The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) has announced nominees for the 53rd Annual ICG Publicists Awards Luncheon to be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Friday, February 26.

The nominees for the Les Mason Award, the highest honor that publicists can bestow on one of their own members, are:

• Elaine LaZelle, Walt Disney Studios
• Sheryl Main, Unit Publicist
• Maureen O’Malley, Warner Bros. Pictures International
• Nina Turner, Buena Vista Pictures/Walt Disney Studios
• Murray Weissman, Weissman/Markovitz Communications

The nominees for the Maxwell Weinberg Publicists Showmanship Motion Picture Award are:

• 20th Century Fox for The Martian
• Columbia Pictures for Goosebumps
• Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
• Universal Pictures for Straight Outta Compton
• Walt Disney Studios for Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Warner Bros. Pictures for Mad Max: Fury Road

The nominees for the Maxwell Weinberg Publicists Showmanship Television Award are:

• 20th Century Fox Television for American Horror Story: Hotel
• 20th Century Fox Television for Empire
• 20th Century Fox Television for Fresh off the Boat
• Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television for Supergirl
• CBS Television Studios for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
• Warner Bros. Television for Blindspot

The nominees for the Press Award are:

• Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY
• Jess Cagle, People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly
• Mike Fleming Jr., Deadline.com
• Jeff Jensen, Entertainment Weekly
• Rob Moynihan, TV Guide

The nominees for the International Media Award are:

• Nelson Aspen, Australia
• Dan Jolin, UK
• Elisabeth Sereda, Austria
• Noel de Souza, India
• Yuko Yoshikawa, Japan

The nominees for the Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Motion Pictures Award are:

• Jaap Buitendijk
• Murray Close
• Andrew Schwartz
• Merie Wallace
• Barry Wetcher

The nominees for the Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Television Award are:

• Richard Cartwright
• Chuck Hodes
• Bill Inoshita
• Neil Jacobs

As previously announced, Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films will receive the Motion Picture Showmanship Award. The Television Showmanship Award goes to John Landgraf, FX Networks CEO, and a Special Award of Merit will be presented to famed lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Still to be announced is the Lifetime Achievement Award.

More than 900 industry leaders are expected to attend the Awards Luncheon.

About THE PUBLICISTS OF THE ICG
Entertainment publicists first formed a union in 1937 as the Screen Publicists Guild, later becoming the Publicists Guild. In 2002 the IATSE merged them with the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600). The first Publicists Awards Luncheon was held in 1962 and has since grown to an event attended annually by up to 900 publicists and industry leaders. Many of the greatest actors, directors and executives have accepted the Motion Picture and Television Showmanship Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards and include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, Julie Andrews, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, Carol Burnett, Kirk Douglas, Stanley Kramer, Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, Bob Hope and Shonda Rhimes. In addition, the members honor their own through the Maxwell Weinberg Awards for publicity campaigns, the Bob Yeager Award for Community Service and the Les Mason, the greatest honor to be paid to a publicist.

About THE INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHERS GUILD (ICG)
The International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600) represents more than 7,000 members who work in film, television and commercials as Directors of Photography, Camera Operators, Visual Effects Supervisors, Still Photographers, Camera Assistants, Film Loaders, all members of camera crews and Publicists. The first cinematographers union was established in New York in 1926, followed by unions in Los Angeles and Chicago, but it wasn't until 1996 that Local 600 was born as a national guild. ICG's ongoing activities include the Emerging Cinematographer Awards and the Publicists Awards Luncheon. The Guild also publishes the award-winning ICG Magazine www.ICG600.com