Ava DuVernay (“When They See Us”), David Mandel (“Veep”) and Bruce Miller and Kira Snyder (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) were among those honored at the Television Academy’s Emmy nominees writers reception on Tuesday night in North Hollywood.
There, ceremony hosts, “Escape at Dannemora” star Eric Lange and “Veep’s” Sam Richardson, kept the show moving by tossing in jokes between introductions as the writers from each Emmy-nominated show posed for photographs on stage. The two stars seemed especially excited to introduce the masterminds behind their own shows. Lange’s “Escape at Dannemora” writers Brett Johnson and Jerry Stahl accepted praise for their two nominations, while Richardson claimed it was a “privilege and honor” to introduce “Veep” showrunner Mandel to the crowd.
DuVernay briefly posed for photos as she accepted the honor for writing episode four of “When They See Us.” The series itself earned 16 Emmy nominations in total, the most of any Netflix program and, as previously reported, DuVernay said she’ll be bringing the “Exonerated Five” as her dates to the awards show on Sept. 22.
“Late Late Show” writers Jared Moskowitz and John Kennedy were also honored for their Emmy nomination for outstanding writing for a variety show – a category they share with none other than Beyonce who (though not present at the event) was honored for her writing on her Netflix documentary “Homecoming,” a move that puts her one step closer to earning the widely coveted EGOT status. Other writers recognized included Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”), Stacy Osei-Kuffour (“Pen15”), Josh Siegal (“The Good Place”), Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason (“Fyre Fraud”).
After Lange and Richardson closed the brief ceremony with a congratulatory “thank you and good night” to all who attended, the party moved outside to the lawn of the Saban Media Center, which was swathed in purple as guests and honorees sipped cocktails while networking on purple and white couches. As the nominated writers carried on conversations about the upcoming awards show, some attendees also dipped to the side to take personal photos on the red carpet and commemorate the evening.
The 71st Annual Emmys will air live from the Microsoft Theater Sunday, Sept. 22 on FOX.
