Producers Guild of America Awards

THE PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES 2015 PRODUCERS GUILD AWARD WINNERS “BIRDMAN” PRODUCERS ALEJANDRO G. IÑÁRRITU, JOHN LESHER, & JAMES W. SKOTCHDOPOLE WIN THE DARRYL F. ZANUCK AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES THE PRODUCERS OF “BREAKING BAD” WIN THE NORMAN FELTON AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF EPISODIC TELEVISION, DRAMA “COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE” WINS THE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING DIGITAL SERIES LOS ANGELES (January 24, 2015) – the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced this year’s winning motion picture, television, and new media productions at the 26th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The Jerry Seinfeld-created web series, “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee” won the Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series. The television program “Breaking Bad” and its producers Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren, George Mastras, Diane Mercer, Thomas Schnauz, and Moira Walley-Beckett won the Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama. Closing the evening, the film BIRDMAN and its producers Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, and James W. Skotchdopole won the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. This category is one of the most eagerly-anticipated of season, as it is widely considered a strong prognosticator for the Best Picture Oscar®. In addition to its competitive awards, the PGA presented special honors to Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer with the Milestone Award given by Jennifer Lawrence; producer Mark Gordon (“Ray Donovan,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) with the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television; producer Gale Anne Hurd (THE INCREDIBLE HULK, the TERMINATOR trilogy) with the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures given by Edward Norton; the HBO television motion picture THE NORMAL HEART with the Stanley Kramer Award; and the production company Plan B Entertainment (SELMA, 12 YEARS A SLAVE), represented by its principal executives Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner, with the Visionary Award. Tim Wen and Chidi Onyejuruwa and their film SYMPHONY OF SENSES were also named the winners of the Make Your Mark short film competition, which is presented by the PGA and Cadillac through the Producers Guild of America Foundation. A portion of the winning short film and the producers’ names will be featured in a Cadillac 30-second spot that will air on ABC during the Oscars ceremony on Sunday, February 22. The 2015 Producers Guild Awards Co-Chairs are Todd Black (THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS, THE EQUALIZER) and Ryan Murphy (“American Horror Story,” “Glee”). Sponsors of the 2015 Producers Guild Awards include Cadillac, the Official Automotive Partner of the PGA; PRG, Production Resource Group, a PGA annual sponsor; Delta Air Lines, sponsor of the Visionary Award; Univision Communications, Inc. sponsor of the evening’s cocktail reception; Pacific Mercantile Bank; Bulgari; and PassionRoses. The Producers Guild of America presents the 2015 Producers Guild Awards honoring excellence in motion picture, television and new media productions, as well as some of the living legends who shape the profession. Considered one of the marquee events of the entertainment industry’s awards season, the PGA held its first ceremony in 1990 when Richard Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck took home the motion picture prize for DRIVING MISS DAISY, establishing the Guild’s awards as a bellwether for the Oscars. In 2014, for the first time in history, the PGA membership honored both 12 YEARS A SLAVE and GRAVITY with the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. 12 YEARS A SLAVE went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture, marking the seventh consecutive year the Producers Guild Awards predicted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ choice. ABOUT THE PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA (PGA) The Producers Guild of America is the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media. The Producers Guild has more than 6,700 members who work together to protect and improve their careers, the industry and community by providing members with employment opportunities, seeking to expand health benefits, promoting fair and impartial standards for the awarding of producing credits, as well as other education and advocacy efforts such as encouraging sustainable production practices. The theatrical motion picture winners are: The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: Birdman (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures: The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures) Producer: Dan Lin, p.g.a. The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures: Life Itself (Magnolia Pictures) Producers: Garrett Basch, Steve James, Zak Piper The television winners are: The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television: The Long-Form Television category encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series. Fargo (FX) Producers: Adam Bernstein, John Cameron, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Michael Frislev, Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield, Chad Oakes, Kim Todd The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama: Breaking Bad (AMC) Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren, George Mastras, Diane Mercer, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy: Orange Is The New Black (Netflix) Producers: Mark A. Burley, Sara Hess, Jenji Kohan, Gary Lennon, Neri Tannenbaum, Michael Trim, Lisa I. Vinnecour The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television: COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey (FOX/NatGeo) Producers: Brannon Braga, Mitchell Cannold, Jason Clark, Ann Druyan, Livia Hanich, Steve Holtzman, Seth MacFarlane The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television: The Voice (NBC) Producers: Stijn Bakkers, Mark Burnett, John De Mol, Chad Hines, Lee Metzger, Audrey Morrissey, Jim Roush, Kyra Thompson, Mike Yurchuk, Amanda Zucker The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) Producers: Rob Crabbe, Jamie Granet Bederman, Katie Hockmeyer, Jim Juvonen, Josh Lieb, Brian McDonald, Lorne Michaels, Gavin Purcell The Award for Outstanding Sports Program: Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (HBO) The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program: Sesame Street (PBS) The digital winner is: The Award for Outstanding Digital Series: Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee (http://www.crackle.com/c/comedians-in-cars-getting-coffee)