainment‘s entrée into the live-action space.

Following Coach Oliver Eslinger and the 2011 Caltech men’s basketball team as they seek to break the longest losing streak in NCAA history, the film hails from writer-director Steve Byrne (The Opening Act).

Helms plays Enslinger, a first-time head coach who takes over the Caltech men’s basketball program after the team has gone more than three decades without winning a conference game. Armed with relentless optimism and an unconventional coaching philosophy, he attempts to convince a group of brilliant but athletically challenged students that an impossible turnaround can begin with winning just one game.

Nina Dobrev (The Get Out), Natasha Rothwell (White Lotus), Tone Bell (The Flash), Peter Billingsley (A Christmas Story) and comedian Joe DeRosa also star.

Prior to The Streak, which shot in St. Louis and the surrounding areas, many production companies had chased the rights to Coach Eslinger’s story over the last decade. But it was only after a long meeting with Byrne that he finally felt comfortable moving forward. Mike Falbo, Helms’ partner in production company Pacific Electric, slipped the script to longtime friend and collaborator Jon Kanak, who brought the project to Lion Forge.

Helms and Mike Falbo are producing through their Pacific Electric (Rutherford Falls, The Clapper) banner alongside Tim Zajaros and Chris Lemole of Armory Films (The Peanut Butter Falcon, Mudbound), plus Lion Forge Entertainment founder & CEO Dave Steward II and President & Chief Creative Officer Stephanie Sperber. Lion Forge also financed the film alongside Same Page Entertainment, with co-founder & CEO Jalen Rose exec producing.

Other exec producers include Enslinger, Kanak, Steven Fisher, Matt Heath, Bud Hawk, Greg Suess, Trevor Engelson, Matt Brodlie and Jonathan Kier.

UTA is repping domestic sales alongside Brodlie and Kier’s Upgrade, which will also handle international.

In a statement on the project, Byrne told us, “Sports stories have always been about much more than sports. At its core, The Streak is about hope, leadership, and finding greatness in people everyone else has overlooked. Ed was always my dream for Oliver because he brings an authenticity, warmth and humor that perfectly embodies the spirit of this story. We’re excited to bring this incredible true story to audiences.”

Added Lionsgate’s Steward II, “As we scale our live-action business, The Streak is exactly the type of commercial, four-quadrant film we’re focused on producing. With a proven cast, a true story foundation, and global appeal, it reflects how we’re expanding our slate with projects designed to perform in today’s marketplace.”

Currently, Helms can be seen starring alongside Jay Baruchel in The Stunt Driver, a Michael Dowse film telling the true story of daredevil Canadian stuntman Ken Carter, which premiered to critical acclaim at TIFF and released in September. Next up, he’ll be seen in another pair of films coming off TIFF premieres: Cody Lightning’s hockey dramedy Smudge the Blades, which he also exec produced, and Babies opposite Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick. He is repped by UTA and Schreck Rose Dapello.

Byrne is a comedian and filmmaker who made his feature directorial debut with The Opening Act, a 2020 stand-up world comedy starring Jimmy O. Yang. Previously, he also co-created and starred in the TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son. He’s repped by IAG, Underground, and Cohen & Gardner.

Founded in 2019 — after spinning out from Lion Forge Comics — Lion Forge Entertainment is best known for its work in animation, having won an Oscar for its animated short Hair Love in 2020. One of the few Black-owned entertainment studios of scale in North America, they more recently took to HBO Max and Cartoon Network with Iyanu, an animated fantasy series that aired its second season earlier this year. Kicking off a strategic expansion into commercial, all-audience live-action storytelling following a recent capital raise, their pipeline has surged in the last year as the company joined forces with Game of Thrones‘ George R.R. Martin to adapt the novella A Dozen Tough Jobs into an adult animated feature; set a partnership with TalesVision to expand their short-form YouTube series Lostlings into a long-form series debuting later this year; executive produced two movies, the comedy Jacob Beats Up Nate and A Dog’s Perfect Christmas for Netflix; set a strategic partnership with Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts); and partnered with Rebel Girls to develop content around Rebel Girls Sports in the unscripted space. Additional strategic partnerships include an alliance with Penguin Young Readers to develop films & TV series based on select children’s books. LFE is part of the media and sports-focused firm Polarity.

Dobrev is repped by CAA, Noble Caplan Abrams, Lighthouse Management + Media, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; Rothwell by CAA, Untitled, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Bell by CAA, Mosaic and Hansen, Jacobson; Billingsley by UTA and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; DeRosa by Range Media Partners and Schreck Rose Dapello; Lion Forge Entertainment by UTA, Activist Artists Management and Jon Kanak’s Lumify Entertainment; and Same Page Entertainment by Paradigm.