WHCD Weekend Kicks Off With ‘Bytes & Bylines’

It was the kind of party where Net Neutrality was as talked about as Nuclear proliferation.

In a precursor to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner festivities, notables from the technology, political, business, media and entertainment worlds gathered at the Ambassador of Ireland’s residence for the fifth annual Bytes & Bylines party.

Co-hosts Allen Gannett (TrackMaven), Eric Kuhn (T-Mobile), John McCarthy (political strategist), Susanna Quinn (Veluxe) and Jon Steinberg (Cheddar) welcomed Congressmen, Ambassadors, CEOs, journalists and technology executives to the party, which was sponsored by  Post-Cable Network Cheddar.

“Five years ago we started a tradition of bringing together our friends in media, technology and politics to meet, mingle, and talk about the issues of the day” shared the co-hosts. “This year, having conversations around how technology was effecting media and politics and visa-versa is now more important than ever before.”

Among those in attendance were Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Chris Carney (D-Pa.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Sean Duffy (R-WI.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), former Rep. Connie Morella (R-Md.), actor Richard Schiff, Politico President Poppy McDonald, Rolls Royce CEO Marion Blakely, American Possibilities PAC Executive Director Greg Schultz, NEA Partner Scott Frederick, First Lady Melania Trump’s Communications Director Stephanie Grisham, Snapchat’s Sophia Gross, Broadway producer Alex Donnelly, MasterCard’s Meredith Balenske, T-Mobile’s Kathleen Ham, CBS News Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes, UTA Foundation president Rene Jones, CBS News White House Reporter Jaqueline Alemany, CNN’s Dylan Byers, Axios media reporter Sara Fischer, the Emerson

Collective’s Scott Bromley.

Guests sipped on Gunnies and Whiskey and snacked on traditional Irish hors d’oeuvres, while a jazz trio played on the outside patio. The evening ended with everyone singing the Irish folk ballad Fields of Athenry in the Ambassador’s living room.  A donation will be made on behalf of the Bytes & Bylines party to the White House Correspondents’ Association Scholarship Fund.

*Images credit Kathryn Havens