The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) has unveiled its final list of nominations for the 57th Annual ICG Publicists Awards, honoring active members working on motion pictures and in television, whose achievements in publicity and promotion are deemed outstanding. Winners will be revealed at a ceremony Friday, February 7, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. More than 800 industry leaders are expected to attend this year’s luncheon, which traditionally occurs the week leading up to the Academy Awards®.
THE NOMINEES FOR THE 57TH ANNUAL ICG PUBLICISTS AWARDS ARE:
LES MASON AWARD FOR CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN PUBLICITY
Gabriela Gutentag – Unit Publicist
Stephen Huvane – Slate PR
Maureen O’Malley – Warner Bros.
Peter J. Silbermann – Unit Publicist
David Waldman – Paramount Pictures
PUBLICIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Rachel Aberly – 42West
Michelle Alt – Paramount Pictures
Kira Feola – Walt Disney Studios
Alex Kang – Walt Disney Studios
Carol McConnaughey – Unit Publicist
PRESS AWARD
Clark Collis – Entertainment Weekly
Tom O’Neil – Gold Derby
Andy Reyes – Entertainment Tonight
Amanda Salas – Fox 11
Adam Weissler – Extra TV
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AWARD
Vera Anderson – Cine Premiere/HFPA (Mexico)
Nelson Aspen – Sunrise (Australia)
Janet Nepales – Manila Bulletin/HFPA (Philippines)
Gill Pringle – FilmInk.com (UK)
Adam Tanswell – Freelance/HFPA (UK)
EXCELLENCE IN UNIT STILL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD FOR MOTION PICTURES
Matt Kennedy
Justin Lubin
Daniel McFadden
Hopper Stone
Niko Tavernise
EXCELLENCE IN UNIT STILL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD FOR TELEVISION
Beth Dubber
Justin Lubin
Nicole Rivelli
JoJo Whilden
Nicole Wilder
In addition to unveiling the winners of the above categories, the ICG Publicists Awards will honor Anthony and Joe Russo, who helmed Marvel Studios’ critically acclaimed Avengers: Endgame, with the Motion Picture Showman of the Year Award for their historic contributions to the art of cinema and television. Ava DuVernay, award-winning writer, director and producer, will be honored with the Television Showman of the Year Award for her visionary impact on television. Don Mischer, award-winning producer and director, will be the recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award honoring his prolific career as an internationally acclaimed producer and director of television and live events. The recipient of the Henri Bollinger Award for Special Merit will be announced in the near future, and the Bob Yeager Award for Community Service will be announced at the ceremony. Awards chair this year is Tim Menke with Sheryl Main serving as co-chair.
Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died
Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.
Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.
"We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.
Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.
His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.
Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.
"Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More