Any media awards show in Hollywood can be a star-studded event, but it’s much more significant when the awards are given for a special interest group that have come together to celebrate their own. This is especially true when the event celebrates the world of media created by women, for women and about women.
This year, some of Hollywood’s brightest stars shone even brighter as the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) gathered at the legendary Beverly Hilton Hotel to celebrate the talented women in entertainment at the 38th Annual Gracie Awards gala hosted by Once Upon a Time’s Lana Parrilla. The Gracie Awards (also known as “the Gracies†) recognize exemplary programming created for women, by women, and about women in all facets of media, including radio, television, cable, and new media. The awards program also encourages the realis
tic and multifaceted portrayal of women in entertainment, news, features, documentaries and other programs.
The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) celebrated their own, honoring and recognizing the finest programming by extraordinary women in all facets of media, including radio, television, cable and new media. The Gracie Awards established in 1975 and named for Gracie Allen, honors individuals of the highest caliber whether in news, drama, comedy, commercials, public service, documentary or sports. The work that women do in media may go unnoticed on a day-to-day basis, especially for those involved behind the scenes, but the significance of women’s contributions is staggering. When a whole ballroom of creative talent is assembled and their work applauded, magic fills the air, making the evening one of the most inspiring and energetic award
s of the year. Of course all this would have been impossible without Edna Sims, a world-renowned PR relations expert who makes this traditional and classic event perfect, elegant and unforgettable every year.
“The Gracies Gala is a wonderful celebration of the inspiring contributions women make to the media industry,†said AWMF Chair Kay Olin. “The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation is thrilled to welcome and honor so many extraordinary women at our signature event.â€
The glitzy black-tie extravaganza attracted some of the most recognized and talented names in the industry, including Sarah Chalke from ABC’s How to Live with your Parents, Tony Award-Winner Sutton Foster from ABC Family’s Bunheads, TNT Rizzoli & Isles’ Angie Harmon, Lucy Hale and Ian Harding from ABC’s Family Pretty Little Liars, NPR Correspondent Ina Jaffe, Director and Producer Rory Kennedy, Angela Kinsey from NBC’s The Office, NBC Parks and Recreation’s Amy Poehler, ABC News Reporter Martha Raddatz, Style Network’s Giuliana and Bill Rancic, Access Hollywood and BET Network’s Shaun Robinson, ESPN’s Hannah Storm; TNT Dallas’ Brenda Strong; Oscar-Nominee Meg Tilly from the ReelzChannel’s Bomb Girls, NBC Go On’s Julie White, Sarah Baker, and Suzy Nakamura, Bloomberg Anchor Jane Williams, Chandra Wilson from ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy …and so many more.
Oscar and Grammy winning singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge treated the audience to a powerful, intensely personal musical performance. Etheridge also took the stage to accept her Gracie Award for Outstanding Talk Show – Entertainment/Information for The Melissa Etheridge Radio Show. In accepting the award, cancer-survivor Etheridge said that the Gracies “reveal …who we are as women: we want to help and save the world… And one other thing, make sure you take care of yourself, your health, your happiness…â€
Shaun Robinson, in accepting her award for Individual Achievement as Outstanding Host – Entertainment/Information, said “I love, love, love the Gracies because I get to be in a room of women who are changing the world, and I salute each and every one of you.â€
The Gracies are such a fitting celebration to the professional work done by women in all aspects of entertainment: from radio and TV to film and print media, for work about Medicare fraud, abortion, human trafficking, AIDS, American politics, classic drama, sports, mainstream comedy, sexual identity and almost every possible aspect of human activity. It’s a testament to the talents of the women in the room that they have risen to attain such success in what had been traditional male-oriented industries. Moll Anderson maybe summed it up best when she took the stage to accept her award for Outstanding Achievement as Outstanding Host – Lifestyle Program: “I was asked what sort of great advice I had been given by another woman, and I thought about it, and it’s probably the fact that it’s never too late to be who you were meant to be.â€
The Gracies are presented by the philanthropic arm of the Alliance for Women in Media, which supports educational programs, charitable activities, public service campaigns and scholarships to benefit the public, the electronic media, and associated fields. Over the years they have received generous support from corporate sponsors that include Automotive Sponsor: Ford Motor Company; Hair Care Sponsor: Sexy Hair; Media Sponsor: Ovation; Publication Sponsors: Broadcasting & Cable and Radio Ink; Table Sponsors: A+E Networks/Lifetime, Al Jazeera Media Network, Arbitron, Charlie and Moll Anderson Family Foundation, CNN, Crown Media Family Networks, Disney|ABC Television Group & ESPN, JSW Productions, Katz Media Group, National Association of Broadcasters, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, NBC News, OWN/Harpo, REELZCHANNEL, Style Network and Universal Television.
