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Willem Dafoe To Receive Icon Award At 29th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards Gala

December 19, 2017 by Harold Matzner

WILLEM DAFOE TO RECEIVE ICON AWARD AT 29th ANNUAL PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FILM AWARDS GALA Palm Springs, CA (December 18, 2017) – The …

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Palm Springs Celebrates Progress On Downtown Project

December 19, 2017 by Harold Matzner

Though yet to be completed, a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the progress completed on the downtown Palm Springs project took place, complete with giant scissors and …

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McCallum Theatre’s Big Night Honors Chairman Matzner & Breaks Fundraising Record

December 12, 2017 by Harold Matzner

The McCallum Theatre broke its own fundraising record by raising $1,725,000 at the 30th Anniversary Gala honoring Chairman Harold Matzner. Matzner, one of the Valley’s …

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Mary J. Blige Nabs “Breakthrough Performance” Award at PSIFF

December 11, 2017 by Harold Matzner

MARY J. BLIGE TO RECEIVE BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE AWARD AT 29th ANNUAL PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FILM AWARDS GALA Palm Springs, CA (December 7, 2017) …

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“The Shape of Water” to Receive Vanguard Award At 29th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala

December 8, 2017 by Harold Matzner

    “THE SHAPE OF WATER” TO RECEIVE VANGUARD AWARD AT 29th ANNUAL PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FILM AWARDS GALA Palm Springs, CA (December 1, …

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‘Molly’s Game’ Actress Jessica Chastain Adds PSIFF Chairman’s Award to Resumé

December 11, 2017December 7, 2017 by Harold Matzner

JESSSICA CHASTAIN TO RECEIVE CHAIRMAN’S AWARD FOR MOLLY’S GAME AT 29th ANNUAL PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FILM AWARDS GALA Palm Springs, CA (December 5, …

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Saoirse Ronan To Receive Palm Springs Film Festival Actress Honor

December 5, 2017 by Harold Matzner

In her role as a high school teen trying to escape her life, Saoirse Ronan puts on a performance to remember in “Lady Bird” and …

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Harold Matzner: The Brilliant Enigma

December 5, 2017 by Harold Matzner

In this follow-up to a November article discussing the influential philanthropist of many hats, a few Coachella Valley’s more influential residents discuss their relationships with …

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“The Shape of Water” Cast and Crew Recognized At Palm Springs International Film Festival

December 4, 2017 by Harold Matzner

This year’s Vanguard Award at the 2018 Palm Springs International Film Festival will go to the the cast and crew of “The Shape of Water,” …

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The Palm Springs International Film Festival Spotlight Shines on Allison Janney

April 29, 2024November 29, 2017 by Harold Matzner

Shining in her role as the mother of Tonya Harding, Allison Janey adds to her seven Emmys with the Palm Springs International Film Fest Spotlight …

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Gary Oldman Adds To His Already Impressive Resumé With Churchill Portrayal

November 27, 2017 by Harold Matzner

Gary Oldman returns to the Palm Springs International Film Festival to receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award for his performance as Winston Churchill during the …

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McCallum Taps Dancing Legend For Lifetime Achievement Award

November 27, 2017 by Harold Matzner

Savion Glover, of tap dancing, acting, and choreography fame, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the McCallum Theatre’s 20th Annual Choreography Festival. Among …

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The Rising Star Award Will Be Presented to Timothée Chalamet at the Palm Springs International Film Festival

November 20, 2017 by Harold Matzner

Says Palm Springs Festival Chairman Harold Matzner of Chalamet’s performance: “Timothée Chalamet gives a stirring performance as Elio, a 17-year-old on the brink of passion …

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Patton Museum Receives 4 Tanks and 2 New Buildings

November 29, 2017November 19, 2017 by Harold Matzner

The General Patton Memorial Museum honored Harold Matzner with the “Founder’s Award” for funding the Matzner Tank Pavilion building and donating enough to bring three …

