PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED FOR WRITERS GUILD AWARDS NEW YORK CEREMONY

New York, NY – An incredible line-up of presenters has been confirmed for the 66th annual Writers Guild Awards New York Ceremony on Saturday, February 1, 2014 at the Edison Ballroom in New York City.

This year, awards will be presented by an eclectic mix of writers, producers and actors, including Fred Armisen (Portlandia), Robert Carlock (30 Rock), Raúl Esparza (Law & Order: SVU), Terry George (Hotel Rwanda), Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is The New Black), Lawrence O’Donnell (The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell), Steve O’Donnell (Late Show with David Letterman), Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife), Matthew Rhys (The Americans), Frank Rich (Veep), Keri Russell (The Americans), Danny Strong (Lee Daniels’ The Butler) and Beau Willimon (House of Cards).

Dee Rees, the screenwriter and director of Pariah, will present James Schamus with the Evelyn F. Burkey Award for bringing honor and dignity to writers. Schamus co-founded Focus Films, produced the Oscar®-nominated Brokeback Mountain, and wrote award-winning screenplays including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Ice Storm.

Wendell Pierce, who starred as Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme, will present the Hunter Award for career achievement to David Simon. A MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow, Simon created the acclaimed television series Treme and The Wire. He also wrote for Homicide: Life on the Streets, which was based on one of his books, and the miniseries Generation Kill and The Corner. 

Writers Guild council member Philip V. Pilato will be presented with The Jablow Award for his service to the guild by last year’s recipient, Bob Schneider, the current Secretary-Treasurer of Writers Guild of America, East.

Renowned actor and comedian Colin Quinn will host the Writers Guild Awards New York ceremony, which is supported by ScreenCraft. The Writers Guild Awards are held simultaneously in New York and Los Angeles with the Writers Guild of America, West holding its ceremony at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.

For additional information about the 2014 Writers Guild Awards, please visit www.wgaeast.org/awards.

The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and 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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