2019 Writers Guild Awards: Winners Announced
New York and Los Angeles – The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) tonight announced the winners of the 2019 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for film, television, new media, videogames, news, radio/audio, promotional, and graphic animation categories at concurrent ceremonies at the Edison Ballroom in New York City and The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
FILM WINNERS
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Eighth Grade, Written by Bo Burnham; A24
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Based on the book by Lee Israel; Fox Searchlight
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Bathtubs Over Broadway, Written by Ozzy Inguanzo & Dava Whisenant; Focus Features
TELEVISION AND NEW MEDIA WINNERS
DRAMA SERIES
The Americans, Written by Peter Ackerman, Hilary Bettis, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Sarah Nolen, Stephen Schiff, Justin Weinberger, Joe Weisberg, Tracey Scott Wilson; FX Networks
COMEDY SERIES
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Written by Kate Fodor, Noah Gardenswartz, Daniel Goldfarb, Jen Kirkman, Sheila Lawrence, Daniel Palladino, Amy Sherman Palladino; Prime Video
NEW SERIES
Barry, Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Liz Sarnoff, Ben Smith, Sarah Solemani; HBO
ORIGINAL LONG FORM
Castle Rock, Writers: Marc Bernardin, Scott Brown, Lila Byock, Mark Lafferty, Sam Shaw, Dustin Thomason, Gina Welch, Vinnie Wilhelm; Hulu
ADAPTED LONG FORM
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Writers: Maggie Cohn, Tom Rob Smith, Based on the book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth; FX Networks
ORIGINAL SHORT FORM NEW MEDI
Class of Lies, Written by Tessa Leigh Williams; Snapchat
ADAPTED SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA
The Walking Dead: Red Machete, Written by Nick Bernardone; AMC.com
ANIMATION
“Bart’s Not Dead” (The Simpsons), Written by Stephanie Gillis; Fox
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Paean To The People” (Homeland), Written by Alex Gansa; Showtime
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Chapter One: ‘Make Your Mark’” (Barry), Written by Alec Berg & Bill Hader; HBO
COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Writers: Tim Carvell, Raquel D’Apice, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Daniel O’Brien, John Oliver, Brian Parise, Owen Parsons, Ben Silva, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Seena Vali, Juli Weiner; HBO
COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
Nathan For You, Writers: Leo Allen, Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Michael Koman, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; Comedy Central
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
The Fake News with Ted Nelms, Written by John Aboud, Andrew Blitz, Michael Colton, Ed Helms, Elliott Kalan, Joseph Randazzo, Sara Schaefer; Comedy Central
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Head Writer: Stephen A. Melcher, Jr.; Writers: Kyle Beakley, Tom Cohen, Patricia A. Cotter, Ryan Hopak, Gary Lucy, James Rowley, Ann Slichter, Dylan Snowden; Disney/ABC Syndication
DAYTIME DRAMA
General Hospital, Head Writers: Shelly Altman, Christopher Van Etten; Writers: Barbara Bloom, Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Donny Sheldon, Scott Sickles; ABC
CHILDREN’S EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
“The Ersatz Elevator: Part One” (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Teleplay by Daniel Handler; Netflix
(No nominees for Children’s Long Form this year.)