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An Oral History of Mr. Palm Springs, As Told By Friends & Colleagues

January 18, 2018November 11, 2017 by Harold Matzner

Spencer’s owner, philanthropist, Chairman of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and Horatio Alger Award-winner Harold Matzner is a man held in high regard by his friends …

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Harold Matzner
Entrepreneur, humanitarian, and philanthropist, Harold Matzner, has made his home in the desert for more than 30 years. The owner of Palm Spring’s popular Spencer’s Restaurant and CEO of a NY/NJ based branding, advertising and marketing company, Harold is credited with revitalizing the Palm Springs International Film Festival and founding the successful business concept of targeted “shared mail”.
In 2017, the year of his 80th birthday, Harold was one of the eleven men and women selected nationally by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans as a member and inducted by Judge Clarence Thomas in the courtroom of the United States Supreme Court. Harold was also honored with a special 24-standard page birthday section in the The Desert Sun and a two-part front page story in Palm Springs Life in the November and December editions. He was honored in November 2017 by the General Patton Memorial Museum with the dedication of the Matzner Tank Pavilion and three World War II operating tanks, and in the same month was honored by the McCallum Theatre for 10 years of service as Chairman and for being the first person to give the Theatre $5 million or more.
He also rescued and revived the world famous Palm Springs Tennis Club and turned its lunchroom into Spencer’s, one of the City’s hottest see-and-be-seen restaurants. Spencer’s is named after his beloved 110-pound Siberian husky. Mr. Matzner is in his 11th year as the Chairman of the Board of the McCallum Theatre, his 14th year as Chairman of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and is the long-time Executive Vice Chairman of the Palm Springs Art Museum. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Eisenhower Medical Center and Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center. He also chairs several charity fundraising events each year.
He has received many awards from the charities that he supports. He has been honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the “Philanthropist of the Year”, and for the past six years he has served as Honorary Chair of the local National Philanthropy Day event. He has also been recognized by Gilda’s Club as the “Man of the Year”, by the McCallum Muses as “Man of the Year”, the City of Palm Springs with the “Richard M. Milanovich Community Service Award”, as “Angel of the Year” by Angel View Children’s Foundation, as “Businessperson of the Year” by the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Waring “Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Richard M. Milanovich Humanitarian Award” by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and by Desert Samaritan’s as “Samaritan of the Year”, and will be honored in May by the Coachella Valley Symphony, to name a few. Mr. Matzner has been a benefactor to many other non-profits, both here and on the East coast.
Mr. Matzner is one of the Palm Springs valley’s largest donors to philanthropy and has contributed more than $70 million to area non-profits since 2000. Among the many local charities benefiting from his philanthropic efforts are the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, AIDS Assistance Program, Desert Symphony, American Cancer Society, The Living Desert, Cabot’s Pueblo Museum, Coachella Valley Symphony, General Patton Memorial Museum, ACT for MS, College of the Desert, Eisenhower Medical Center, Desert AIDS Project, Desert Cancer Foundation, Palm Springs Animal Shelter, Jewish Family Services of the Desert, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), StandWithUs, Neuro Vitality Center, Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre, Temple Isaiah, Bighorn BAM (Behind a Miracle), Tools for Tomorrow, Palm Springs Air Museum, Mizell Senior Center, Well in the Desert, FIND Food Bank, Pegasus Riding Academy, LGBTQ The Center, Equality California, and the Human Rights Campaign.
He is credited with the key leadership role in creating Palm Springs’ Measure J (a 1% sales tax increase that has helped to fund a $200 million downtown revitalization program, while providing an additional surplus of $12 million per year to rebuild the city’s infrastructure). He is a community activist. He earns no money from any of his activities in Palm Springs, including his restaurant, Spencer’s.
Mr. Matzner’s star is located at the foot of his friend Sonny Bono’s statue in the heart of Palm Springs.

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In 2017, the year of his 80th birthday, Harold was one of the eleven men and women selected nationally by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans as a member and inducted by Judge Clarence Thomas.

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