Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a trade organization representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 3,500 members of the producing establishment worldwide. Its president is Marshall Herskovitz.^[1]

The PGA offers several benefits to its members, including health insurance and pension benefits; seminars and mentoring programs; entrance to special screenings of movies during Academy Award season; and assistance with working conditions and screen credits.^[2]

[edit] History

The PGA began as two separate organizations, with the Screen Producers Guild being formed in 1950. Its first president was William Perlberg. In 1957, television producers followed suit, forming the Television Producers Guild, with Ben Brady as its first president. These merged in 1962 to form the PGA under legendary producer Walter Mirisch. Subsequent Presidents of the PGA have included Stanley Rubin, Leonard Stern and Kathleen Kennedy.

The Golden Laurel Awards (subsequently renamed the Producers Guild of America Award aka the PGA Award) were first held in 1990, establishing the Guild awards as one of the bellwethers for the Academy Awards. 11 of the 16 winners of the PGA's Darryl F. Zanuck Award have gone on to win the Oscar for best feature.

The PGA's awards show was originally established in 1990 as the Golden Laurel Awards, created by PGA Treasurer Joel Freeman with the support of Guild President Leonard Stern, in order to honor the visionaries who produce and execute motion picture and television product. The ceremony has been hosted each year by celebrity host/presenters, including Ronald Reagan, Ted Turner, Garry Marshall, Robert Guillaume, Nick Clooney, Jack Lemmon, James Earl Jones, Grant Tinker, Michael Douglas, Walter Matthau, Shirley MacLaine, and Marlo Thomas, among others.

In 2001, the PGA merged with the American Association of Producers (AAP), enabling the Guild to represent all members of the producing team. Since that time, the Guild has been composed of three Councils: The Producers Council (representing producers, executive producers and co-producers), the AP Council (representing associate producers, production managers, production supervisors, segment and field producers, production coordinators, visual effects producers and post-production staff) and the New Media Council.

In 2001 producers John Schwally and Nelle Nugent established the PGA East Regional Chapter of the Guild, located in New York and servicing Guild members based on the East Coast. Since 2008 John Hadity has served as President of the region.

The PGA formed its New Media Council in 2002, in order to better represent producers working in emerging media such as DVDs, broadband and mobile entertainment, interactive television and console games.

[edit] Producers of the Year Awards

[edit] Film Winners

[edit] Theatrical Motion Picture

• 2000: Gladiator

by producers Branko Lustig and Douglas Wick

• 2001: Moulin Rouge!

by producers Fred Baron, Martin Brown and Baz Luhrmann

• 2002: Chicago

by producers Martin Richards

• 2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

by producers Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne and Fran Walsh

• 2004: The Aviator

by producers Graham King and Michael Mann

• 2005: Brokeback Mountain

by producers Diana Ossana and James Schamus

• 2006: Little Miss Sunshine

by producers Albert Berger, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub and Ron Yerxa

• 2007: No Country for Old Men

by producers Scott Rudin and Joel and Ethan Coen

• 2008: Slumdog Millionaire

by producer Christian Colson

[edit] Animated Motion Picture

• 2005: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

by producers Claire Jennings and Nick Park

• 2006: Cars

by producers Darla K. Anderson

• 2007: Ratatouille

by producers Brad Lewis

• 2008: WALL-E

by producers Jim Morris

[edit] Television Winners

[edit] Long-Form

• 1999: Tuesdays with Morrie

by producers Kate Forte and Oprah Winfrey

• 2000: Death of a Salesman

by producers Marc Bauman, Patricia Clifford and Brian Dennehy

• 2001: Band of Brothers

by producers Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Tony To

• 2002: Live from Baghdad

by producers Sara Colleton, George W. Perkins and Rosalie Swedlin

• 2003: My House in Umbria

by producers Robert Allan Ackerman, Frank Doelger and Ann Wingate

• 2004: Angels in America

by producers Cary Brokaw, Celia D. Costas, Michael Haley and Mike Nichols

• 2005: The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

by producers Freddy De Mann, George Faber and Charles Pattinson

• 2006: Elizabeth I

by producers Suzan Harrison, George Faber, Charles Pattinson and Barney Reisz

• 2007: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

by producers Tom Thayer and Dick Wolf

[edit] Stanley Kramer Award

Since 2002, this award has been given for films that "illuminate provocative social issues".

• 2001: I Am Sam

by producers Jessie Nelson, Barbara Hall, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz, and Richard Solomon

• 2002: Antwone Fisher

by producers Todd Black, Randa Haines, and Denzel Washington

• 2003: In America

by producers Jim Sheridan and Arthur Lappin

• 2004: Hotel Rwanda

by producers Terry George and Voces inocentes (Innocent Voices) - Lawrence Bender

• 2005: Good Night, and Good Luck.

by producers Grant Heslov

• 2006: An Inconvenient Truth

by producers Lawrence Bender, Scott Z. Burns, and Laurie David

• 2007: The Great Debaters

by producers Todd Black, Kate Forte, Joe Roth, and Oprah Winfrey

• 2008: Milk

by producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen

[edit] See also

• Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.producersguild.org/about/officers/
2. ^ Producers Guild of America, Mission Statement. Retrieved September 25, 2007.

[edit] External links

• Official PGA website
• PGAGREEN.ORG- PGA's Green initiative website
• PGADIVERSITY.ORG - PGA's site to promote diversity in entertainment
• FILMUSA.ORG - PGA's domestic production incentive site

• TheHollywoodReporter: 2008 Nominees