SMPTE®, the organization whose standards work has supported a century of advances in entertainment technology and whose membership spans the globe, today announced that journalist Sam Rubin will host the SMPTE Annual Awards Gala at the SMPTE 2017 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2017). With a theme focusing on Hollywood glamour through the decades, the Oct. 26 event at the Loews Hollywood Hotel's Hollywood Ballroom will recognize individuals for their technical achievements and contributions within the media and entertainment industry.
"For many decades SMPTE has honored technologists and creatives whose technical contributions have allowed Hollywood to become the center of storytelling," said Rubin. "Given the Society's long history of supporting the entertainment industry, it only fits that this year's celebration recognizes invaluable contributors against the backdrop of Hollywood through the decades. The gala promises to be both an entertaining and enlightening evening."
Rubin is an American journalist who has reported on the entertainment industry for more than 20 years. He serves as the entertainment anchor for the KTLA Morning News, the leading news show in Los Angeles, and as a correspondent for Nine Network Australia and ITV in the U.K. He also hosts "Live From The Academy Awards" and is a founding member of the "Critics' Choice Awards." In addition to earning multiple Emmy® Awards, Rubin has received a Golden Mike Award for best entertainment reporter, an Associated Press Television and Radio Association Award as part of the KTLA news team's morning show, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern California Broadcasters Association, and the 2013 Impact Award for Outstanding Integrity in Broadcast Journalism from the National Hispanic Media Coalition. He is the co-author of biographies on former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and actress Mia Farrow.
Along with leadership from SMPTE and the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), Rubin will guide guests through the awards ceremony, which will recognize the evening's honorees while moving through Hollywood history from the 1950s to the present time. Guests are encouraged to dress in black-tie attire with a nod to Hollywood glamour through the decades. Upon arrival, guests will be treated to a cocktail hour, dinner, and live music and entertainment throughout the evening.
During the celebration, SMPTE will officially bestow the Society's highest honor, Honorary Membership, posthumously on Renville "Ren" H. McMann Jr. (1927 – 2015) by inducting him into the SMPTE Honor Roll, and will present the Society's most prestigious award, the Progress Medal, to Paul E. Debevec. McMann's many innovations include the CBS Minicam Mark VI, the first handheld color TV camera; and the magnetic scan conversion techniques used by NASA to bring color TV images from the moon to viewers around the world. Debevec is being recognized for his achievements, and ongoing work in techniques for illuminating computer graphics (CG) objects based on measurement of real-world illumination and their application in films such as "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "District 9," and "Avatar." The Awards Gala will also honor more than 20 other honorees and a dozen members whose membership is being elevated to Fellow. The original announcement is available here: https://www.smpte.org/news-events/news-releases/smpte2017-awards-recipients
A limited number of tickets are available for the SMPTE Annual Awards Gala on Thursday, Oct. 26. Those registering for SMPTE 2017 may elect to purchase tickets to the Annual Awards Gala as an add-on to their conference packages. Further details about SMPTE 2017 are available at www.smpte2017.org.
The SMPTE Awards Gala is the culminating event at SMPTE 2017, which will also feature a daylong symposium on artificial intelligence and machine learning, a technical conference with 70 presentations from subject matter experts, two exhibition halls with Broadcast Beat's SMPTE 2017 Live! Studio and an IP Showcase highlighting the latest in media delivered via IP networks, two cocktail receptions, a student film festival, the annual Women in Technology Luncheon, and opportunities for networking.
Further information about SMPTE 2017 is available at www.smpte2017.org. Information about SMPTE and its standards work is available at www.smpte.org.
About SMPTE®
For more than a century, the people of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®, pronounced "simp-tee") have sorted out the details of many significant advances in media and entertainment technology, from the introduction of "talkies" and color television to HD and UHD (4K, 8K) TV. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has received an Oscar® and multiple Emmy® Awards for its work in advancing moving-imagery engineering across the industry. SMPTE has developed thousands of standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines, more than 800 of which are currently in force today. SMPTE Time Code™ and the ubiquitous SMPTE Color Bars™ are just two examples of SMPTE's notable work. As it enters its second century, SMPTE is shaping the next generation of standards and providing education for the industry to ensure interoperability as the industry evolves further into IT- and IP-based workflows.
SMPTE's global membership today includes more than 7,000 members: motion-imaging executives, creatives, technologists, researchers, and students who volunteer their time and expertise to SMPTE's standards development and educational initiatives. A partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) connects SMPTE and its membership with the businesses and individuals who support the creation and finishing of media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
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