The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced the creation of a new innovation award for the 31st Annual Producers Guild Awards. The PGA Innovation Award will be bestowed upon the production of a noteworthy, impactful new media program that significantly elevates the audience’s viewing experience. The winning submission will challenge the limits of standard formats and drive forward the industry’s perception and application of new media in an entertainment context.
A joint statement from Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher, presidents of the PGA, read, “As producers and storytellers, we recognize that it is important to embrace change in a time of expansion and exploration of new ideas in entertainment. This new award will allow our members to celebrate the innovations we are making as producers to further the advancement of content through new technology and platforms.”
The award will honor exceptional distinctiveness, inventiveness, and impact of the submitted work in expanding the conventions of program format, content, audience interaction, production technique and delivery. Such work may reflect a reimagining or reworking of existing concepts and approaches in a new way, or may be an entirely novel type of experience.
Entries will be reviewed and voted on by a jury of blue-ribbon experts in the field of new media. The inaugural Innovation Award jury may include:
● Kim Adams (Co-founder, Adventure Lab)
● Nancy Bennett (Chief Creative Officer and founding member, Two Bit Circus)
● Thomas Geraghty (Director, Technology & Innovation, Universal Parks)
● Doug Herzog (Consultant, Quibi)
● Lisa Hsia (Executive Vice President, Bravo, Oxygen, Universal Kids Digital Media)
● Lori McCreary (Chief Executive Officer, Clickstar, Inc.; Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Revelations Entertainment)
● Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie (Founder and Chief Scientist, All These Worlds LLC.)
● Joanna Popper (Global Head of VR for Location Based Experience, Hewlett Packard)
● Yelena Rachitsky (Executive Producer of Experiences at Oculus)
● Albert “Skip” Rizzo (Director for Medial Virtual Reality, USC Institute for Creative Technologies)
● Ira Rubenstein (Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, Public Broadcasting Service)
● Sam Russo (Vice President, Attraction Development, Herschend Family Entertainment)
● Ted Schilowitz (Futurist in Residence, Paramount Pictures & 20th Century Fox)
● Christina Lee Storm (Vice President of Business Operations, Strategy and Emerging Technology, DreamWorks Animation)
● Shelby Jiggets-Tivony (Vice President, Creative & Advanced Development, Disney Parks Live Entertainment – Walt Disney Imagineering)
The new Innovation Award, along with other key awards, will be given out at a nominee celebration prior to the Producers Guild Awards show.
The application period is open now and the deadline for submission is Friday, November 15. The rules are available and applications may be submitted here.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More