The promotional campaigns for “Sinners” and “The Pitt” took home top honors at the 63rd Annual International Cinematographers Guild Publicists Awards Luncheon held Friday at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
The ceremony honors entertainment journalists as well as individual publicists and unit still photographers who drive film and television publicity.
Variety’s senior entertainment reporter Angelique Jackson and senior journeyman editor Jazz Tankay have been nominated by ICG in the Press Awards category.
Cynthia Swartz received the Bob Yeager Award for Social Contribution, and Pamela Gorham received the Henri Bollinger Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Ms. Gollum paid tribute to her longtime colleague at the Lippin Group communications and marketing agency. She also thanked Dick Wolf and his Wolf Entertainment, a client of over 30 years. Gollum recalled the passage of time with Rippin over 40 years.
“When I worked on ‘The Golden Girls,’ I was a kid. Now, let’s just say I can relate to women of a certain age,” Gollum said. Finally, she said: “This can be a tough job. A little kindness goes a long way.”
Swartz spoke about his long history of political activism and public service work. She encouraged attendees to join the latest No Kings Day protest against the Trump administration’s policies and actions on March 28. “Tell world leaders that common sense and compassion are worth fighting for.”
Jimmy Kimmel won the President’s Award. The award, which is given only under special circumstances, recognizes Kimmel’s resilience in the face of censorship and pressure from the Trump administration when he was furloughed from ABC last fall.
“When I was told I was going to receive the President’s Award, I thought, ‘Wow, that’s amazing. I thought the president hated me,'” Kimmel joked ahead of his speech.
“He called me and tried to force me off the air. Then I found out the president was John,” Kimmel said of the guild president.
Kimmel went on to thank his publicist and the guild. He said, “I would like to especially thank everyone for your support over the past year. During my short break in September, I personally spoke with many of you and I will never forget them. I really want to thank you, and I would like to dedicate these words to all of you who are working so hard to shine a light on everyone but yourself.”
Filmmaker and actor Noah Wyle (The Pit) and Kate Hudson (Song San Bleu) won TV Performance of the Year and Film Performance of the Year, respectively.
Hudson, who was praised by his “Glass Onion” co-star Leslie Odom Jr., captivated the crowd with a heartfelt speech in which he paid tribute to his longtime publicist Brad Caffarelli. Caffarelli began representing her at the age of 19, when she rose to the pinnacle of stardom and received her first Oscar nomination for 2000’s Almost Famous. She also praised writer and director Craig Brewer, who co-created Son San Bleu, and co-star Hugh Jackman. Hudson said the filmmaking experience changed her life and the way she felt about filmmaking.
“Working with Hugh Jackman, literally the greatest showman, is something I will always treasure,” she said. Hudson paid tribute to the work publicists and marketers do to help movies and TV shows reach audiences and be successful.
“We all know that there’s the job of creatively crafting something together in a room, and the job of getting that story out into the world, and both ultimately help shape how the story reaches an audience. And in a world where narratives are constantly changing, where negativity, bias, and clickbait occur,” Hudson said. “I feel like the people in this room are more used to putting out fires than starting them. So on behalf of all of my colleagues, I just want to say thank you. And I’m sure you’ve probably had to put out a lot of fires over the years. I want to say thank you for being our prefrontal cortex when we need it, because a lot of our artists have very excited amygdalas. We really don’t know what to do without you.”
Wiley was recognized for his work on the Emmy Award-winning HBO Max medical drama “The Pit.” The series won the top award for its first season’s promotional campaign. Wiley pointed out that one of the reasons “The Pit” has made a name for itself is how the show has been handled behind the scenes. A 15-episode order will be filmed in Los Angeles. The goal was to produce a new season each year on the network television schedule.
“I’m so proud to bring a TV show back to the city I love, a 15-episode show featuring hundreds of local artists and artisans. We have multi-generational expertise and are showcasing that talent to the world,” Weil said.
The full list of winners is below:
Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Film Advertising Campaign
“28 Years Later” – Sony Pictures Entertainment
“House Maid” – Lionsgate
“KPop Demon Hunters” – Netflix
“Lilo & Stitch” – Walt Disney Studios
“Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning” – Paramount Pictures
“Sinners” – Warner Bros. Pictures. – winner
“Wicked: For Good” – Universal Pictures
Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Television Advertising Campaign
“Andor” – Walt Disney Studios, Lucasfilm/Disney+
“Beyond the Gates” – CBS Studios/CBS
“Nobody Wants This” – 20th TV/Netflix
“The Pit” – Warner Bros. Television/HBO – Winner
“Stranger Things 5” – Netflix/Netflix
“The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox” – 20th Television/Hulu
Les Mason Award for Career Achievement in Public Relations
Carrie McClure, Unit Public Relations Officer
Chrissy Quesada, Sony Pictures – Winner
Claire Ruskind, Unit Public Relations Officer
Gina Soliz, Warner Bros. Pictures
Kimberly Wire, Sony Pictures
Publicist of the Year Award
Michelle Ort, Paramount Pictures – Winner
Frankie de la Vara, Walt Disney Studios
Katie Lovic, Sony Pictures
Liza Nedelman, Warner Bros. Pictures
Daniel Locke, Paramount Pictures International
international media awards
Jason Di Rosso, The Screen Show, ABC Radio Network, Australia
Elaine Guerini, Valor Economico, Brazil
Cleide Klock, Freelancer, Brazil
Ali Plumb, BBC Radio, UK – Winner
Gill Pringle, Freelancer, UK/Australia
press award
Eric Davis, Fandango
angelique jackson, variety
Kevin McCarthy, about movies. . . With Kevin McCarthy – Winner
Jazz Tankei, Variety
Kara Warner, Freelancer
Film Division Unit Still Photography Award Excellence Award
Justin Rubin
Atsushi Nishijima – Winner
McCall Pauley
Stefania Rosini
jojo wilden
Television Category Unit Still Photo Award Excellence Award
jessica brooks
brian douglas
Jake Giles Netter – Winner
elizabeth morris
Erin Simkin
