Gold House unveils 2025 A100 honorees and legends
Gold House will host its fourth annual Gold Gala on May 10 in Los Angeles and celebrate the theme of First Lights with more than 600 guests
Gold House A100 Honorees
Gold House
Words by Daniel Anderson
Gold House has revealed its highly anticipated 2025 A100 List, spotlighting 100 of the most impactful Asian Pacific leaders whose achievements have shaped culture, business, entertainment, technology, and beyond, over the past year. Curated by a panel of industry leaders and community voices, the list honors not only success, but bold leadership, innovation, and the courage to break new ground.
This year’s honorees include an impressive range of figures who have redefined what’s possible for Asian Pacific talent on a global stage. Ang Lee, Pokémon CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara, and Pachinko author Min Jin Lee are among this year’s Gold Legend recipients. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s Zhang Ziyi will receive the Gold Bridge Legacy award.
In film, director Jon M. Chu, alongside stars Bowen Yang and Michelle Yeoh, were recognized for their work on the Oscar-nominated movie Wicked. The cast of Moana 2, Andrew Anh’s groundbreaking remake The Wedding Banquet, Mickey 17 director Bong Joon Ho, and Academy Award-winning producer Samantha Quan of Anora are also among the honorees. On the television side, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Dong-hyuk of Squid Game season two made it to the list, as well as newcomers Abdullah Saeed, Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh and Poorna Jagannathan from Deli Boys.
Music superstars Charli XCX, Lisa and Rosé of BLACKPINK, K-pop boy group SEVENTEEN, Bruno Mars and Tyla all received A100 distinction. Laufey is also an honoree and will receive the Billboard Gold Music Honor coinciding with a performance at the gala. K-pop quartet aespa and soloist Dominic Fike are recognized in the New Gold category. Newly appointed Billboard CEO Mike Van is also an honoree. Billboard is returning once again to partner with Gold House on their Founders afterparty, hosted by Anderson. Paak.
In sports, LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani, Tommy Edman, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and manager Dave Roberts are honorees. Others include Philadelphia Eagles’ Jordan Mailata, LA Galaxy's Maya Yoshida, Olympic golfer Lydia Ko, cricket player Virat Kohli and professional gamer Faker. Meanwhile, Olympians Suni Lee, Lee Kiefer and Torri Huske, as well as Paralympian Chuck Aoki will be honored together for their excellence. Broadway performers Daniel Dae Kim of Yellow Face, Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen of Maybe Happy Ending and Nicole Scherzinger of Sunset Boulevard are honorees.
Several prominent figures in literature and media are recognized on this year’s list, including authors Han Kang and Malala Yousafzai; co editor-in-chief of The Hollywood Reporter Maer Roshan and and Variety co editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh; Versha Sharma, editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue; Priya Krishna, restaurant critic and reporter for The New York Times; Imran Amed, editor-in-chief of The Business of Fashion; Shams Charania, senior NBA insider at ESPN; Sarlina See, CFO of Penske Media Corporation; Will Lee and Ryan Joe CEO and editor-in-chief, respectively, of ADWEEK: and Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House.
To mark the occasion, Gold House will host a series of celebratory events from May 9–10 in Los Angeles, including a reception at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, a private A100 Honorees Dinner, and the fourth annual Gold Gala, with a dinner curated by James Beard award winning chef Lord Maynard Llera of LA’s Kuya Lord. LA Wildfire responders will also be honored this year.
In a joint statement, Gold House CEO Bing Chen and COO Jeremy Tran said, “The A100 List illuminates the profound cultural imprint of the Asian Pacific community. With this year’s honorees, we celebrate more than achievement—we honor the courage of those who take first steps when no clear solutions exist, becoming the First Lights that guide us all forward.”
Published on May 1, 2025
Words by Daniel Anderson
Daniel Anderson is a disabled Chinese American adoptee based in Seattle. His freelance writing specialties include K-pop, entertainment, and food. He believes that any restaurant can be a buffet, and the key to success is to take a nap each day. Follow his adventures on Instagram @danzstan.