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Harold’s Six Favorite 2023 Palm Springs Film Festival Moments

January 28, 2023January 27, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Harold’s Six Favorite 2023 Palm Springs Film Festival Moments

The 2023 Film Festival and Awards Gala felt extra special this year. After 2 years on hiatus due to the pandemic, you could feel the …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs film fest, palm springs international film fest, philanthropist, psiff

Palm Springs International Film Awards To Honor Brendan Fraser With The Spotlight Award, Actor

December 21, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Brendan Frasier

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Brendan Fraseris the recipient of the Spotlight Award, Actorfor hisperformance in The Whale. The Film Awards …

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Categories Press Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs international film fest, philanthropist

Palm Springs International Film Awards To Present Bill Nighy With The International Star Award, Actor

December 12, 2022December 12, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Bill Nighy - Aliona Adrianova Coloured Heashot 1

The Palm Springs InternationalFilm Awards has announced that Bill Nighy is the recipient of the International Star Award, Actor for Living. The Film Awards will …

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Categories Press Tags charity, harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs film fest, philanthropist, philanthropist psiff, psiff

Worth a Read: 50 Moments That Shaped Greater Palm Springs

October 6, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Worth a Read: 50 Moments That Shaped Greater Palm Springs

Palm Springs Life Magazine published a wonderful article this month: “50 Moments That Shaped Greater Palm Springs.”  As the list travels through history, you can …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, palm springs, philanthropist, Sonny Bono

Join us for this year’s “One Night Only” – “New York, New York” at the McCallum

September 29, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Join us for this year's "One Night Only" - "New York" at the McCallum

Harold and the McCallum Board along with Michael Childers invite you to this year’s  “One Night Only.” We are celebrating the 16th year in the …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, new york new york, palm springs, philanthropist

Spencer’s Named One of the 22 Best Palm Springs Restaurants by U.S. News and World Report

September 7, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Spencer’s Named One of the 22 Best Palm Springs Restaurants by U.S. News and World Report

A toast from Spencer’s and Harold Matzner! 🍸 U.S. News and World Report has named their picks for the top 22 restaurants in Palm Springs …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, palm springs, philanthropist, spencer's restaurant, spencers

“Harold Matzner: The Brilliant Enigma” from Palm Springs Life Magazine

August 9, 2022August 8, 2022 by Harold Matzner
“Harold Matzner: The Brilliant Enigma” from Palm Springs Life Magazine

Part 2 of Palm Springs Life Magazine’s profile of Harold Matzner focuses on the Palm Springs International Film Festival. With quotes from colleagues, fellow board …

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Categories Blog Tags charity, coachella valley, harold matzner, palm springs, philanthropist, philanthropy

Harold Matzner: An Oral History

August 1, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Harold Matzner

If you’ve ever wondered about Harold’s childhood, what his home life is like (hint: dog-filled), or how amazingly busy his schedule is, this article Palm …

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Categories Blog Tags charity, harold matzner, palm springs, philanthropist

Happy Birthday Harold!

July 27, 2022July 4, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Harold

Happy Birthday, Harold! (Yes, he really was born on the 4th of July.) As we celebrate 85 wonderful years, it’s time to revisit (and laugh …

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Categories Blog Tags charity, harold matzner, palm springs, philanthropist

National Philanthropy Day in the Desert awards luncheon draws 750 to Indian Wells

November 20, 2019 by Harold Matzner

Spencer’s Restaurant owner and Coachella Valley philanthropist Harold Matzner returned as the presenting sponsor and honorary chair for q capacity crowd at the luncheon for …

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Categories Press Tags harold matzner, indian wells, National Philanthropy Day, National Philanthropy Day in the Desert, philanthropist, philanthropy

Creating Change

October 31, 2019 by Harold Matzner

Reception honors outstanding philanthropic individuals, businesses, and organizations making a difference in the Coachella Valley. A private event was held to honor the nominees for …

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Categories Press Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, National Philanthropy Day, palm springs, philanthropist, spencer's restaurant

Reception honors nominees for the 13th annual National Philanthropy Day in the Desert awards

October 29, 2019 by Harold Matzner

This year’s nominees for the 13th annual National Philanthropy Day in the Desert were honored on a gorgeous day in a private reception in Palm Springs. …

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Categories Press Tags harold matzner, National Philanthropy Day, National Philanthropy Day in the Desert, palm springs, philanthropist, philanthropy

2019 National Philanthropy Day in the Desert honorees named

July 3, 2019 by Harold Matzner

The list of honorees to be awarded at the 13th Annual National Philanthropy Day In The Desert Awards Luncheon was announced, and includes well-known local …

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Categories Press Tags harold matzner, national philanthropist day, philanthropist

Well In The Desert Says Thanks At Spencer’s

April 26, 2018 by Harold Matzner

The Bougainvillea Room at Spencer’s Restaurant was filled with 140 Well in the Desert supporters honoring Visionary Award winners for their work with the homeless.  The …

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Categories Press Tags harold matzner, palm springs, philanthropist, philanthropy, spencer's restaurant, spencers, well in the desert

A Soaring 50th Jubilee Gala Palm Springs Opera Guild of the Desert

March 27, 2018 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs Art Museum hosted almost 300 attendees at the 50th Palm Springs Opera Guild of the Desert Jubilee Gala, where a concert at …

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Categories Press Tags annenberg theater, desert jubilee gala, harold matzner, palm springs, Palm Springs Art Museum, palm springs opera guild, philanthropist
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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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Harold Matzner

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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  • A statement from the family of Harold Matzner September 10, 2025
  • Harold Matzner, Legendary Desert Philanthropist and Business Visionary, Dies at 88 in Palm Springs September 5, 2025
  • Spencer’s Restaurant Honored in Palm Springs Life’s Best of the Best Competition For The Third Year In A Row August 8, 2025
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