“Deadpool” and “This Is Us” have won the top awards from the Publicists Guild for last year’s best publicity campaigns.
Fox’s “Deadpool” topped “Sausage Party,” “The Secret Life of Pets,” “The Jungle Book” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” for the Maxwell Weinberg publicist showmanship motion picture award. “Deadpool” was a massive surprise hit with more than $700 million in worldwide grosses and a campaign that stressed Ryan Reynolds’ foul-mouthed comic performance — along with lying on a bearskin rug.
NBC’s “This Is Us” won over “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” and “Speechless” for the TV award.
The International Cinematographers Guild presented the winners Friday at the 54th Annual ICG publicists awards luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Honorees previously announced include Denzel Washington, Ryan Murphy, Jeffrey Katzenberg and BWR founding partner Nanci Ryder.
Rosalind Jarrett Sepulveda, executive in charge of publicity for the Screen Actors Guild awards, won the Les Mason Award, presented by SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris.
Kathy Connell, executive producer of the SAG Awards show, said, “Rosalind is an essential factor in the success of the SAG Awards and is wholly deserving of this accolade. I couldn’t be more proud of her, and I’m very lucky to have her on our team.”
Grae Drake, senior editor at Rotten Tomatoes took the press award. Brent Simon of M Time won the international award.
Andrew Schwartz won the trophy for excellence in unit still photography for motion pictures and John Johnson was presented with the excellence in unit still photography for television award.
Murphy, who received the award from Sarah Paulson, evoked a major laugh when he joked about a potential series with political overtones: “I look at Sarah Paulson and think of Kellyanne Conway.”
Ryder, who is battling ALS and has lost the ability to speak and walk, received a loud ovation after Renee Zellweger read her acceptance speech. She asked for the award to be renamed for her, joking that “it doesn’t feel like a great time to be getting an award called the President’s Award”
