Dawn Hudson

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Dawn Hudson (* 1957 in Hot Springs ) is an American journalist , political scientist , actress and since April 8, 2011 CEO ( Chief Executive Officer ) of the management of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in Los Angeles , which annually Awards Oscars .

Origin and education

Dawn Hudson initially studied at Harvard University , but dropped out of her junior year there after failing an exam. From then on she worked for the Democratic US Senator John Little McClellan from Arkansas in Washington, DC She then went to college again, graduated there and continued her higher education at Washington University in St. Louis and the Institut des Etudes Politiques in Grenoble, France away. Hudson began her professional career as the editor-in-chief of St. Louis Magazine and also worked as a freelance writer.

Career in the film business

After moving to Los Angeles, she worked briefly as an actress, mostly in supporting roles. In general, their appearances in front of the camera are considered a "footnote". Her first roles were in Angie in 1994, directed by Martha Coolidge , and a year later she was in Ed and His Dead Mother (directed by Jonathan Wacks). In 2002 she played in High Crimes a hardboiled female Colonel ( Colonel ), which must assert themselves on the witness stand.

Hudson has been president of the non-profit film funding organization Film Independent since 1991 (until 2004 IFP / Los Angeles ). During Hudson's tenure, the organization grew from 900 to 5000 members. Income rose by around 25 percent annually. The objectives of Film Independent include supporting independent young directors, promoting diversity in the film business and increasing the number of viewers for films produced without large budgets. Since 2001, the Los Angeles Film Festival, with around 80,000 guests annually, has been one of the activities of the Film Independent . The organization also annually awards the Independent Spirit Awards , film prizes for Hollywood- independent productions, and organizes around 250 public film screenings every year.

On April 8, 2011, she became CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , the most important film academy in the world with around 8,000 members. The chief position had been created for her; her predecessor Bruce Davis had served as Executive Director for twenty years . In the role of CEO, Hudson is the supervisor of around 300 employees who not least organize the annual Oscar ceremony. AMPAS's assets under management amounted to $ 258 million in 2011, and the television rights brought in around $ 1 billion over a ten-year period. Immediately after the start of her term of office, the extremely self-confident Hudson, who is nicknamed Steel Magnolia in film circles , clashed with the powerful governing body, the Board of Governors , because she issued invitations to members who were until then within the competence of the Governors were lying. In January 2016, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , she assured that the Academy was an “elite institution” and that it had no intention of being “politically correct” but that it adhered strictly to its traditions and rules: “We are them Best of the best in the film industry. However, we believe we haven't looked far enough for the best. " The reason for the statement was debates about latent racism in the AMPAS and considerations to double the proportion of members belonging to ethnic minorities, black people and women. Until then, the Academy had only counted seven percent colored and 24 percent female members even when taking stock.

After the surprising election of the cameraman John Bailey as President of the Academy, there was an irritated exchange of views with Hudson in August 2017, as the two admittedly had different priorities. Hudson attached importance to more staff diversity and a new museum, while Bailey wanted to concentrate on the youth work. The museum is scheduled to open in 2020 with a considerable delay, but there are still doubts. Bailey also believes that the Board of Governors should take care of day-to-day business under his leadership. Hudson had supported Bailey's competitor, actress Laura Dern , in the election of the board , but she did not run. Nonetheless, Hudson received a new three-year contract that expires in 2020.

In the summer of 2018, due to years of falling TV ratings and great pressure from the broadcasting television station ABC , Hudson felt compelled to assure the AMPAS members in an email that the future Academy Awards, including the advertising, would not be longer than three hours will last, a goal that has not been achieved since 1973. In addition, in August 2018, Hudson defended the plan to introduce a new Oscar category for "Popular Film". There has been a lot of "positive feedback" from the members. Because of public criticism, the AMPAS withdrew the reform plan after a week.

Taking stock of her work to date, Hudson said in January 2020 that she sees great advances in diversity within the Academy in her daily work . For example, men let women finish speaking in committee meetings instead of interrupting them as in the past. More films by women and people of color urgently need to be made, the importance of this topic "cannot be overestimated", but she is optimistic.

In January 2019, Hudson received support in her role as CEO from the newly hired Christine Simmons, who will serve as COO ( Chief Operating Officer ), a position that has been vacant since 2013.

Quote

The worst thing anyone in Hollywood can say about you is nothing, and that hasn't been the problem since Hudson took the job.

( In Hollywood, the worst thing anyone can say about you is nothing at all, and that has not been a problem since Hudson came on board. ) - Mary McNamara in the Los Angeles Times

Filmography

  • 1993: Get mom out of the coffin! (Ed and His Dead Mother)
  • 1994: Angie
  • 1994: Dr. Quinn - a passionate doctor ( Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman , TV series, an episode)
  • 1997: In Dark Places - Where fate casts no shadow (In Dark Places)
  • 1997: C-16: FBI Special Forces ( C-16: FBI , TV series, an episode)
  • 1997–1998: Pretender ( The Pretender , TV series, 2 episodes)
  • 1999: Seven Days ( Seven Days , TV series, an episode)
  • 2002: High Crimes - On the web of lies (High Crimes)
  • 2011: Cinema Verite - Real Life ( Cinema Verite , TV movie)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information from IMDB [1] , accessed on January 22, 2019
  2. ↑ The New York Times, October 30, 2011 [2]. Retrieved January 22, 2019
  3. ↑ The New York Times, October 30, 2011 [3]. Retrieved January 22, 2019
  4. ↑ The New York Times, October 30, 2011 [4]. Retrieved January 22, 2019
  5. ^ Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences [5] , accessed January 22, 2019
  6. ↑ The New York Times, October 30, 2011 [6]. Retrieved January 22, 2019
  7. ↑ The New York Times, October 30, 2011 [7]. Retrieved January 22, 2019
  8. ↑ Hollywood Reporter, January 27, 2016 [8]. Retrieved January 22, 2019
  9. ↑ Mary McNamara: Column: Academy CEO Dawn Hudson on 8 years of trying to modernize a 92-year-old boys' club in: Los Angeles Times , July 4, 2019 [9]. Retrieved January 22, 2020
  10. ↑ Variety of August 15, 2017 [10] accessed on January 22, 2019
  11. ↑ The Wrap of January 16, 2019 [11] accessed on January 22, 2019
  12. ↑ Variety of September 12, 2018 [12] accessed on January 22, 2019
  13. ↑ Yasmin Omar: What's in store for the future of film? in: Harpers Bazaar , January 3, 2020 [13] Retrieved January 22, 2020
  14. ↑ Indiewire, December 20, 2018 [14]. Retrieved January 22, 2019
  15. ↑ Mary McNamara: Column: Academy CEO Dawn Hudson on 8 years of trying to modernize a 92-year-old boys' club in: Los Angeles Times , July 4, 2019 [15]. Retrieved January 22, 2020
personal data
SURNAME Hudson, Dawn
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American journalist, political scientist and actress
DATE OF BIRTH 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH Hot springs