'Made in NY' Awards Honor John Leguizamo, Matt Damon, & More

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver today presented the sixth annual "Made in NY" Awards, honoring six individuals and organizations which have made significant contributions to the City's entertainment and new media industries. This year's honorees included Matt Damon, John Leguizamo, Foursquare, Stacey Spikes, Smuggler, Lauren Zalaznick, and the first-ever "Made in NY" Mayor's Award for Lifetime Achievement, which was awarded to Sidney Lumet and accepted on his behalf by the director's daughter, screenwriter Jenny Lumet. With the Tony Awards coming up this Sunday, the Mayor paid tribute to Broadway, with last year's Tony Winner for Best Musical Memphis performing a number after the awards were given out. The Mayor and Commissioner Oliver were joined for the event at Gracie Mansion by the award recipients and other notable members of New York City's entertainment industry.

"New York City is the entertainment capital of the world, the talent capital of the world and the media capital of the world, and tonight we honor some of those who help make that so," said Mayor Bloomberg. "This year's ‘Made in NY' honorees are New York City icons, including Sidney Lumet, who I was touched to speak with just before his passing in April, as well as entrepreneurs who have helped make New York City a pioneer in the entertainment industry. The entertainment industry in this City represents over 100,000 jobs and brings in almost $5 billion dollars annually to the City's economy."

"Tonight we pay tribute to seven of the most talented New Yorkers in their professions at the ‘Made in NY Awards'," said Commissioner Oliver. "This year's awards represent new beginnings, as we present the award to a first Honorary Lifetime Achievement award for Sidney Lumet and the first award for social media in Foursquare. It is a true celebration of the entertainment industry, the digital media industry and a great opportunity to pay tribute to the professionals who help make New York City the best in the world."

The "Made in NY" Digital Hall of Fame, a digital archive of past honorees featuring footage from NYC Media shot over the last five years, was unveiled at the awards to coincide with Internet Week. New Yorkers can hear directly from past awardees including Tina Fey, Rachael Ray and Edie Falco. The Hall of Fame will be available online at nyc.gov, and was designed and created by NYC Media.

The Mayor gave special recognition to Sidney Lumet after he agreed to accept the award shortly before his passing in April. It is the first time the Mayor's Office has conferred an honorary "Made in NY" Award for Lifetime Achievement. Lumet made over 40 feature films and is widely considered to be one of the finest and most well known directors in the history of motion pictures. Lumet lived most of his life in New York City.

Today, Internet Week officially began around the City as well. The Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment co-founded Internet Week NY in 2008 and has been leading the efforts this year within City government with support from various other City agencies. There are panels, speaking opportunities, and an NYC Pod at the Internet Week headquarters to show off some of what the City is doing in the digital arena. In January, the City hired first-ever Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne who in early May released a report on the City's digital future and called for New York City to be the leading digital City in the world.

The 2011 "Made in NY" Award recipients:

Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet's films received more than 50 Academy Award nominations, including four as Best Director for: "12 Angry Men," "Dog Day Afternoon," "Network" and "The Verdict." His career spanned 50 years. He was honored with seven impressive Directors Guild of America Award nominations. 12 Angry Men, earning three Oscar nominations, was Lumet's debut as a movie director and was followed by a film career that has included other powerful productions as "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "Fail Safe," "The Pawnbroker," "The Anderson Tapes," "Serpico," "Murder on the Orient Express," "Equus," "Prince of the City," "Running on Empty," "Q&A," and "Night Falls on Manhattan." Most recently, he directed "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead," released in October 2007. Sidney Lumet died in April at the age of 86. Sidney was a lifelong New Yorker, never moving to Hollywood fulltime. He was a quintessential New Yorker. His daughter Jenny, an accomplished screenwriter, accepted the "Made in NY" Award on his behalf.

Matt Damon
Matt Damon has been honored for his work on both sides of the camera, most recently earning Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, for Best Supporting Actor, for his portrayal of South African rugby hero Francois Pienaar in Clint Eastwood's true-life drama "Invictus." In addition, he garnered duAl Golden Globe Award nominations in 2010, for Best Supporting Actor for "Invictus" and for Best Actor for his performance in Steven Soderbergh's "The Informant!" Earlier in his career, Damon won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay and received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, both for his breakthrough feature, "Good Will Hunting." Damon and Affleck formed the Production Company LivePlanet, which produced three Emmy-nominated seasons of "Project Greenlight," chronicling the making of independent films by first-time writers and directors. Damon co-founded H20 Africa, now known as Water.org, and is an ambassador for the children's foundation ONEXONE. He has filmed numerous movies in New York City, including "The Good Shepard," "The Departed," "The Bourne Identity" and the other Bourne films, "The Adjustment Bureau" and a comedic turn in NBC's 30 Rock.

