Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a trade organization representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. [1] The PGA's membership includes over 4,700 members of the producing establishment worldwide. Its co-presidents are Mark Gordon and Hawk Koch.[2]
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.[3]
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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, Kathleen Kennedy and Marshall Herskovitz.
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.
Since 2009, the Producers Guild has presented the Produced By Conference, held annually in June on a studio lot in the Los Angeles area. In 2011, the Conference was held at Disney/ABC Studios. Each Conference offers a variety of educational sessions designed to promote the newest information about the state of the entertainment industry marketplace and allow experienced producers to share the benefit of their experience with emerging professionals. The Produced By Conference also offers a variety of other programs, including extensive vendor displays and technology demonstrations, numerous representatives of local, state and international film commissions, small-group Mentoring Roundtable discussions, and a variety of networking events, including the traditional Friday night Kick-Off Party.
Speakers at past conferences have included James Cameron, Clint Eastwood, Mark Cuban, Ted Turner, Gale Anne Hurd, Marshall Herskovitz, Mark Gordon, Hawk Koch, Alan Ball, Kathleen Kennedy, Matthew Weiner, Richard Zanuck, James L. Brooks, Doug Wick, Lucy Fisher, Roger Corman, Norman Lear and Lauren Shuler Donner.
In 2011, the Produced By Conference is presented in association with AFCI Locations.
Since 2002, this award has been given for films that "illuminate provocative social issues".
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