Evening Will Honor Michael J. Fox, Jillian Mercado, Shoshannah Stern, Marion Dayre Joshua Feldman, Maribeth Fox, Danny Kurtzman and Eric Graise; Presenters Include Selma Blair, Jimmy Kimmel, Marlee Matlin and More; Celebration of Disability in Media to Premiere on PBS SoCal on November 25 Followed by Nationwide Television Distribution. Hosted by Renowned Comedian and Disability Activist Daryl "Chill" Mitchell
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, the Media Access Awards announced the host, honorees, presenter and performer lineup for the 2024 broadcast. Hosted by comedian and disability activist Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, the annual awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, October 29 in Hollywood, CA honoring artists and film and television projects that are inclusive of disabled talent in front of and behind the cameras. The show marks the first fully accessible awards show in history with heartwarming and empowering moments from stars including Michael J. Fox, Selma Blair, Marlee Matlin, and more.
The 2024 Media Access Awards will premiere on Monday, November 25 at 7 p.m. PT on PBS SoCal, followed by PBS SoCal Plus on Thursday, November 28 at 8 p.m. PT and additional local PBS Stations leading up to International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Tuesday, December 3. The show will also be available for streaming on the free PBS App beginning on November 25.
Founded by the late Norman Lear in 1979, the Media Access Awards pioneered the celebration of on-screen representation for the disability community. Television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel will present a special tribute to Lear who passed in December 2023.
Alexandra Reeve Givens will also present a tribute to her late father, Christopher Reeve, in remembrance of his pioneer efforts towards greater disability inclusion.
The evening's honorees are selected by the diversity committees of their professional guilds with awards from the Casting Society (CS), and Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA. This year's honorees and presenters are:
- Michael J. Fox ("Back to the Future," and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research) will be honored with the Media Access Norman Lear-Geri Jewell Lifetime Achievement Award honoring an individual whose body of work includes and celebrates the disability experience. This award is named for the famed producer and the first disabled woman in a recurring role in a primetime comedy.
- Marion Dayre ("Better Call Saul"), Shoshannah Stern ("This Close") and Joshua Feldman ("Echo") will receive the Writers Guild of America West Evan Somers Memorial Award, awarded to a writer or writers for achievement in writing accurate, three-dimensional disabled characters and story lines.
- Jillian Mercado ("Dying For Sex" and "The L Word: Generation Q") will receive the Easterseals Impact Award, honoring an individual who through their work in entertainment, philanthropy or public discourse have advanced the effort for disability acceptance and inclusion.
- Maribeth Fox ("A Different Man" and A Quiet Place I & II) will be honored with the Casting Society Award, which celebrates a casting agent or agents who seek out and cast disabled performers for roles that indicate a disability and those that don't.
- Danny Kurtzman ("Good Bad Things") will receive the Christopher Reeve Acting Award, a cash award created by Christopher Reeve, awarded to a disabled actor to celebrate their career in film or television.
- Eric Graise ("Locke & Key" and "The Tomorrow War") will receive the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award.
Presenters set to take the stage throughout the evening include Selma Blair ("Cruel Intentions"), Marlee Matlin ("CODA," "Children of a Lesser God"), Nic Novicki ("Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"), Millicent Simmonds ("A Quiet Place"), Adam Pearson ("A Different Man"), Alexandra Reeve Givens (Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation), Abby McEnany ("Work in Progress," "Tracker") and Fiona Rene ("Lincoln Lawyer", "Fire Country").
Guests will be treated to a night filled with unforgettable moments and surprise appearances, including musical performances by Natasha Ofili with the music by Coldplay and Gaelynn Lea (winner of NPR's Tiny Desk Contest).
"We are so excited to bring audiences both in the room and at home a fully accessible program that honors historic achievements in the disability representation space," said co-CEO's of the Media Access Awards, Deborah Calla and Allen Rucker. "Across the industry, we've seen incredible milestones in both film and television that deserve to be recognized across the nation."
The 2024 Media Access Awards ceremony is underwritten by Claudia & Kevin Bright, The Murray Reese Foundation, Paramount, Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo, The Walt Disney Company, with a special thanks to Reeve Foundation. Media Access Awards partners include WGA West, SAG-AFTRA and Casting Society. For more information on this year's underwriters, click here.
The 2024 Media Access Awards is produced by Calla Productions and co-produced by PBS SoCal, with executive producer Deborah Calla and show writer Allen Rucker.
For more information about the Media Access Awards, please visit mediaaccessawards.com or follow the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The 2024 Media Access Awards will be seen exclusively on PBS SoCal on Monday, November 25 at 7 p.m. PT, on PBS Stations across the country (check local listings), on the PBS SoCal website and on the free PBS App for streaming. Viewers will be able to broadcast or stream this program with the option of closed captions or an audio description. Audio description provided by Woman of her Word.
About the Media Access Awards
As the largest minority group on the planet—and as the only minority group that anyone can join at any point of his or her life—the disability community is a robust, diverse, and integral part of our global fabric. The Media Access Awards celebrate this fact by honoring, highlighting, and promoting disability and its depictions in film, television, and new media. The Media Access Awards aim to recognize depictions of disability that are accurate, inclusive, and multi-faceted. Our awards ceremony honors those industry professionals who have advanced disability-related narrative in fields including writing, producing, casting, performance, and directing. We are proud and pleased to be at the forefront of creating and promoting opportunities for some of the brightest talents in the industry. http://www.mediaaccessawards.com
About PBS SOCAL
PBS SoCal uses the power of public media for good, strengthening the civic fabric of Southern California and providing our community with an essential connection to a wider world. As a local, donor/member-supported non-profit organization, PBS SoCal is available to stream on the PBS app and the PBS Kids App and reaches nearly 19M viewers across 7 Broadcast channels — including 2 primary channels, PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus and 5 digital subchannels. With a commitment to make content available anytime and anywhere for free, PBS SoCal offers programming that reflects the diversity of Southern California and showcases the full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS content spanning Education, News, Environment and Arts & Culture. PBS SoCal also sparks the sharing of ideas at in-person cultural events and community conversations as well as prepares children for kindergarten and beyond by bringing bilingual, hands-on learning experiences to the community for free.
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