Pharmapalooza 10

,

On Thursday, May 17, PHARMAPALOOZA, the annual healthcare agency battle of the bands to benefit The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), hit the stage at Highline Ballroom for its 10th anniversary event. It was an extraordinary night that brought the entire industry together to help improve the lives of children in need of meaningful hospital care.

The fundraiser, created and hosted by Omnicom Health Group and CDM, donates every dollar earned to CHAM’s Creative Arts Therapy Program. The program blends state‑of‑the‑art medical care with creative activities and a nurturing environment. The program is designed for the unique physical, psychological, and emotional needs of a child during a hospital stay.

To celebrate the decade of jams to benefit CHAM, the obvious theme for PHARMAPALOOZA 10 (PX) was DECADES. The evening was a celebration of the healing power of music, in it its many forms, over the decades. Seven competing bands from local healthcare agencies participated, as well as CDM’s house band, Cline Davis and the Manns.

As the bands fine-tuned their instruments backstage and battled pre-show jitters, industry audience members packed the space, excited for a night of fundraising, friendly competition, and familiar faces. They were rewarded with a surprise performance from one of PHARMAPALOOZA’s original bands, CDM’s Uncle Funkus.

Four music industry experts graciously served as the PX judges. In a unanimous vote, NEON’s Max Dose took home first prize, as they filled the venue with a joy-filled, crowd-rousing, blue-blazer-wearing performance. Second-place honors went to P9 winners, Rx.E.S.P.E.C.T. of Patients & Purpose. BBDO’s The Out of Pockets were first-time performers, but wowed the crowd and judges to land a third-place trophy.

Sure enough, this year’s PHARMAPALOOZA exceeded expectations. It was a night of industrywide celebration and fierce creativity straight from the heart – raking in almost $90,000 and bringing the total charitable earnings close to $925,000 over the past 10 years.