The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced the creation of a new innovation award for the 31st Annual Producers Guild Awards. The PGA Innovation Award will be bestowed upon the production of a noteworthy, impactful new media program that significantly elevates the audience’s viewing experience. The winning submission will challenge the limits of standard formats and drive forward the industry’s perception and application of new media in an entertainment context.

A joint statement from Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher, presidents of the PGA, read, “As producers and storytellers, we recognize that it is important to embrace change in a time of expansion and exploration of new ideas in entertainment. This new award will allow our members to celebrate the innovations we are making as producers to further the advancement of content through new technology and platforms.” 

The award will honor exceptional distinctiveness, inventiveness, and impact of the submitted work in expanding the conventions of program format, content, audience interaction, production technique and delivery. Such work may reflect a reimagining or reworking of existing concepts and approaches in a new way, or may be an entirely novel type of experience. 

Entries will be reviewed and voted on by a jury of blue-ribbon experts in the field of new media. The inaugural Innovation Award jury may include:

●        Kim Adams (Co-founder, Adventure Lab)

●        Nancy Bennett (Chief Creative Officer and founding member, Two Bit Circus)

●        Thomas Geraghty (Director, Technology & Innovation, Universal Parks)

●        Doug Herzog (Consultant, Quibi)

●        Lisa Hsia (Executive Vice President, Bravo, Oxygen, Universal Kids Digital Media)

●        Lori McCreary (Chief Executive Officer, Clickstar, Inc.; Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Revelations Entertainment)

●        Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie (Founder and Chief Scientist, All These Worlds LLC.)

●        Joanna Popper (Global Head of VR for Location Based Experience, Hewlett Packard)

●        Yelena Rachitsky (Executive Producer of Experiences at Oculus)

●        Albert “Skip” Rizzo (Director for Medial Virtual Reality, USC Institute for Creative Technologies)

●        Ira Rubenstein (Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, Public Broadcasting Service)

●        Sam Russo (Vice President, Attraction Development, Herschend Family Entertainment)

●        Ted Schilowitz (Futurist in Residence, Paramount Pictures & 20th Century Fox)

●        Christina Lee Storm (Vice President of Business Operations, Strategy and Emerging Technology, DreamWorks Animation)

●        Shelby Jiggets-Tivony (Vice President, Creative & Advanced Development, Disney Parks Live Entertainment - Walt Disney Imagineering)

The new Innovation Award, along with other key awards, will be given out at a nominee celebration prior to the Producers Guild Awards show.

The application period is open now and the deadline for submission is Friday, November 15. The rules are available and applications may be submitted here.