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“Trump’s Takeover” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“The Eugenics Crusade” (American Experience), Written by Michelle Ferrari; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Catastrophe” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Katie Kerbstat, Nicole Young; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Wounds of War” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Katie Kerbstat, Nicole Young; CBS News
DIGITAL NEWS
“Inside The Culture Of Sexism At Riot Games,” Written by Cecilia D’Anastasio; Kotaku.com
RADIO/AUDIO WINNERS
RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
“RFK: 50 Years After Shots Rang Out at The Ambassador Hotel,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT—REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Remembering The Good, The Bad and the Brilliant,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“John McCain: A Life of Service,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
PROMOTIONAL WINNER
ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION)
“Tribute to Star Trek for the 2018 Creative Arts Emmys,” Written by Sean Brogan; CBS
VIDEOGAME WINNER
VIDEOGAME WRITING
God of War, Written by Matt Sophos, Richard Zangrande Gaubert, Cory Barlog; Story and Narrative Design Lead Matt Sophos; Story and Narrative Design Richard Zangrande Gaubert; Narrative Design Orion Walker, Adam Dolin; Sony Interactive Entertainment
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The Writers Guild of America, East’s New York Ceremony was hosted by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah correspondent and stand-up comedian Roy Wood Jr. Presenters who appeared in New York City included actor Noah Emmerich (The Americans), six-time Emmy Award-winning late night host Jimmy Fallon (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), writer and director Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), SAG Award-winning actress Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Emmy Award nominated actress Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Academy Award-winning screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight, High Flying Birds), Emmy Award-winner Michelle Miller (CBS This Morning), Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 11/9), actress Mj Rodriguez (Pose), Golden Globe winning actor Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), actress J. Smith-Cameron (Succession), Emmy Award-winning comedy writer Jorma Taccone (The Lonely Island, Saturday Night Live) and Emmy Award-winning actor Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live).
The WGAE presented three honorary awards at the East Coast ceremony. Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress JuIianna Margulies (The Good Wife, ER) presented three-time Emmy Award-winner writer and show creator Tom Fontana (Borgia, Oz, Homicide: Life on the Street, St. Elsewhere) with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement. Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and producer James Schamus (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Indignation) presented The Black List founder Franklin Leonard with the Evelyn F. Burkey Award for bringing honor and dignity to writers. Splinter News journalist Hamilton Nolan presented longtime WGA East staff member Randall Jansta with the Richard B. Jablow Award for Devoted Service to the Guild.
Guests included Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), John Krasinski (A Quiet Place), Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins Returns), Gillian Flynn (Sharp Objects), Amy Sherman-Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Amy Sedaris (At Home with Amy Sedaris), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester By the Sea), Mo Rocca (CBS Sunday Morning), Alex Gibney (The Looming Tower), David Simon (The Deuce), Dean Winters (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Jesse Armstrong (Succession), Steve Young (Bathtubs Over Broadway), Lawrence Wright (The Looming Tower), Tom Rob Smith (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story), Stephen Schiff (The Americans), Michael Torpey (Paid Off with Michael Torpey), Joel Fields (The Americans), Joe Weisberg (The Americans), Amber Ruffin (Late Night with Seth Meyers), Dan Futterman (The Looming Tower), Adam Rapp (The Looming Tower), Acting Commissioner Anne del Castillo (NYC MOME) and Writers Guild of America, East President Beau Willimon (Mary Queen of Scots).
Writers Guild and SAG Award-nominated writer-actress-comedian Chelsea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation) hosted the WGAW’s West Coast awards ceremony. Presenters who appeared at the WGA L.A. show included: Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star/co-creator Rachel Bloom, WGA and SAG Award-winning writer-actress Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project, The Office), Emmy-winning and WGA-nominated actress-writer-comedian Sarah Silverman (I Love You, America, We Are Miracles), Golden Globe-winning actress-host Jane Lynch (Hollywood Game Night, Glee), SAG Award-winning and WGA-nominated actor-writer Ed Helms (The Office, The Fake News with Ted Nelms), Emmy and SAG Award-winning actor Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development), Saturday Night Live cast member Sasheer Zamata (I Feel Pretty), Emmy and WGA-nominated writer-comedian-actress Tig Notaro (One Mississippi, Instant Family), actor Cedric Yarbrough (Speechless, BoJack Horseman), actor-writer Billy Eichner (Billy on the Street, Friends from College), actor Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part), comedian-actor Sebastian Maniscalco (Green Book, Stay Hungry), screenwriter-director/series co-creator/actor Stephen Merchant (Fighting with My Family, Hello Ladies), actor David Koechner (The Goldbergs, Superior Donuts), SAG Award-winning actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler (The Sopranos), and performer Puddles Pity Party, who parodied Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” and Queen’s “We Are the Champions” with lyrics about this year’s nominated films.
