The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has named Fernando Garcia as its executive VP, Member Relations and Awards.
Garcia will lead engagement and outreach initiatives for the organization’s worldwide membership of over 10,000 artists, filmmakers and executives, and oversee Academy Awards® processes for submissions, nominations, voting and balloting. Garcia will also work with the Academy’s Office of Representation, Inclusion and Equity and the Branch Executive Committees on member representation and inclusion efforts, heightening awareness of diverse filmmakers worldwide who meet membership criteria. He will report to Academy COO Christine Simmons.
“Fernando is an innovative thinker with a deep passion for movies and a true appreciation for the people who make them,” said Simmons. “He joins the Academy’s leadership at a pivotal time, and we are confident he is just the person to lead our global membership forward and further the Academy’s mission to support, identify and champion talent in our filmmaking community.”
Garcia has over two decades of experience in developing marketing and publicity campaigns for films across a range of special projects and events, domestic and international film festivals, brand partnerships and promotions, publicity stunts, conventions, and film and television awards campaigns. He most recently served as president of The Fernando Garcia Company, where his clients included Amazon Studios, Disney, NBC, New Regency and Prime Video. Previously, he served as VP of special projects & events at Paramount Pictures. He has worked on a diverse slate of films including “Dreamgirls,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” four films in the “Transformers” franchise, “Iron Man,” “Kung Fu Panda,” the franchise reboot of “Star Trek,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” “World War Z,” “Nebraska” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.” He began his career at DreamWorks Pictures on the films “Almost Famous” and “Gladiator,” and helped develop the launch of the “Shrek” film franchise. Garcia has worked with major marketing and publicity entities all over the world including the United Kingdom, Russia, Hong Kong, China, Brazil, Italy, Mexico and France. He is a member of the Academy’s Marketing and Public Relations Branch.
Garcia is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He is on the Western Council of the Actors Fund of America and works with Conservation International and the USC Alumni Association.
“I’m so thrilled to be joining the Academy’s leadership team,” said Garcia. “I look forward to working with them to find new ways of bringing together the incredible individuals who create the films we all love, and to uplifting great filmmaking from all around the world.”
Garcia starts February 8.
