Producers Guild to Honor Gale Anne Hurd with the 2015 David O. Selznick Award

(Press Release) LOS ANGELES, CA (October 29, 2014) – The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today that Gale Anne Hurd will receive the 2015 David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Motion Pictures. The award will be presented to Hurd at the 26th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony on Saturday, January 24, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

“I am humbled to be mentioned in the same breath as the legendary producer David O. Selznick, and to receive an award in his name is truly an honor in and of itself,” said Hurd. “But even more important to me is the recognition it represents from my esteemed peers and colleagues at the Producers Guild of America.”

The Producers Guild of America’s David O. Selznick Achievement Award recognizes a producer’s outstanding body of work in motion pictures. The honor has a legendary and distinguished history with past recipients including such iconic producers as Stanley Kramer, Saul Zaentz, Billy Wilder, Clint Eastwood, Jerry Bruckheimer, Brian Grazer, Laura Ziskin, Roger Corman, Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall, Scott Rudin, Steven Spielberg and last year’s recipients Michael G. Wilson & Barbara Broccoli.

“For decades, Gale Anne Hurd has been a trailblazer in motion pictures,” said Producers Guild Awards Co-Chairs Todd Black (THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS, THE EQUALIZER) and Ryan Murphy (“The Normal Heart,” “American Horror Story”). “Her early films, such as ALIENS and THE TERMINATOR trilogy, created the template for a generation of action films. Her subsequent work has pushed well beyond the boundaries of any one genre, balancing comic-book exploits and sci-fi spectaculars with smart comedies, searing dramas, and winning family films. Throughout it all, she’s been a forceful spokeswoman for our profession and a dedicated mentor to countless young storytellers. We can’t imagine a more fitting producer to honor in the name of the great David O. Selznick.”

About Gale Anne Hurd

Gale Anne Hurd is one of the entertainment industry’s most esteemed producers of Academy Award®-winning films and Emmy® Award-winning programs that shatter box office and ratings records. Hurd’s production career launched when she produced and co-wrote THE TERMINATOR. This success was quickly followed by ALIENS, which received seven nominations and two Academy Awards, and the Academy Award winning films THE ABYSS, TERMINATOR 2: JUDEGMENT DAY and THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS. Additional feature credits include the Academy Award nominated ARMAGEDDON, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, ÆON FLUX, THE PUNISHER, DICK, and THE WATERDANCE, which won the Spirit Award for Best First Feature and the Audience and Screenplay Awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

When Hurd decided to enter the television business, she did so with a bang as Executive Producer of “The Walking Dead,” which currently reigns as the most-watched scripted drama, beating all broadcast and cable series among adults 18-49. The American Film Institute honored the show in both 2010 and 2012 as a “Top 10” TV program.

Hurd’s company, Valhalla Motion Pictures, has an overall deal with Universal Cable Productions to develop television and digital series, including the recently announced series, “Hunters,” set to premiere on SyFy in 2016.

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About the Producers Guild of America (PGA)

The Producers Guild of America is the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media. The Producers Guild has more than 6,500 members who work together to protect and improve their careers, the industry and community by providing members with employment opportunities, seeking to expand health benefits, promoting fair and impartial standards for the awarding of producing credits, as well as other education and advocacy efforts such as encouraging sustainable production practices. Visit www.producersguild.org, www.pgagreen.org, www.pgadiversity.org for more information.

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