Three Lorain entertainers were acknowledged at the 2022 Ohio Entertainment Awards.
The Northeast Ohio award ceremony celebrated its 10th year on Nov. 13 at Kent Stage in Kent.
Jeff Seats of Lorain County won the award for Best Chef, Kimyatta Hawthorne of Lorain won for Best Hairstylist and Andre Massey of Lorain won the Dedication Award.
“I was very surprised because there were a lot of great stylist nominated,” said Hawthorne. “It feels great to always have support come from my city; I’m so proud to be from Lorain.”
Hawthorne said she will continue to give her best to Lorain County.
“I love my profession and am blessed to be able to inspire others who come from the same community as me,” she said. “I will always encourage them to never give up and continue to learn and push themselves.”
Massey said he was very happy to win the award.
“I’ve been nominated twice in the past for best promoter and graphic designer but I didn’t win either of those years,” he said. “I received the Dedication Award because I’ve been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years.”
Seats said he is very grateful for the community support.
“When the show originally did their polls for each category they told me a lot of people recommended me which led to me being formally nominated,” he said. “It was very exciting to attend, and to win the award was unexpected.”
He said it is a blessing to be acknowledged.
“Winning the award was surreal for me,” said Seats. “I’ve been doing what I do for a long time; and this confirmed that I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to, and my community recognizes my passion and hard work.”
In order to give back to those who nominated and voted for him, Seats will hold a community celebration from 6 to 8 p.m., Nov. 29, at The Tabernacle Lorain, 2428 Elyria Ave.
The event will feature free food from Seats as well as other local caterers such as Dishes by Dashonda, Shanese’s Soul-llios and More, Classie Cakes by Yvonne and Toni’s Belly Sensations.
“I wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t for my people so it’s a way to show customer appreciation,” said Seats. “We’ll have food, music and photo opportunities.”
Massey said his own showcase, Ohio’s Most Wanted, will take place Jan. 7 in Lorain.
“It felt really good to be nominated, but I really just do it to bring more attention to the city of Lorain,” said Massey. “I would like to see the entertainment industry here come together and work as a collective, because there can be too much competition within our own cities.”
