PR campaigns for 20th Century Fox's "The Martian" and Disney's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will compete for the top motion picture publicity award next month as the International Cinematographers Guild slates the 53rd annual ICG Publicists Awards.
Rounding out the top five film nominees were campaigns for Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," Parramount Pictures and Skydance Productions' "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation," Universal Pictures' "Straight Outta Compton," and Warner Bros. Pictures' "Mad Max: Fury Road."
Hollywood PR Efforts to Be Feted
Hollywood publicists became part of the ICG in 2002 on its merger with the Publicists Guild.
The group's top individual honor, the Les Mason Award, will go to one of Elaine LaZelle, senior publicist, Disney; unit publicist Sheryl Main; Maureen O'Malley, Warner Bros.; Nina Turner, Buena Vista/Disney, and the late Murray Weissman, formerly of Weissman/Markovitz Communications.
Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films, will receive the group's Motion Picture Showmanship Award, while FX Networks CEO John Landgraf will receive the TV Showmanship Award. The group has not announced its lifetime achievement honoree.
The Guild also gives out a press award anually. This year's nominees include Bryan Alexander, USA Today; Jess Cagle, People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly; Mike Fleming Jr., Deadline.com; Jeff Jensen, Entertainment Weekly, and Rob Moynihan, TV Guide.
The TV publicists award nominees include "American Horror Story: Hotel" (20th Century Fox); "Empire" (20th Century Fox); "Fresh off the Boat" (20th Century Fox); "Supergirl" (Berlanti Prods. with Warner Bros.); "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" (CBS), and "Blindspot" (Warner Bros.).
The ICG slates an awards banquet for the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 26. It also gives out honors for still photography in movies and TV, and honorees an international media outlet reporter, as well.
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