NYWIFT Honors Williams, Raven, Berger & Kaufman At Muse Awards 12/8
By: Gabrielle Sierra Nov. 18, 2010
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), which has supported the advancement of women in the entertainment industry for more than 30 years, will present their 30th annual Muse Awards at a gala luncheon to be held Wednesday, December 8th at the New York Hilton. The Muse Awards honor the outstanding vision and achievement of women in the film, television and new media industries.
The 2010 NYWIFT Muse honorees include some of the most talented women in the entertainment industry:Cindi Berger, Chairman and CEO of PMK*BNC Public Relations, one of the foremost publicity agencies in the entertainment industry, with offices in New York and Los Angeles;Pat Swinney Kaufman, Director of the New York State Governor's Office for Motion Picture and Television Development and Deputy Commissioner of Empire State Development;
Abbe Raven, President and Chief Executive Officer of A&E Television Networks (AETN), encompassing A&E Network®, HISTORYTM, Lifetime®, Lifetime Movie Network, BIOTM, History InternationalTM, Lifetime Real Women®, Military HistoryTM, History en EspañolTM, Crime & Investigation NetworkTM, Lifetime Digital, AETN International and AETN Consumer Products;
Vanessa Williams, a multi-faceted performer who has received Grammy, Emmy and Tony nominations for her work as a singer and actress. She can currently be seen on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," where she is stirring things up as Renee Perry, Lynette's former college friend and sorority sister.
Cindi Berger is Chairman and CEO of PMK*BNC Public Relations, one of the foremost publicity agencies in the entertainment industry, with offices in New York and Los Angeles.Throughout the years, this top executive has handled a wide array of talent. A sampling of her clients include: Harry Connick Jr., Mariah Carey, Shakira, John Legend, Billy Crystal, The Dixie Chicks, Counting Crows, Randy Jackson, George Michael, Rosie O'Donnell, Jessica Simpson, and Barbara Walters. In addition to the numerous personalities that Berger represents, she helped launch and continues to work on the ABC Daytime Emmy award winning talk show, "The View." Additionally, she represents "The Barbara Walters Specials." She has also spearheaded corporate campaigns including the opening of One&Only Palmilla and the Atlantis Cove Resort.Cindi Berger first joined PMK as receptionist the summer she graduated college. She worked her way up the ranks to from Assistant to Account Executive to Vice President, Managing Director, Partner and is currently Chairman and CEO of the powerful publicity giant PMK*BNC. The New York Post named her one of New York's 50 Most Powerful Women. She has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal, on CNN Presents for a documentary, has appeared as guest panelist on "The View." Berger has actively contributed to amfAR's (American Foundation for AIDS Research) fundraising activities and events for over 10 years and continues to participate on a regular basis. Born and raised in New York, Berger attended Ithaca College and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. Ms. Berger currently resides in Long Island with her husband, Dr. Mitchell Berger, and considers her two children, Sydney and Spencer, her greatest accomplishments.PAT SWINNEY KAUFMAN
Pat Swinney Kaufman is Executive Director of the New York State Governor's Office for Motion Picture and Television Development and Deputy Commissioner of Empire State Development. She has held that position under three governors. Ms. Kaufman runs the New York State Film Production Credit program, which in just the past 5 years has attracted in excess of $8.5 billion in production to New York.Ms. Kaufman has 15 years of experience dedicated to the development of the New York State Film Industry. Four years after shepherding legislation that enabled the program, she was instrumental in trebling the New York State Film Production Credit in 2008. In 2010 the program received multi-year, annual, funding of $420 million for five years with an added post-production incentive for projects not even filmed in New York. Ms Kaufman has also played important parts in writing and implementing the regulations for the state's film incentive programs as well as for the State's Child Performer Laws. By acquired mastery of behind the scenes and technical governmental processes, combined with demonstrated pragmatism and capacity to negotiate competing interests toward consensus, Ms Kaufman has a developed a record of imaginative and economically advantageous solutions for difficult issues at all levels of government, local, state or even federal. She has worked closely with production companies, guilds and unions, and was the first Film Commissioner invited to participate in the Council for Motion Picture and Television Unions quarterly meetings.Ms. Kaufman was elected President of the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) and served from 2003-2007. AFCI, the professional and training organization for film commissioners around the world, has a membership of more than 300 international film commissioners. Under her guidance the Association implemented a strategic plan that expanded the AFCI's international membership. Ms. Kaufman oversaw the transformation of the Association's magazine and website and the expansion of its annual conference of industry panels and professional training. She created and launched CFC, (the Certified Film Commissioners program), which is the Association's inaugural international certification program for commissioners. Ms. Kaufman started her professional life as Chairman of the History Department and College Counselor at the Spence School in New York City. Following her years in the field of education, she spent a few years as a production executive at Troma Entertainment.In 2005, Variety named Ms. Kaufman to their Women's Impact List: 50 Who