Jeffrey Katzenberg, chairman of DreamWorks New Media, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 54th Annual International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) Publicists Awards Luncheon to be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 24.
Henri Bollinger, chairman of the Publicists Luncheon Awards Committee, said, “From the outset of his career, Jeffrey has demonstrated an ability to incorporate the essence of entertainment into a wide spectrum of projects. This has led to an unprecedented track record which continues to evolve with each passing year.”
ICG national president Steven Poster, ASC added, “Jeffrey Katzenberg is one of the giants of our industry, a man who has brought us some of the greatest films of our generation, be they live action or animation.”
“I am thrilled and honored by this recognition,” Katzenberg stated. “It’s wonderful to be involved in an event that appreciates that the promotion for a film is often as creative, entertaining and engaging as the film itself. Publicists are the unsung heroes of our business, and I’ve gotten to work with so many great ones, which makes this award that much more meaningful to me.”
In 1994, along with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, Katzenberg co-founded DreamWorks SKG, which produced a number of celebrated films, including three Best Picture Academy Award® winners–American Beauty, Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. In 2004, DreamWorks Animation became a publicly-traded company with Katzenberg serving as CEO and director. On August 22, 2016, DreamWorks was acquired by Comcast for $3.8 billion, and Katzenberg assumed his current position as head of DreamWorks New Media. He is expected to be announcing other new initiatives in early 2017.
Under Katzenberg’s leadership, DreamWorks Animation became the largest animation studio in the world, releasing 33 animated feature films, which have enjoyed both critical and commercial success, earning 16 Academy Award® nominations and two wins for Best Animated Feature. These films have become household names as Katzenberg created popular film franchise properties, such as Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon. In addition to critical success, DreamWorks Animation has been recognized on five occasions as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by FORTUNE® Magazine.
Before launching DreamWorks, Katzenberg spent 10 years as chairman of Walt Disney Studios, where he was responsible for such now-classic films as Good Morning, Vietnam; Three Men and a Baby; Who Framed Roger Rabbit; Dead Poets Society; and Pretty Woman. He also spearheaded a renaissance of animation, producing such landmark films as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast, which became the first animated film to ever be nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Picture.
Prior to Disney, Katzenberg was president of Production at Paramount Studios, where he oversaw such blockbusters as Star Trek, Raiders of the Lost Ark, An Officer and a Gentleman, Terms of Endearment, and Beverly Hills Cop.
In addition to his outstanding career achievements, Katzenberg, and his wife Marilyn, provide support and lead fundraising efforts on behalf of dozens of local, national and international organizations focused on healthcare, education, the arts, Jewish causes, children, civic improvement and the environment. In addition to serving as chairman of the Motion Picture & Television Fund Foundation, Katzenberg sits on the boards or serves as a trustee of the following organizations: AIDS Project Los Angeles, American Museum of the Moving Image, California Institute of the Arts, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Geffen Playhouse, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and The Simon Wiesenthal Center. He also supports the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Boston University. Together with DreamWorks Animation, Katzenberg founded the DreamWorks Animation Academy of Inner-City Arts in 2008.
