2017 Writers Guild Awards: Courtney Simon to Receive WGAE’s Jablow Award; Initial Presenters Revealed
NEW YORK, NY (January 18, 2017) – The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) today announced that Courtney Simon will be honored with the Richard B. Jablow Award at the 69th annual Writers Guild Awards at New York’s Edison Ballroom on Sunday, February 19, 2017.
The Jablow award was established in 1978 to recognize devoted service to the Guild. It was created in honor of Richard B. Jablow, who helped found the WGAE, authored its constitution and served as its first counsel.
A Guild member since 1980, Simon has written for twelve different daytime dramas, including AS THE WORLD TURNS, SANTA BARBARA, GUIDING LIGHT and ALL MY CHILDREN. She has won seven Daytime Emmy Awards and seven Writers Guild Awards.
Simon has served on the WGAE Council since 2007, where she has been active in lobbying efforts to promote a diversity-based tax credit in New York state. She co-chairs the WGAE Diversity Coalition, is a member of the Awards Committee and has been chair of the Daytime Committee.
“Not only is Courtney Simon a gifted writer who has mastered the intricacies of daytime drama, she has been a dedicated member of the Writers Guild of America, East council and a hardworking contributor to a number of union committees, most recently as co-chair of our Diversity Coalition,” noted Michael Winship, President of the Writers Guild of America, East. “No one is more deserving of our Jablow Award, presented to someone who has so thoroughly devoted herself to the Writers Guild of America, East.”
Simon will be presented with the Jablow Award by last year’s recipient, Melissa Salmons.
In addition to Courtney Simon being honored with the Jablow Award, John Waters will be presented with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement, Steve O’Donnell will be honored with the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence and Jelani Cobb will be presented with the inaugural Walter Bernstein Award.
The 2017 Writers Guild Awards ceremony in New York will be hosted by Lewis Black. The initial list of presenters includes Becky Ann Baker (“Girls”), Dylan Baker (“The Americans”), Danielle Brooks (“Orange Is The New Black”), Bill Camp (“The Night Of”), David Harbour (“Stranger Things”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Atlanta”), Jill Kargman (“Odd Mom Out”), Jane Krakowski (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Elizabeth Marvel (“Homeland”), Amber Ruffin (“Late Night With Seth Meyers”), David Simon (“The Deuce”), Christian Slater (“Mr. Robot”), Triumph The Insult Comic Dog (“Triumph’s Election Special’) and Steve Young (“Maya & Marty”).
The Writers Guild Awards honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, videogames, news, radio, promotional, and graphic animation categories. The awards will be presented at concurrent ceremonies on Sunday, February 19, 2017, in New York City at the Edison Ballroom and in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton. For more information about the 2017 Writers Guild Awards, please visit www.wgaeast.org or www.wga.org.
For media inquiries about the 2017 Writers Guild Awards New York show, please contact Jason Gordon in the WGAE Communications Department at (212) 767-7809 or jgordon@wgaeast.org.
For media inquiries about the 2017 Writers Guild Awards Los Angeles show, please contact Gregg Mitchell in the WGAW Communications Department at (323) 782-4651 or gmitchell@wga.org.
The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) are labor unions representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media, and broadcast news. The Guilds negotiate and administer contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of their members; conduct programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to writers; and present writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, West, visit www.wga.org.
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