are Changing the Game. In 2006 she received the New York Production Alliance's Outstanding Service to the Industry Award. In 2009, AFCI presented her with the Arthur M. Loew Crystal Vision Award. Ms. Kaufman is on the board of the Hamptons International Film Festival and is an ex officio board member of the New York Production Alliance. Ms. Kaufman has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations including the New York Junior League, of which she was President, the YWCA of Greater New York, and Parents in Action/New York City. During her tenure as President of the Junior League, ongoing projects such as the Playground Improvement Project, Done in a Day, Nonprofit Boards Clearinghouse, were initiated as well as Leading the Way, the Ninetieth Anniversary Conference on volunteerism in schools. Ms. Kaufman is married to Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Entertainment and current Chairman of the Independent Film and Television Alliance which runs the annual American Film Market in Los Angeles. They have three daughters: Lily Hayes, Lisbeth and Charlotte. ABBE RAVEN
Abbe Raven is President and Chief Executive Officer of A&E Television Networks (AETN), encompassing A&E Network®, HISTORYTM, Lifetime®, Lifetime Movie Network, BIOTM, History InternationalTM, Lifetime Real Women®, Military HistoryTM, History en EspañolTM, Crime & Investigation NetworkTM, Lifetime Digital, AETN International and AETN Consumer Products. AETN channels and branded programming reach more than 300 million households in over 145 countries. In March 2005, Ms. Raven became President and CEO of A&E Television Networks, which acquired the Lifetime brands in September 2009. During her tenure at AETN, Ms. Raven has been honored for building some of the most prominent and highly valued cable networks and for standing at the forefront of numerous industry-wide initiatives. Over the last ten years, she has been named to The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100 list and Cable World's Top 50 Most Influential Women in Cable. She received the Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership from the National Cable Television Association for her years of leadership in the cable industry in April 2005. At a White House ceremony in May 2007, Ms. Raven accepted the prestigious Preserve America Presidential Award from First Lady Laura Bush for HISTORY's longstanding commitment to historic preservation. In October 2009, Ms. Raven was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.Prior to her current position, Ms. Raven was President of A&E Network and The Biography Channel. Ms. Raven spearheaded the revitalization of A&E, launching it back into a top ten network. Under her leadership, A&E Network created a new crop of buzzworthy real-life programming, which led to double-digit growth in the network's target demographic, a reduction in the network's median age by almost 20 years, and a record 24 Emmy® nominations. Previously, Ms. Raven was Executive Vice President and General Manager of The History Channel. Under her direction, The History Channel grew into a leading cable network and won several prestigious awards, including an Emmy Award and two George Foster Peabody Awards for outstanding documentary programming. Ms Raven was the original architect of The History Channel's programming schedule.Ms. Raven serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of the NCTA. She is also on the boards of the NAMIC Foundation and the CTAM Educational Foundation. She was recently appointed to the advisory board of Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. In 2007, Ms. Raven was selected as an honoree of The Paley Center's "She Made It" in recognition of her leadership and achievements in the world of cable television. In 2005, she was elected a Director of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Vanessa Williams
Vanessa Williams is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in entertainment today. She has conquered the musical charts, Broadway, music videos, television and motion pictures. She has sold millions of albums worldwide and she has achieved critical acclaim as an actress on stage, in film and on television.Her albums "The Right Stuff," "The Comfort Zone and "The Sweetest Days" earned multiple Grammy nominations and have yielded such classic hits as "Save the Best For Last," "Dreamin," "Work To Do" and "Love Is," and the Academy Award-winning single "Colors of the Wind," from Disney's "Pocahontas," among many others. Her recordings also include two holiday albums, "Star Bright" and "Silver & Gold," "Vanessa Williams Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years" and "Everlasting Love," a romantic collection of love songs from the 1970's. Concord Records recently released Vanessa's, "The Real Thing," in June 2009, for which she received a NAACP nomination for "Outstanding Jazz Artist." In 1994, Vanessa took Broadway by storm when she replaced Chita Rivera in "Kiss of the Spider Woman," winning the hearts of critics and becoming a box-office sensation. She garnered rave reviews and was nominated for a Tony Award for the 2002 revival of "Into the Woods." She also headlined a limited special engagement of the classic, "Carmen Jones," at the Kennedy Center and starred in the Encore! Series staged concert production of "St. Louis Woman." Currently, she can be seen in Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine's "Sondheim on Sondheim," a new original Broadway musical that will run through the end of June at The Roundabout Theatre.Vanessa made her film debut in 1986 in "Under the Gun." She has starred in such features as "Eraser," "Hoodlum," "Soul Food," "Dance With Me," "Light It Up," "Shaft" and "Johnson Family Vacation." She starred recently in the independent features, "My Brother" and "Somebody Like You" and co-starred in Disney's feature film, "Hannah Montana: The Movie." On television, Vanessa has starred in such movies and mini-series