John Leguizamo
John Leguizamo is currently starring on Broadway in "Ghetto Klown," which has received 2011 Outstanding Solo Performance Awards from both The Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle. On Broadway, his one-man show "Freak" received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show and Tony nominations for Best Play and Best Actor; and "Sexaholix...a Love Story" captured the Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance and Tony Award nomination for Best Special Theatrical Performance. Leguizamo has appeared in more than 60 films. He has been in numerous films in New York City, including "Summer of Sam." Leguizamo has filmed Public Service Campaigns for the City, most recently with the Department of Transportation's "Don't be a Jerk" Campaign to encourage bikers to be cognizant of biking etiquette.

Lauren Zalaznick
Lauren Zalaznick has spent her entire career in media, from her start as an independent feature film producer to her current role as Chairman, NBCUniversal Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media. In this role, she oversees Bravo Media, Oxygen Media, Style, mun2, Sprout and Telemundo. Additionally, she runs the digital properties iVillage, DailyCandy, Swirl, Fandango, and the Integrated Strategic Marketing group, which includes the company-wide initiatives Green is Universal, Healthy at NBCU, Hispanics at NBCU and Women at NBCU. For the past seven years, Zalaznick held various positions within NBCUniversal - most recently as the President of NBCUniversal's Women & Lifestyle Entertainment Networks. She was named to that position in May 2008, when she added iVillage to her portfolio and announced the launch of Women at NBCU, a sales and marketing initiative designed to create custom solutions for advertisers seeking to connect with a highly targeted female demographic.

Smuggler
Founded in 2002 by Patrick Milling Smith and Brian Carmody, Smuggler is home to a unique roster of directing talent alongside an experienced and multifaceted bi-coastal production and management team. Awarded "Production Company of the Year" by several leading industry magazines and award shows in the past few years, Smuggler has also brought home the coveted Cannes Lions Grand Prix, the Palme D'Or, Hugo Award and an Emmy, among other accolades. Smuggler has appeared at the Sundance Film festival where the branded content short film Force 1, created for eBay, was an official selection, and created several branded content television shows for ABC. In 2009, Smuggler opened its doors in the UK and teamed with film and theatre producer, John Hart, to form Smuggler Films.

Foursquare
Foursquare is a location-based mobile service that enables users to share their locations with friends by "checking in" via a smartphone app, mobile web or SMS. Headquartered in New York City, Foursquare guides real-world experiences by allowing users to bookmark information about venues they want to visit, and providing them with customized recommendations. Merchants and brands leverage the foursquare platform by utilizing self-service tools to obtain, engage, and retain customers and fans. With foursquare 3.0, the latest version of the mobile app, foursquare has moved beyond the check-in to really change the way users experience the world around them. Foursquare has done this by highlighting three things: discovery, encouragement, and loyalty. Foursquare is providing small businesses around the City with a small business tool kit and has been working with the City on creating a custom badge.

Stacy Spikes
Stacy Spikes is considered one of the leaders of film entertainment marketing, currently serving as the Co-Founder and CEO of MoviePass Inc a mobile entertainment subscription company. Spikes, is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Urbanworld Film Festival. Urbanworld has premiered more #1 films than any other North American Film Festival including Sundance and Tribeca. The Urbanworld Film Festival began, as an impassioned idea that Spikes acted on and made a reality when the festival premiered in August 1997 and is now the largest festival of its kind in the world. His career in film at major studios within the industry ultimately evolved into the entrepreneurial venture known as Urbanworld, a nonprofit organization that manages the Urbanworld Film Festival and other annual film platforms such as the Urbanworld College Tour. Urbanworld also handles marketing for such companies as HBO, BMW TED and others. Stacey's festival Urban World is entering its 15th year and throughout he has been dedicated to nurturing and showcasing new talent and providing platforms for all perspectives.

The Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment is made up of the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, the Office of Digital Coordination, and NYC Media. For the last six years, it has hosted the "Made in NY" Awards, which honor the thousands of New Yorkers who work in the entertainment industry and serve as a token of the City's appreciation for their invaluable contributions to our economy. With more than 20 pilots shot this past season, filming in the City is at an all time high.

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