"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Wins the Top Honors for Best Motion Picture Publicity Campaign at the 53RD Annual ICG Publicist Awards

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Wins the Top Honors for Best Motion Picture Publicity Campaign at the 53RD Annual ICG Publicist Awards

"Empire" Wins for Best Television Publicity Campaign

BEVERLEY HILLS, Calif., Feb. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) Publicists today announced winners of its 53rd Annual ICG Publicists Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS won the top honors for Best Publicity Campaign for Motion Pictures and EMPIRE won the Best Publicity Campaign in Television. BARRY WETCHER (Motion Picture) and CHUCK HODES (Television) received awards for Excellence in Still Photography, respectively. A special Les Mason Award was given posthumously to renown publicist MURRAY WEISSMAN. The Press Award went to BRYAN ALEXANDER, USA Today, and the International Media Award was bestowed upon YUKO YOSHIKAWA, Reuters Japan correspondent. The Bob Yeager Award for community service was given to ELAINE LAZELLE, Walt Disney Studio Senior Publicist.

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The awards, chaired by Henri Bollinger and co-chaired by Tim Menke, took place before an audience of more than 900, including guild members, Hollywood public relations and marketing executives, producers, studio and network executives, celebrities and press.

Legendary comedian/actress Lily Tomlin received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Sally Field. Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films, was presented the Motion Picture Showmanship Award by Michael Keaton (Spotlight), while John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks, received the Television Showmanship Award from award-winning writer, director and executive producer Ryan Murphy.

A Special Award of Merit went to famed lyricists and song writers Alan and Marilyn Bergman, presented by Johnny Mathis. Additional presenters of this year's awards included Ed Asner (Up, Lou Grant), comedian Yakov Smirnoff (Happily Ever Laughter), Vanessa Cloke (The Big Short), Wayne Pére (The Big Short), and Amy Aquino (Bosch).

Steven Poster, ASC, president of the International Cinematographers Guild, addressing the publicists assembled in the room said, "This is a changing and evolutionary time in every part of our industry. The mega-speed at which you have to get the information out there...makes your job more difficult every day. Without you nobody would know who any of us are, or would like to be."

Henri Bollinger said, "The size and spirit of today's gathering is just a small reflection of the dedication with which publicists approach the work we do on a daily basis. It explains, also, the way our messages motivate so many people across our nation and around the world to visit movie theaters and watch shows in all kinds of mediums."

In lieu of gift bags this year, the ICG Publicists made generous donations in honor of its members and sponsors to the Motion Picture and Television Fund, accepted by Ken Scherer, CEO of MPTF, and to The Actors Fund, accepted by Meg Thomas, Major Gifts Officer at The Actors Fund

THE WINNERS OF THE 53(rd) ANNUAL ICG PUBLICIST AWARDS ARE:

Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Publicity Campaign for a Motion Picture:
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Publicity Campaign for a Television Program:
EMPIRE

Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Motion Pictures Award:
BARRY WETCHER

Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Television Award:
CHUCK HODES

Les Mason Award, the highest honor publicists can bestow on one of their own:
MURRAY WEISSMAN (posthumously)

Bob Yeager Award for community service:
ELAINE LAZELLE, Walt Disney Studio Senior Publicist

Press Award:
BRYAN ALEXANDER, USA Today

International Media Award:
YUKO YOSHIKAWA - Reuters Japan

The sponsors for the 53(rd) Annual ICG Publicists Awards are 20(th) Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, FX Networks, Open Road Films, Regal Entertainment Group, Walt Disney Studios, Deadline, Sony Pictures, Junket Productions, Inc., Lyn and Norman Lear, 20(th) Century Fox Television, Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, Hulu, City National Bank, Creative Handbook, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Warner Bros. Photo Lab, MDS West / John Drinker Group, Below the Line, Executive Limousine.

Broadcast Quality Coverage and Photos Available By 4PM
at www.epklink.com/ICGpublicistsawards16

Additional Photos Available athttp://bit.ly/1TaFwT0

Media Contact:

Leonard Morpurgo
Weissman/Markovitz Communications
818-760-8995
Email

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160226/338124

SOURCE International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600

Photo:https://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160226/338124
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Photo:https://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160226/338124
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600


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