Publicity campaigns for Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures/Skydance/Jerry Bruckheimer Films) and Abbott Elementary (Warner Bros. Television/ABC) won the marquee Maxwell Weinberg honors for feature film and TV, respectively, at the 60th Annual ICG (The International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600) Publicists Awards today (3/10) at The Beverly Hilton.
In addition to the Maxwell Weinberg Award for the year’s top Motion Picture Publicity Campaign, Top Gun: Maverick, as previously announced, earned its producers the 2023 Motion Picture Showpersons Award. Similarly, the Weinberg honor on the TV side capped off an afternoon during which Quinta Brunson, creator of the groundbreaking Abbott Elementary, was earlier presented with the 2023 Television Showperson Award.
Jerry Bruckheimer accepted the Showpersons Award on behalf of himself and his fellow Top Gun: Maverick producers Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie and David Ellison. Bruckheimer said that the Top Gun: Maverick publicity team orchestrated “the first outreach” to the public about the movie, helping to build excitement and anticipation which contributed to what's become a stellar box office showing of more than $1.4 billion worldwide. He thanked the publicists for “helping us tell our story.” Top Gun: Maverick is nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Bruckheimer has a Showpersons Award pedigree, having 20 years ago won for his television exploits.
While Bruckheimer is all too familiar with the ICG Publicists Awards, Brunson quipped that until recently she didn’t even know that they existed, much less the Showperson honor which was bestowed upon her. “But I’m happy it does exist,” she smiled, noting that publicists are “incredible, crucial and under-appreciated.” She said that Abbott Elementary is a special show, meaning that the publicity campaign for it also had to be special. Among the special dynamics of the publicity effort was allocating a part of the marketing budget towards school supplies and resources for teachers and students in the real world. Brunson explained that “a show about teachers” is obliged “to give something back to teachers.”
Honored as one of Time Magazine’s “Time 100: The Most Influential People of 2022” and dubbed “the new queen of sitcoms” by New York Magazine, Brunson is a history-making, creative force.
As for other highlights of the luncheon ceremony, the Les Mason Award, the highest honor the publicists can bestow on one of its own members, was presented to Karen Chamberlain (Warner Bros. Pictures). The Publicist of the Year Award went to Sara Hull (The Walt Disney Studios). The Bob Yeager Award for Community Service was given to unit publicist James Ferrera for his passionate efforts to raise funds to rescue animals with his organization Pookie Helps.
“It was great to once again take time to celebrate publicists, especially this year at our 60th Annual Awards Luncheon. A big congratulations to all of today’s award nominees and recipients,” said Tim Menke who chaired the ICG Publicists Awards luncheon with Sheryl Main.
Honors for Excellence in Still Photography yielded a tie on the TV side with honors going to Beth Dubber and Hillary Bronwyn Gayle. On the feature front Eli Joshua Adé took the still photography award. Andy Reyes from Entertainment Tonight was honored with the Press Award, and Yong Chavez, ABS-CBN News (Philippines), received the International Media Award.
Baird Steptoe, Local 706 national president, congratulated the ICG Publicists on their 60-year history. The ICG Publicists also recognized the centennial anniversaries of Warner Bros. Studios, with Ben Mankiewicz (Turner Classic Movies) as the presenter, and The Walt Disney Studios, spotlighted by Ming-Na Wen (Mulan, The Mandalorian). Bob Beitcher, Motion Picture & Television Fund president and CEO, spoke about the good work done by the MPTF. Also attending the ICG Publicists Awards were Matt Loeb, IATSE International president, and Mike Miller, IATSE International VP.
Here’s a rundown of the 60th Annual ICG Publicists Awards winners:
MAXWELL WEINBERG AWARD FOR TELEVISION PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN: The union publicists who worked on publicity campaigns on behalf of:
Abbott Elementary (Warner Bros. Television / ABC)
MAXWELL WEINBERG AWARD FOR MOTION PICTURE PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN: The union publicists who worked on publicity campaigns on behalf of:
Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures/Skydance/Jerry Bruckheimer Films)
LES MASON AWARD FOR CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN PUBLICITY
Karen Chamberlain, Warner Bros. Pictures
PUBLICIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Sara Hull, Walt Disney Studios
BOB YEAGER AWARD FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE
James Ferrera, Unit Publicist
EXCELLENCE IN UNIT STILL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD – MOTION PICTURES
Eli Joshua Adé
EXCELLENCE IN UNIT STILL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD – TELEVISION–A tie, 2 winners
Beth Dubber
Hilary Bronwyn Gayle
PRESS AWARD
Andy Reyes, Entertainment Tonight
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AWARD
Yong Chavez, ABS-CBN News (Philippines)
