Variety has been nominated for 27 Southern California Journalism Awards presented by the Los Angeles Press Club, including one for Variety’s special Marriage Equality issue, one for senior film writer James Rainey for Entertainment Journalist of the Year, and 12 for Variety’s design team, including two for Magazine Design.
In addition to his bid for Entertainment Journalist of the Year, Rainey was also nominated for Entertainment or News Feature for his story “Joel Silver Dream Venice Post Office Project Stalled and in Debt,” and alongside senior film & media writer Brent Lang for Personality Profile for the article “New Sony Chief Tom Rothman on His Plan to Get the Studio Back in the Game.”
Chief film critic Peter Debruge, senior features editor David S. Cohen and writer Dave McNary each picked up two noms apiece. Other Variety staffers receiving nominations are managing editor, TV, Cynthia Littleton, deputy awards & features editor Jenelle Riley and awards editor Kristopher Tapley. Former Variety critics Justin Chang and Brian Lowry also received nominations for their work with the venerable entertainment brand.
Variety’s art department–led by creative director Chris Mihal, director of photography Bailey Franklin and art director Chuck Kerr–received numerous nominations along with respective photographers and illustrators for such cover images as Leonardo DiCaprio & Alejandro G. Inarritu; Guillermo del Toro; Marriage Equality & the Supreme Court; China Rising, and Tom Rothman. Portraits of Brian Wilson, Ian McKellen and Jeffrey Tambor that graced the inside pages of the magazine were also nominated. Issues nominated for overall design are “Oscars Big Week” and “The Survivors.”
In the writing categories, Cohen was nominated for in the magazine entertainment news or feature category for his story “The Little-Known Execs Who Move Mountains for Major Studios” and for his video “Zombie Bites! Greg Nicotero and ‘The Walking Dead,’” in the television/film category. Debruge’s review of documentary “Homeland (Iraq Year Zero)” picked up a bid for entertainment review/criticism/column as well as for his account of the terror attack in Paris (“Panic in Paris: Variety Journalists, Nearly Trampled, Describe Their Ordeal”) in the online non-political column/commentary category. Littleton also was nominated for her work related to the Paris attacks in the category of magazine feature under 1,000 words for her story “Paris Attacks: Why Terror Won’t Keep People From Entertainment.”
McNary and Lang were also nominated in the magazine feature under 1,000 words category for the article “You Can’t Track Black: How Box Office Predictions Fail Diverse Movies.” And McNary picked up a bid for his online entertainment news story “Paramount Admits It Dismissed Executive for Alleged Embezzlement.” Riley’s cover profile of “Room” actress Brie Larson was nominated for magazine personality profile and Tapley’s feature “Hateful Eight — Badass Buddies” was nominated for online entertainment feature.
Former chief film critic Justin Chang was recognized for his online entertainment commentary “Why Quentin Tarantino Shouldn’t Apologize,” and former chief TV critic Brian Lowry was nominated for under magazine commentary for his piece on the Bill Cosby scandal.
Variety reaped seven more nominations than it did last year and fell just one shy of the 28 managed in 2014, when the publication’s eight wins were more than any other news organization in any medium.
The Los Angeles Press Club Awards will be held June 26 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. E! Entertainment Television founder Jarl Mohn, photographer Nick Ut, environmentalist and public betterment activist Erin Brockovich and journalist Jason Rezaian will receive special honors.