as "Stompin' at the Savoy," "The Boy Who Loved Christmas," "The Jacksons: An American Dream," ABC's revival of "Bye, Bye Birdie," "Nothing Lasts Forever," "The Odyssey," "Don Quixote" and "Keep the Faith, Baby," and she executive produced and starred in Lifetime's "The Courage to Love" for Lifetime and the VH1 Original Movie, "A Diva's Christmas Carol." She starred in ABC's critically-acclaimed hit series, "Ugly Betty," earning three Emmy nominations as the deliciously wicked Wilhelmina Slater, in addition to numerous individual and ensemble awards and nominations, including SAG, Golden Globes and NAACP Image Awards. This Fall, she moved to Wisteria Lane as the newest resident on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," where she is stirring things up as Renee Perry, Lynette's former college friend and sorority sister.In 2007, Vanessa achieved a career pinnacle, with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her accomplishments as a performer. Her charitable endeavors are many and varied, embracing and supporting such organizations as Special Olympics and many others. Loreen Arbus AWARD
The Loreen Arbus Award for those who take action to effect change was created with the generous support of NYWIFT member Loreen Arbus. The award recognizes the contributions of individuals, organizations or corporations who have been proactive in ensuring equity for women in film, television and new media. Past recipients of the award are producer/writer John Wells, producer Gale Anne Hurd, Chicken & Egg Pictures and Eastman Kodak.Loreen Arbus is President/Executive Producer of Loreen Arbus Productions, Inc., a multi-tiered Production Company that develops nonfiction programming for network, cable, syndication and the Internet. After rising through the ranks at ABC Television, Arbus became the first woman in the United States to become programming head at a television network, both at Showtime and Cable Health Network/Lifetime.Arbus supports the arts, women in business and media and cancer research. Arbus is also a leading national for advocate for people with disabilities. She is co-founder of the Media Access Office for the Employment of the Disabled and a Trustee of United Cerebral Palsy.Arbus has received the Heart of Giving Award (presented by President Bill Clinton), the Headliner Award (Women in Communications), the Lifetime Achievement Award (American Women in Radio and Television) and the Woman of Distinction Award (Hollywood Chamber of Commerce). In December 2006, she was inducted as an honoree into "She Made it: Women Creating Television and Radio" collection at the Paley Center for Media.Marsha Hunt
This gifted performer has been an activist for innumerable causes for almost seven decades, beginning with her tireless support of U.S. Troops during WWII, selling war bonds, traveling with the USO and serving as a Staff Sergeant in the Women's Ambulance Defense Corps; straight through to her recent efforts to combat homelessness and poverty as a founder of the San Fernando Valley Coalition on the Homeless, an effort that has especially benefited indigent women and children.This is a big year professionally for Hunt. Born in Chicago, but raised in New York, it was 75 years ago that she moved to Hollywood, a 17 year-old model eager to see her pretty face on the silver screen. She was signed almost immediately by Paramount Pictures and began work on a crowded slate of over 50 films in the 1930's and 40's alone. Highlights of her career include roles in Born to the West (1937), opposite John Wayne; Pride and Prejudice (1940) and Blossoms in the Dust (1941), both opposite Greer Garson; Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941); The Affairs of Martha (1942); The Human Comedy (1943); Lost Angel (1943); and The Valley of Decision (1945). For her efforts, Hunt earned one of the original stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.But despite demands on her time as a performer and universal acclaim for her talent, the rising star never lost sight of her goals as an activist. Her support of freedom of expression is an especially meaningful example for everyone in the entertainment industry. She never failed to speak up when she spotted injustice, even when doing so came at great personal cost. In 1947, Hunt and 25 other citizens from Hollywood formed the Committee for the First Amendment to protest against the actions of the House Un-American Activities Committee. As a result, her name appeared in the communist-baiting pamphlet Red Channels and she and her late husband, the writer Robert Presnell Jr., were blacklisted and found it increasingly difficult to get work in Hollywood, though she did appear on Broadway and worked in television.Semi-retiring as an actor in the early 1960s, only left Hunt more time to devote to civil rights causes and such humanitarian efforts as UNICEF, The March of Dimes, the United Nations and The Red Cross. It's no wonder that she has been honored numerous times for her activism, receiving recognition from, among others, the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, the Steve Allen Spirit of the Valley Award and the 2007 Ambassador of Peace Award from the International Women's Federation for Peace.About New York Women in Film & Television
The preeminent entertainment industry association for women in New York City for more than 30 years, NYWIFT is dedicated to helping women reach the highest levels of achievement and promoting equity in film, television and new media. NYWIFT produces over 50 innovative programs and special events annually. Its membership includes almost 2000 women working both above and below the line. NYWIFT is part of a network of 40 women in film organizations worldwide, representing more than 10,000 members. For further information about New York Women in Film & Television, please visit www.NYWIFT.org.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos
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