The Industry Dot Biz: 
The Caucus of Producers, Writers & Directors 2019 Full List of Honorees and The Caucus Foundation Awards Grants to College Student Filmmakers at the 37th Annual Caucus Awards
The Caucus of Producers, Writers & Directors Foundation will announce the Winners of the Gold Circle Awards at the 37th Annual Caucus Awards Dinner held on Friday, November 15, 2019, 6:30 PM at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049. James Pickens, Jr. star of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, will be the host for this wonderful evening.
Over the past 18 years The Caucus Foundation has awarded almost $2 million in finishing funds and in-kind services to students at accredited colleges and universities across the country for completion of their thesis projects. The Caucus Foundation will also award the Television/ New Media Award to a college or university’s creative team for an exceptional project. The Caucus Foundation is proud to have the support of the Annenberg Foundation, the Agnell Foundation, Panavision and Illuminate Hollywood.
The Caucus Foundation was co-founded by Chuck Fries and Jerry Isenberg, who have set the bar high for helping to launch the careers of student filmmakers. Sharon Arnett, President of the Caucus Foundation, ensures the quality and standards. At the Annual Awards Dinner, the Foundation presents two students with the Gold Circle Award, whose primary goal is to promote the upcoming generation of television and new media content creators. A portion of the proceeds from the dinner will benefit The Caucus Foundation.
Producing the annual dinner is The Caucus Awards committee which includes; Events Chair Chuck Fries and Awards Dinner Chair Gary Smith; Caucus Co-Chairs Robert Papazian and Tanya Hart; Vin Di Bona, Honorary Event Vice Chair and Vice Chairs Dennis Doty, James Hirsch, Ron Friedman and Sharon Arnett, along with Deborah Leoni, Executive Director.
2019 Caucus Award Honorees Full List:
Edward James Olmos | Actor/Director/Producer/Philanthropist | Industry Icon Award
Gary Levine | President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks, Inc. | Executive of the Year Award
Paul Miller | Producer/Director | Lifetime Achievement Award
Michael Berk | Writer/Producer/Director | Distinguished Service Award
Dr. Edna Sims | Publicist for The Caucus | Chairs Award
Carolyn Strauss | Executive Producer | Producers Honor I HBO’s Game of Thrones, Chernobyl and Deadwood the Movie
Brett Johnson | Writer/Producer | Writers Honor I Showtimes’ Escape at Dannemora
Michael Tolkin | Writer/Producer/Director | Writers Honor I Showtimes’ Escape at Dannemora
Amy York Rubin | Director | Directors Honor I Netflix’s Dead to Me
2019 College Students Grantees
Aaron Fink for Rust, Chapman University
Madison Gwinn for Marketa In The Desert, Emerson College
Alexandra Geller for Undercovered, Emerson College
Noah Graham for Outsider, Emerson College
Jasmine Galdamez for El Mozote, CSUN
Takai Ginwright for Canary In A Mine, UCLA
Kelly Pike for Undercut, UCLA
Lia Lenart for Cassandra, UCLA
Sherial McKinney for Frog Catcher, UCLA
