New Academy CEO Bill Kramer provided something of a surprise Saturday morning, announcing the producers for the 95th Academy Awards during an in-person membership meeting. But considering it was his first big moment in front of his employees it was as good a moment as any to demonstrate his leadership skills. Following yet another controversial ceremony this past March, the 2023 festivities will be produced by veteran Emmy winners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner. It will be Weiss’ second time and Kirshner’s first producing the telecast.
AMPAS also revealed key members of their overall Oscars creative team:
- Red carpet show executive producer David Chamberlin, a veteran of live television production
- red carpet creative consultants Lisa Love and Raúl Àvila, creative contributor and creative director for the Met Gala, respectively
- creative director and Academy member Kenny Gravillis, who has developed iconic key art and campaigns for legions of movies
- production designers Misty Buckley, production designer of world tours and televised music shows for artists Kacey Musgraves, Ariana Grande, and Coldplay, and Alana Billingsley, art director on previous Oscars, Emmy and GRAMMYS broadcasts.
In a statement, Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang jointly remarked, “We are thrilled to have Glenn and Ricky at the helm Their expertise in live television production is exactly what the Oscars needs. We look forward to working closely with them, our Board of Governors and the Board’s Awards Committee to deliver an exciting and energized show. Joining them is an incredible slate of creative partners – David Chamberlin, Lisa Love, Raúl Àvila, Kenny Gravillis, Misty Buckley, and Alana Billingsley – who will bring fresh ideas to the broadcast and the red carpet.”
Weiss and Kirsner were quoted as saying, “Bill made us ‘an offer we couldn’t refuse’ but he really ‘had us at hello’.”
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Rob Mills, Executive VP of Unscripted and Alternative Entertainment at Walt Disney Television added, “We couldn’t be more excited to have live event veterans Glenn and Ricky as executive producers of the 95th Oscars telecast on ABC. Their experience and creativity are bar none, and we look forward to seeing their vision play out for Hollywood’s biggest night.”
Weiss has directed seven previous Oscar telecasts and for which he won two Emmy Awards and 21 Tony Awards which earned him three directing and nine producing Emmy Awards. His credits also include the “2021 Inaugural Celebration,” “The Democratic National Convention,” “The Kennedy Center Honors,” “The Primetime Emmy® Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “BET Awards,” “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” “Academy of Country Music Awards” and many others. He is the vet of all vets in the award-season production game.
Kirshner had three decades of entertainment production experience and has won nine Emmy Awards and earned 26 Emmy nominations overall. He is also a Peabody Award and Edward R. Murrow Award winner. His credits include the Tony Awards, 14 Super Bowl Halftime Shows (including Prince, Beyonce, and Madonna), “Night of Too Many Stars,” “The Primetime Emmy Awards,” “The Democratic National Convention,” Presidential Inaugurals, and many others.
This is the first year in quite some time that a member of the Academy’s producing or directing branch was not asked to either totally produce or co-produce the show. Kramer has noted in interviews this summer that the goal was to bring in a production team that would helm the telecast for a number of years. Whether Weiss and Kirshner, who co-founded White Cherry Entertainment together, have agreed to that is unclear. Moreover, having Weiss and Kirshner produce means more attention deflected to whoever the host or host(s) may be, which, frankly may be a better strategy long term. And despite the promise of “fresh ideas,” it will also, for better or worse, minimize the chance for truly out-of-the-box ideas that shouldn’t be tried out at the Oscars.
The announcement was made during an event for members at the Academy Museum (members outside LA could attend virtually). During a presentation, Kramer and Yang focused on “reinvigorating” the show and focusing on a position of “power, honorability, and importance.” They highlighted the following goals:
Hiring producing teams who are accountable to the Academy and creating a dedicated team within the Academy solely focused on the Awards
1 Determining how to best honor all craft areas on air
2 Focusing on a love and reverence for film
3 Creating an emotional investment in the nominees
4 Exploring extensions of the show on streaming
5 Continuing the theatrical requirement for eligibility
6 Making the red carpet an event
7 Continuing to prioritize sustainability, access, inclusion, and representation
These are all somewhat broad and obvious goals, but the callout on “how to best honor all craft areas on air” is an important one to members. Almost lost in the fallout of the Will Smith slap heard around the world was the controversy and anger from members over having many of the below-the-line awards handed out before the telecast officially began. The winners were then edited into the show itself but promises of winner speeches not being cut were not kept and it was universally described as a negative experience for those attending.
It is unclear who will host the 95th Oscars, but we’ll assume there will be one after Chris Rock noted he was offered the gig after his assault earlier this year.
The 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
