Tartikoff Awards On Tap
NATPE honors Silverman, Sweeney, Perry, Lorre
By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/2/2008 7:00:00 PM
Ben Silverman, Anne Sweeney, Tyler Perry and Chuck Lorre have been selected as honorees at the 2009 Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards on Jan. 26 at the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) conference in Las Vegas.
Silverman is co-chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios; Sweeney is co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television Group; Perry is creator and executive producer of many projects including House of Payne; and Lorre is executive producer, writer and creator of The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men.
The honorees were selected by NATPE's Executive Committee.
“Chuck, Tyler, Anne and Ben all exhibit extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision in the process of creating television programming and in evoking the spirit of Brandon's generosity,” said NATPE President and CEO Rick Feldman. “We're delighted to be able to honor these special individuals at the sixth presentation of the Legacy Awards.”
NBC's Silverman has long called Tartikoff a role model.
“I am absolutely thrilled and thankful to receive such a prestigious honor as the Brandon Tartikoff award,” Silverman told B&C. “Brandon was one of my boyhood idols who symbolized fresh, bold and creative television that continues to stand the test of time. I've had the privilege of living out the dream of working with him, while I was at New World. He truly enjoyed his work and generously shared that positive energy as a master showman of ideas and talent. His legacy still inspires us—and I will cherish this award as much as any that I have ever received.”
Said Disney-ABC's Sweeney, “Brandon Tartikoff was a true visionary in our industry. To receive an honor that was created to pay homage to his passion, leadership, independence and foresight is truly humbling.”
The Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards will be presented on Jan. 26 from 6-8 p.m. at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. A limited number of tickets to the event, benefiting the NATPE Educational Foundation, are available online for $100 through www.natpemarket.com.
Past recipients of the award include Stephen J. Cannell, Harry Friedman, Bonnie Hammer, Anthony E. Zuiker, Steven Bochco, Marc Cherry, Pat Mitchell, Carole Black, James Burrows, Dick Wolf, Gail Berman, Mark Burnett, Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner, Caryn Mandabach, Ken Lowe, Mark Itkin, Peter Roth, Nancy Tellem and Bob Wright.
B&C, Multichannel News and NBC Universal are sponsors of the Tartikoff Legacy Awards.
