STLPR's Annual Celebration
Join us at the Four Seasons Hotel on Friday, May 2, 2025 for Hear the Future, a celebration in support of St. Louis Public Radio's service to the community. Meet special guests Kenny Malone, co-host of NPR's Planet Money, and Wailin Wong, host of The Indicator from Planet Money. Enjoy a gourmet meal and mix and mingle with other listeners who care about creating a more informed and engaged public.
7 p.m. Dinner
Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis
999 N 2nd St, St. Louis, MO 63102
Kenny Malone
Cohost for NPR's Planet Money podcast
Wailin Wong
Host of The Indicator from Planet Money
2025 Special Guests
Kenny Malone and Wailin Wong
We're excited to announce the 2025 Hear the Future annual celebration special guests! Kenny Malone, co-host of NPR's Planet Money and Wailin Wong, host of The Indicator from Planet Money will join us for a lively and entertaining on-stage conversation. Join us at the Four Seasons for an opportunity to meet Kenny and Wailin!
Our Guest Speaker is sponsored by Twain Financial, John Brase and Ed Giganti.
Premier Sponsor
Event Sponsors
Ed Giganti
Sponsorship Information
Don't miss out on the opportunity to support independent, local journalism that makes a difference!
Send your sponsorship pledge form to Special Events Director Leslie Davis at ldavis@stlpr.org.
$5,000 Event Sponsor
Deliverables:
Sponsor logo displayed in Visual Assets:
- On-screen Signage at event (Shared Sponsor Slide)
- Printed Dinner Program (400)
- Annual Celebration Dedicated Page on the STLPR Website with link to Sponsor Website
Tickets
- Table for up to 10 guests with sponsor sign on table and preferred table placement at the dinner
Special Event Elements Available Include (One available at each level*)
- Event Video (*Multiple Sponsors)
- Valet
- Live Entertainment
- Cocktail Reception
- After Party
- Special Guest
- Centerpiece
- Exclusive Private Auction
- Live Auction
- Golden Ticket
- Fund-the-Future
Recognition from the celebration stage
$10,000 Presenting Sponsor
Deliverables:
Corporate sponsorship announcements
- (30) :15 announcements to air M-Su 6a-12a., airs by 12/31/25 (Value $3,000)
Promotional Announcements
- A minimum of 30 weekly shared sponsor-tagged promotional announcements, airing for 8 weeks
Sponsor logo displayed in Visual Assets:
- E-mails (sent to 60,000+ STLPR supporter email addresses; 10-15 sends)
- Social Media Posts (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok)
- On-screen Signage at event (Shared Sponsor Slide)
- Printed Dinner Program (400)
- Annual Celebration Dedicated Page on the STLPR Website with link to Sponsor Website
Tickets
- Table for up to 10 guests with sponsor sign on table and preferred table placement at the dinner
Recognition from the celebration stage
$15,000 Premier Sponsor
Deliverables:
Corporate sponsorship announcements
- (50) :15 announcements to air M-Su 6a-12a., airs by 12/31/25 (Value $5,000)
Promotional Announcements
- A minimum of 60 weekly shared sponsor-tagged promotional announcements, airing for 12 weeks
Sponsor logo displayed in Visual Assets:
- Printed Save-the-Date cards (mailed to 1,200 STLPR supporters)
- Printed Dinner Invitations (mailed to 1,200 STLPR supporters)
- E-mails (sent to 60,000+ STLPR supporter email addresses; 10-15 sends)
- Social Media Posts (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok)
- On-screen Signage at event (shared sponsor slide)
- Printed Dinner Program (400)
- Annual Celebration Dedicated Page on the STLPR Website with link to Sponsor Website
- Post-Event “Thank You” e-mail to attendees
Tickets
- Table for up to 10 guests with sponsor sign on table and preferred table placement at the dinner
Recognition from the celebration stage
$25,000 Pinnacle Sponsor
Deliverables:
Corporate sponsorship announcements
- (75) :15 announcements to air M-Su 6a-12a., airs by 12/31/25
Promotional Announcements
- A minimum of 75 weekly exclusive sponsor-tagged promotional announcements, airing for 12 weeks
Sponsor logo displayed in Visual Assets:
- Printed Save-the-Date cards (mailed to 1,200 STLPR supporters)
- Printed Dinner Invitations (mailed to 1,200 STLPR supporters)
- E-mails (sent to 60,000+ STLPR supporter email addresses; 10-15 sends)
- Social Media Posts (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok)
- On-screen Signage at event – Exclusive Presenting Sponsor slide
- Printed Dinner Program (400)
- Annual Celebration Dedicated Page as Presenting Sponsor with link to Sponsor Website
- Post-Event “Thank You” e-mail to attendees
Tickets
- Table for up to 10 guests with sponsor sign on table and preferred table placement at the dinner
Recognition from the celebration stage
Golden Ticket Raffle
Try your luck in our 2025 Golden Ticket Raffle!. The winner of the Golden Ticket Raffle gets to choose their own adventure from among a variety of amazing experiences! We will announce the winner at Hear the Future on May 2.
More information coming soon…
The Golden Ticket is sponsored by Paric.
2024 Annual Celebration
We celebrated with fun entertainment, lively conversation, a delicious meal, and special guest Eric Deggans, TV critic and media analyst for NPR at the Four Seasons Hotel on Friday, April 19, 2024 at the Four Seasons Hotel.
The Gene Dobbs Bradford Blues experience electrified the audience with hard-driving harmonica playing and soulful blues vocals, Hear the Future Co-Chair Kit Watson showcased the NPR Wine Club offerings, and our Silent Auction was the largest one yet.
2024 Photos
Event Co-Chairs
Andrea Cannon
Andrea serves as the President of the Friends of KWMU board, where she has the opportunity to witness the valuable contributions STLPR makes in delivering trusted journalism, engaging stories, and a range of perspectives to our community. In her professional role, she is the Vice President of Intellectual Property Legal at Nestlé.
Eriko Clevenger Pope
Eriko Clevenger Pope is the former Board Chair for the Friends of KWMU Board, which supports STLPR's mission of delivering trusted, in-depth news and programming relevant to the Greater St. Louis region. Professionally, she is the CEO of Katalyst STL, providing strategic advisory services to nonprofits and entrepreneurs, and is the founding Executive Director for the NISA Charitable Fund that supports Greater St. Louis nonprofits in three strategic areas of education, access to capital, and workforce development. Prior to these roles, she held senior executive marketing positions for 20 years, most recently as the Head of Global Marketing for Nestle Purina PetCare Worldwide. In her free time, Eriko enjoys traveling with her husband to cheer on their four children as they compete in soccer and take on life's next adventures.
Event Committee
- John Brase
- Laura Brayton
- Maria Briggs
- Allan Connolly
- Deb Dubin
- Anne Elliott
- Gonzalo Fernandez
- Neosha Franklin
- Marc Hirshman
- Peggy Holly
- Pops Jackson
- Russell Jackson
- Diane Katzman
- Rusty Lamboley
- Elizabeth Larson
- Keri McBride
- Matt McBride
- Suzie Nall
- Claudia Ochoa-Espejo
- Rebecca Frigy Romine
- Ken Schutte
- Diane Sher
- Julie Taylor