The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) Publicists today announced winners of its 53rd Annual ICG Publicists Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS won the top honors for Best Publicity Campaign for Motion Pictures and EMPIRE won the Best Publicity Campaign in Television. BARRY WETCHER (Motion Picture) and CHUCK HODES (Television) received awards for Excellence in Still Photography, respectively. A special Les Mason Award was given posthumously to renown publicist MURRAY WEISSMAN. The Press Award went to BRYAN ALEXANDER, USA Today, and the International Media Award was bestowed upon YUKO YOSHIKAWA, Reuters Japan correspondent. The Bob Yeager Award for community service was given to ELAINE LAZELLE, Walt Disney Studio Senior Publicist.
The awards, chaired by Henri Bollinger and co-chaired by Tim Menke, took place before an audience of more than 900, including guild members, Hollywood public relations and marketing executives, producers, studio and network executives, celebrities and press.
Legendary comedian/actress Lily Tomlin received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Sally Field. Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films, was presented the Motion Picture Showmanship Award by Michael Keaton (Spotlight), while John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks, received the Television Showmanship Award from award-winning writer, director and executive producer Ryan Murphy.
A Special Award of Merit went to famed lyricists and song writers Alan and Marilyn Bergman, presented by Johnny Mathis. Additional presenters of this year’s awards included Ed Asner (Up, Lou Grant), comedian Yakov Smirnoff (Happily Ever Laughter), Vanessa Cloke (The Big Short), Wayne Pére (The Big Short), and Amy Aquino (Bosch).
Steven Poster, ASC, president of the International Cinematographers Guild, addressing the publicists assembled in the room said, “This is a changing and evolutionary time in every part of our industry. The mega-speed at which you have to get the information out there…makes your job more difficult every day. Without you nobody would know who any of us are, or would like to be.”
Henri Bollinger said, “The size and spirit of today’s gathering is just a small reflection of the dedication with which publicists approach the work we do on a daily basis. It explains, also, the way our messages motivate so many people across our nation and around the world to visit movie theaters and watch shows in all kinds of mediums."
In lieu of gift bags this year, the ICG Publicists made generous donations in honor of its members and sponsors to the Motion Picture and Television Fund, accepted by Ken Scherer, CEO of MPTF, and to The Actors Fund, accepted by Meg Thomas, Major Gifts Officer at The Actors Fund. “It is an opportunity to support organizations that address the needs of all entertainment industry professionals,” said Bollinger.
THE WINNERS OF THE 53rd ANNUAL ICG PUBLICIST AWARDS ARE:
Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Publicity Campaign for a Motion Picture: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Publicity Campaign for a Television Program: EMPIRE
Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Motion Pictures Award: BARRY WETCHER
Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Television Award: CHUCK HODES
Les Mason Award, the highest honor publicists can bestow on one of their own: MURRAY WEISSMAN (posthumously)
Bob Yeager Award for community service: ELAINE LAZELLE, Walt Disney Studio Senior Publicist
Press Award: BRYAN ALEXANDER, USA Today
International Media Award: YUKO YOSHIKAWA, Reuters Japan
The sponsors for the 53rd Annual ICG Publicists Awards are 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, FX Networks, Open Road Films, Regal Entertainment Group, Walt Disney Studios, Deadline, Sony Pictures, Junket Productions, Inc., Lyn and Norman Lear, 20th Century Fox Television, Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, Hulu, City National Bank, Creative Handbook, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Warner Bros. Photo Lab, MDS West / John Drinker Group, Below the Line, Executive Limousine.
About THE INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHERS GUILD
The International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600) represents 7,800 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.
About THE PUBLICISTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHERS GUILD
Entertainment Publicists first formed a union in 1937, as the Screen Publicists Guild, later becoming the Publicists Guild. In 2002 the IATSE merged them with the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600). The first Publicists Awards Luncheon was held in 1962 and has since grown to an event attended annually by up to 900 publicists and industry leaders. Many of the greatest actors, directors and executives have accepted the Motion Picture and Television Showmanship Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards. They include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, Julie Andrews, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, Carol Burnett, Kirk Douglas, Stanley Kramer, Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, Bob Hope and Shonda Rhimes. In addition, the members honor their own through the Maxwell Weinberg Awards for publicity campaigns, the Bob Yeager Award for Community Service and the Les Mason Award, the greatest honor to be paid to a publicist. For more info about the #PublicistsAwards go to www.icg600.com or follow ICG Publicists on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