2013 Gracie Awards in Major Markets
Martha Raddatz
Outstanding Reporter/Correspondent
ABC News
Medicare Fraud
Outstanding Investigative Program or Feature
ABC News
Mika Brzezinski
Outstanding Host
MSNBC/Morning Joe
Mindy Kaling
Outstanding Producer – Entertainment
Universal Television/The Mindy Project
Moll Anderson
Outstanding Host – Lifestyle Program
Moll Anderson Productions/SiriusXM Radio
“My Kid Would Never†Series
Outstanding Series
NBC News/Dateline
Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Forgotten But Not Gone: Kids, HIV, and AIDS
Outstanding Children/Adolescent Non-Animated Program
Nickelodeon
O You 2012
Outstanding Lifestyle Program
Oprah Radio
Parks and Recreation
Outstanding Comedy
Universal Television
Robin Roberts
Outstanding Anchor
ABC News/Good Morning America
Rory Kennedy
Outstanding Director – News/Non-Fiction
HBO/Ethel
Sandra Lee
Outstanding Host – Lifestyle Program
Food Network/Restaurant Remakes
Semper Fi: Always Faithful
Outstanding Documentary
MSNBC
Shaun Robinson
Outstanding Host – Entertainment/Information
BET Networks
Sheila Nevins
Outstanding Producer – News/Non-Fiction
HBO/God Is The Bigger Elvis
Sherri Shepherd
Outstanding Female Actor in a Guest Role
Universal Television/30 Rock
Super Soul Sunday
Outstanding Special or Variety
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
Sutton Foster
Outstanding Female Actor in a Breakthrough Role
ABC Family/Bunheads
Syria
Outstanding Hard News Feature
NPR
The Cast of “Hot in Clevelandâ€
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Comedy
TV Land
The Cast of “Steel Magnoliasâ€
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Drama
Lifetime
The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley: “Cancer Cure”
Outstanding Soft News Feature
CBS Evening News
The Melissa Etheridge Radio Show
Outstanding Talk Show – Entertainment/Information
Benztown
The Suze Orman Show
Outstanding Talk Show – Entertainment/Information
CNBC
Women Warriors
Outstanding Series
CBS Radio News
23 and Me
Outstanding Interview
CBS News/CBS This Morning
A Cry For Help: Disaster in the Desert
Outstanding Hard News Feature
ABC News
Amy Poehler
Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series
Universal Television/Parks & Recreation
Anjelica Huston
Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama Series
Universal Television/Smash
Aqui y Ahora: “The Woman in the Mirror”
Outstanding Magazine
Univision Network
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Outstanding Director – Entertainment
Universal Television/30 Rock
Bloomberg EDU with Jane Williams
Outstanding Interview
Bloomberg Radio
Bomb Girls
Outstanding Drama
REELZCHANNEL
CNN Special Projects: Small Business Success
Outstanding Lifestyle Program
CNN
ESPN Outside the Lines
Outstanding Sports Program
ESPN
Gaza/Israel Conflict
Outstanding Breaking News Coverage
CNN
Giuliana & Bill
Outstanding Reality Show
The Style Network
Ina Jaffe
Outstanding Reporter/Correspondent
NPR
India’s Unwanted Girls
Outstanding Hard News Feature
CNN
Ireland’s Abortion Standoff
Outstanding Talk Show – News
Al Jazeera English
Julianne Moore
Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama Special
HBO/Game Change
Julie White
Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Series
Universal Television/Go On
Keturah Gray
Outstanding Producer – News/Non-Fiction
ABC News
Kidnapped Woman Reunites with Family
Outstanding Investigative Program or Feature
Radio Free Asia
Lena Dunham
Outstanding Director – Entertainment
HBO/Girls
Letter to My Mother
Outstanding Soft News Feature
Cumulus Media Inc.
Lucy Hale
Outstanding Performance By a Female Rising Star
ABC Family/Pretty Little Liars
Maria Elena Salinas
Outstanding Anchor
Univision Network
Married to the Army: Alaska
Outstanding Reality Show
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