In addition, the WGAW presented several honorary, special achievement and service awards during its West Coast ceremony. This year’s honorees included: Orange is the New Black and Weeds creator Jenji Kohan, who received the WGAW’s Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement, presented to her by SAG Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated actress Alison Brie (GLOW); Oscar and WGA-nominated comedy screenwriting team Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel (Parenthood, Splash), who received the WGAW’s Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, presented to the veteran writing partners by Academy Award-winning director-producer Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind); Writers Guild and Academy Award-winning screenwriter-director Adam McKay (The Big Short), who received the WGAW’s Paul Selvin Award for his satirical, subversive Vice screenplay, which embodies the spirit of constitutional rights and civil liberties, presented to him by MSNBC host-journalist Chris Hayes (All In with Chris Hayes); pioneering French filmmaker Agnès Varda (La Courte Pointe, Vagabond, Faces Places), who received the WGAW’s Jean Renoir Award for International Screenwriting Achievement, which was presented by former WGAW President-screenwriter Howard A. Rodman (Savage Grace) and accepted on Varda’s behalf by her son, actor-director Mathieu Demy (Americano); and documentary filmmaker-writer and former WGAW Board of Directors member Joan Meyerson, who received the WGAW’s Morgan Cox Award for Guild service, presented to her by grown-ish and Insecure co-creator and Emmy-winning writer-producer Larry Wilmore.
Additional attendees at the WGAW’s show included: Eighth Grade screenwriter-director/WGA winner Bo Burnham and the film’s star Elsie Fisher, A Star is Born co-screenwriters Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper (director/co-star) & Will Fetters, Barry co-creator/star and WGA winner Bill Hader, Vice screenwriter-director Adam McKay, If Beale Street Could Talk screenwriter-director Barry Jenkins, Can You Ever Forgive Me? co-screenwriters/WGA winners Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Black Panther co-screenwriters Ryan Coogler (director) & Joe Robert Cole, Nathan For You co-creator/star Nathan Fielder, A Quiet Place co-screenwriters Bryan Woods & Scott Beck, BlacKkKlansman co-screenwriter Kevin Willmott, Sharp Objects creator Marti Noxon, Green Book screenwriters Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly (director) and the film’s co-star Joe Cortese, Forever co-creators Alan Yang & Matt Hubbard, Atlanta writer Stefani Robinson, Pose co-creator Steven Canals and writers Janet Mock and Our Lady J, 2018 AWC Animation Writing Award honoree Nicole Dubuc, Congressmen Ted Lieu and Brad Sherman, L.A. Councilman Paul Koretz, WGAW President David A. Goodman (The Orville), Family Guy writer Gary Janetti & stylist Brad Goreski, Teamsters Local 399 President Kenny Farnell and Secretary/Treasurer Steve Dayan, and screenwriter/WGAW Board member John August.
Production credits for the WGAE’s show included: Co-Executive Producers Bonnie Datt and Shannon Walker; Head Writer Ann Cohen; Writers David Steven Cohen, Timothy Cooper, Bonnie Datt, Travon Free, Ziwe Fumudoh Don Hooper, Dan Perlman, Bill Scheft, Sasha Stewart, Shannon Walker, Caroline Waxler and Cody Wilkins; Line Producer LBI Audio, Video & Scenic Solutions; Clips/Tribute Reels Craig Shemin; and Event Videographer Taylor Bradshaw.
Production credits for the WGAW’s show included: Executive Producer Hugh Fink; Producers Tara Power and Joselyn Allen; Co-Producer Kelly Brock; Director Nick Murray; Head Writer Joe O’Brien; Writers: Ed Lee, Danielle Koenig, Robin Henry, Yassir Lester, Brendon Walsh, Shelly Goldstein; Line Producer Shannon Walden; and Production Designer Chris Giammalvo.
The Writers Guild Awards honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, videogames, news, radio, promotional, and graphic animation categories. The 2019 Writers Guild Awards (71st Annual) will be presented at concurrent ceremonies on Sunday, February 17, 2019, in New York City at the Edison Ballroom and in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton. For more information about the 2019 Writers Guild Awards, please visit www.wgaeast.org or www.wga.org.
For media inquiries about the 2019 WGA New York City show, please contact Jason Gordon in the WGAE Communications Department at (212) 767-7809 or jgordon@wgaeast.org.
For media inquiries about the 2019 WGA 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, news and new media. 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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