Emmy Award and three-time Image Award-winning writer-producer Cort Casady has been tapped by the Writers Guild of America, West to executive produce its 2013 awards show set for Sunday, February 17, 2013, at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE.
A veteran producer of industry awards shows with more than 25 years of television production experience and over 700 hours of primetime and first-run TV programming to his credit, for the past decade Casady has been supervising producer of the American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award telecasts, including tributes to Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Sean Connery, and Morgan Freeman. For the past 14 years he has produced and written annual TV specials for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), including tributes to such R&B legends as Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle, and Chaka Khan. Casady’s other award show credits include The TV Guide Awards, The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, The Soap Opera Digest Awards, and The ALMA Awards. The 2013 WGA show marks Casady’s fourth time producing the ceremony.
“As a longtime member of the WGA, I’m honored to be invited back to produce a show I love for the Guild I love,” commented Casady. “The 2013 show will be a celebration of writing as well as an evening of outstanding entertainment.”
A Harvard University graduate, Casady began his television writing career by co-creating the original story and characters (with Jim Byrnes) for the top-rated TV movie mini-series Kenny Rogers as “The Gambler.” He has taken several TV series from concept to screen, including Star Search, The Great American Spelling Bee, and When Animals Attack! Earlier in his career, he produced the daily live variety-talk show New York at Night with Clint Holmes and launched Network Earth, TV’s first weekly environmental series which ran for seven years on TBS. Casady’s non-broadcast work includes producing live events for Apple, The American Diabetes Association, the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, and UNCF.
Talent producer Carole Propp also returns as part of Casady’s creative team for the show. Propp’s credits include The Tony Awards for the past 10 years, the Primetime Emmy® Awards (five years), the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for the past 11 years, Saturday Night at the Movies for the past 13 years, numerous Writers Guild Awards, The International Emmy® Awards, and In the House with Peter Bart and Peter Guber.
Four-time Emmy-winning television writer Dave Boone (63rd/64th Tony® Awards) returns as head writer of the WGAW’s show, having penned past ceremonies in 2005, 2006, and 2009 with Casady. Currently serving as head writer on ABC’s hit show “Dancing with the Stars” for his 15th consecutive season, and recently co-writing this year’s Primetime Emmys® Awards telecast, Boone launched his career writing jokes for Jay Leno and contributing to “Weekend Update” on Saturday Night Live. His other writing credits include multiple Academy Awards® telecasts hosted by Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, three Golden Globes telecasts hosted by Ricky Gervais, “United We Stand” with Michael Jackson, and The First Family’s Holiday Gift with President & Mrs. Bill Clinton. This year, three-time WGA nominee Boone received two 2012 Emmy nominations for the 65th Annual Tony Awards and the 84th Annual Academy Awards.
Helming the 2013 show will be director Joe DeMaio, whose broadcast TV credits include directing the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards (2011), MTV Movie Awards (2011-2007, 2004), 2012 CMT Music Awards, Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards (2012), NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly (2011, 2010, 2008-07), Jimmy Kimmel Live (2006-2011), 2012 Miss America Pageant, Spike TV VGA Video Game Awards (2011), Teen Nick Halo Awards (2011), MTV Music Video Awards (2008), Last Comic Standing (2008), and TRL (1999-2006).
The Guild’s Awards Committee – Karen Harris (chair), Steve Chivers, Patrick Doody, Shelly Goldstein, Laurie Parres, and Scott Saltzburg – will provide guidance to Casady and his team throughout the production process.
The 2013 Writers Guild Awards will be held on Sunday, February 17, 2013, at simultaneous ceremonies at the JW Marriott L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles and the B.B. King Blues Club in New York City. For more information about the 2013 Writers Guild Awards, please visit www.wga.org or www.wgaeast.org.
The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) is a labor union representing writers of motion pictures, television, radio, and Internet programming, including news and documentaries. Founded in 1933, the Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members. It is involved in a wide range of programs that advance the interests of writers, and is active in public policy and legislative matters on the local, national, and international levels. For more information on the WGAW, please visit: www.wga.org.
