Linda Bell Blue, executive producer of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, will receive the International Cinematographers Guild President's Award at the ICG 51st Annual Publicists Luncheon on Friday, February 28, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
Bell Blue is being recognized for revolutionizing the way entertainment news is produced and consumed by viewers. She has spent nearly two decades as executive producer of Entertainment Tonight, the #1 entertainment newsmagazine, and recently became President of Entertainment Tonight Studios, where she will continue to expand the ET brand with new programming on all platforms.
“Linda Bell Blue was already a member of television journalism’s elite when she joined Entertainment Tonight,” said Henri Bollinger, Awards Committee chairman. “Over her nearly two decades at ET, she kept the show the gold-standard for celebrity news. These high standards established a close bond between the show’s production staff and entertainment publicists.”
ICG president, Steven Poster, ASC said, “Linda Bell Blue and her colleagues have always supported and appreciated the work that our publicists do. Now it’s our turn to show our appreciation of the work she does.”
An Emmy® Award-winning producer, Bell Blue joined ET after executive producing Hard Copy and, prior to that, KCBS-TV news in Los Angeles. Bell Blue also serves as executive producer of the nightly half-hour magazine The Insider, which premiered in 2004 with the highest-rated debut of any syndicated newsmagazine since 1996. In 2009, Bell Blue became the first executive producer of an entertainment newsmagazine to be inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. She is also the recipient of a STAR Award from the American Women in Radio & Television (AWRT).
Also being honored at the event, as previously announced, are Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger, co-chairs of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, with the Motion Picture Showmanship Award; Shonda Rhimes, producer of Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal, with the Television Showmanship Award; Jerry Lewis with a Lifetime Achievement Award; as well as the Maxwell Weinberg Showmanship Awards for motion pictures and television, the Les Mason Award and the Bob Yeager Award, which recognizes significant community service.
About the International Cinematographers Guild
The International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600) represents more than 7,000 members who work in film, television and commercials as Directors of Photography, Camera Operators, Visual Effects Supervisors, Still Photographers, Camera Assistants, Film Loaders, all members of camera crews and Publicists. The first cinematographers union was established in New York in 1926, followed by unions in Los Angeles and Chicago, but it wasn't until 1996 that Local 600 was born as a national guild. ICG's ongoing activities include the Emerging Cinematographer Awards and the Publicists Awards Luncheon. The Guild also publishes the award-winning ICG Magazine. www.cameraguild.com
