The 2021 Caucus for Producers, Writers, and Directors Awards Gala
Awards were given to Reese Witherspoon, Aaron Sorkin, Marsai Martin, Susanne Bier, and Vin Di Bona at the Annual Caucus Awards Gala.
The 38th Annual Caucus for Producers, Writers, and Directors Awards Gala took place on Thursday, March 4th, and presented awards to creators like Reese Witherspoon, Aaron Sorkin, Marsai Martin, Susanne Bier, and Vin Di Bona.
Starting off the event was an introduction by the iconic television producer and co-founder of the caucus, Norman Lear, explaining how it all started with a dozen people at a Chinese restaurant, who were looking for recognition as television writer-producers.
This awards gala was intimate not only because everyone was speaking from their homes but also that the awards were presented to recipients by their own colleagues. Nicole Kidman presented the 2021 Caucus Director of the Year Award to Susanne Bier, who she worked with on “The Undoing,” and who she calls her “very dear friend”.
Marsai Martin, 16, who won the 2021 Caucus Rising Star Award during the 38th Annual Caucus for Producers, Writers, and Directors Awards Gala on March 4.
Unlike a typical television or film award show, the viewers are shown clips of these producers, writers, and directors' various bodies of work, rather than only one specific work of theirs — which makes these awards feel more timeless.
Following Bier, Aaron Sorkin won the Writer of the Year Award. Sorkin is known for works like "The Social Network", "A Few Good Men", and "The Trial of the Chicago 7," among many others. During Sorkin’s thank you speech he said, “Of course the caucus plays a more important role than just giving me an award, though that’s not an unimportant role. The money the caucus raises to award grants to promising students to develop and complete film and television projects, helps them get started in what we all know is a very difficult world.”
The Caucus Foundation works to financially support and give recognition to young students working on their thesis. These are films that are close to done but need financial assistance to be completed. Each year they reach out to film schools, colleges, and universities nationally to find the best student thesis films. They are screened and voted on by the caucus members. Chosen students are awarded over $100,000 to support them in completing their projects.
Some of this year's recipients included Mel Orpen from the USC Film School, Christine Cho from Chapman University, and Marya Aquina from the UCLA Film School.
The tone of the awards show changed when Tom and Jeanne Townsend were given the 2021 Caucus Humanitarian Award. When Tom and Jeanne Townsend’s son, Alex Townsend, was killed in an auto accident, the family searched for ways to honor their son, and with the help of their son’s piano teacher they came up with Pianos for People.
The non-profit organization “provided hundreds of free restored pianos to families who could not otherwise afford them and free piano lessons to tens of thousands of underserved young people in Ferguson in South St. Louis, even in this year of the pandemic,” said co-chair of the Caucus, Jim Hirsch.
Jeanne Townsend accepted the award on behalf of her and her late husband, Tom, who in 2018 was shot in the neck by a carjacker outside of his St. Louis apartment. Although several surgeries led to his successful recovery, tragically, in 2019 he died of cancer. Jeanne's heartfelt speech was followed by a performance from Royce Martin, who was taught under the Townsend's Pianos for People organization.
Husband and wife, Tom Townsend and Jeanne Townsend who won the 2021 Caucus Humanitarian Award during the 38th Annual Caucus for Producers, Writers, and Directors Awards Gala on March 4. Jeanne accepted the award on behalf of her late husband who ran the non-profit Pianos for People
Next, Octavia Spencer presented the Producer of the Year award to Reese Witherspoon, Lauren Neustader, and their media company Hello Sunshine. "Hello Sunshine creates content that puts women at the center of every story and a mission to change the narrative for women," said Spencer. "These are the people you want to call producers of the year." Some works created under Hello Sunshine are Big Little Lies, Gone Girl, and Truth Be Told, which Spencer acted in.
Chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment group presented Marsai Martin with the 2021 Caucus Rising Star Award. Martin is the record-breaking youngest Hollywood executive producer in history, at 16 years old. “As a young person in this industry, I genuinely embrace the responsibility to inspire. To make sure everyone my age and everyone, in general, knows that anything and everything is possible,” said Martin.
The night closed with the 2021 Caucus Legend Award given to the producer of America’s Funniest Home Videos (AFV), Vin Di Bona. “I don’t think there’s any other thing I’d like to do as a vocation,” said Di Bona. AFV has run on primetime television for 31 years. He ended the night with stories about his experiences working as a producer.
