Today, BASE and DEGI are proud to share the shortlist of nominees for the inaugural BASE & DEGI Hedy Lamarr Inspirational Women in Entertainment: Rising Star Award.
The winner will be announced at the BASE Awards 2024, on September 25th at the Camden Roundhouse.
The 2024 BASE & DEGI Hedy Lamarr Rising Star Award Nominees are (in alphabetical order):
- Johanna Beaven, Junior Marketing Manager, NBCUniversal
- Sophie Fawcett, Junior Marketing Manager, Lionsgate UK
- Persia Humphreys, Trade Marketing Executive, Elevation Sales
- Jocelyn Liu, Senior Sales Manager, BBC Studios
- Maria Marcolini, Marketing Manager, EMEA Paramount
- Esme Pitts, Commercial Manager, SKY
Nominated by industry colleagues, this inspiring group of women reflect the tenacity, teamwork, and leadership vital for the future of Home Entertainment.
The shortlist and eventual winner were selected by an expert panel of industry judges:
- Liz Bales, CEO British Association for Screen Entertainment & Digital Entertainment Group International
- Ian Durndell, EVP Digital Distribution and Direct to Consumer Services, Sony Pictures Television,
- Melanie Nicholas, prev. Managing Director, Universal Pictures UK
- Amy Jo Smith, President and CEO, DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group
- Sima Westley, Business Development Director, Thirty Plus Health & Performance, prev. Executive Director Franchise & Retail Marketing, Warner Bros. Entertainment
In making their decision, the judges looked for candidates who embody excellence in their role, drive success and meaningful change in their organisation, and make a demonstrable and positive impact on their team, while inspiring others to do the same. The judging panel had sole discretion in selecting the winner.
In addition, the winner of the BASE & DEGI Hedy Lamarr Inspirational Women in Entertainment: Rising Star Award will receive a period of Coaching from Monica Chadha, entertainment industry expert, Non-Executive Director of the British Film Institute (BFI), Board Advisor to Marlow Film Studios, and (prev.) Chair of the British Independent Film Awards Advisory Board.
This award is one of two new awards that sit within the BASE & DEGI “Hedy Lamarr Awards for Inspirational Women in Entertainment”.
- The DEGI Hedy Lamarr Award for Inspirational Women in Entertainment – Leader
- The DEGI Hedy Lamarr Award for Inspirational Women in Entertainment – Rising Star
The DEGI Hedy Lamarr Award for Inspirational Women in Entertainment, Leader, will also be presented on the night of the BASE Awards 2024. It will be awarded to an established female entertainment executive who is an inspiration in her field, and who has made a meaningful contribution to the entertainment industry, leaving a lasting legacy for those who follow.
The introduction of these awards reflects important pillars of BASE & DEGI focus: positive impact, via the BASE & DEGI Positive Impact Programme launched in 2023, and training and development, via the BASE Induction Programme, launching in 2024, informed by the results of the first ever BASE Sentiment Study (to be shared H2 2024).
The judges of the Rising Star Award, as well as the recipient of the Leadership Award, will sit on the newly formed BASE and DEGI Entertainment Mentoring and Leadership Group, to share their expertise and knowledge with the next generation of Rising Stars in the Industry. Effective mentoring has been shown to be one of the most important factors in actionably addressing legacy inequalities in workplace demographics. BASE and DEGI are proud to confirm that all Rising Star shortlist nominees will receive a period of mentoring from a member of this newly established group. BASE and DEGI are committed to evolving the banner of Rising Star Awards in the future to support groups who are underrepresented in the wider Home Entertainment industry, and notably in the leadership of the Home Entertainment industry.
The two BASE and DEGI Hedy Lamarr Awards are inspired by the annual DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group Hedy Lamarr Award for Innovation in Entertainment Technology, launched in 2017. The DEG Award recognises female executives in the field of entertainment technology who have made a significant contribution to the industry, and is presented in November each year, to coincide with the anniversary of Lamarr’s birth. The first winner of the award was Geena Davis, acclaimed actress and Founder and Chair of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, in 2017. DEG also recognises future entertainment leaders with an award and significant bursary presented each year to a Junior-year female US-based student via a self-nomination and interview process.
Austrian-American actress Hedy Lamarr was a Hollywood legend who is best known for her roles in a number of film classics, including Samson and Delilah, The Strange Woman, and Tortilla Flat. She was also a lifelong inventor whose innovative work included pioneering “frequency hopping,” which became the foundation for spread spectrum technology. Conceived by Lamarr and composer George Antheil for radio guidance systems and patented in 1942, this highly secure technology resists interference and dropout, and is utilized today for a variety of cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth applications.
For more information, involvement, or sponsorship opportunities for the BASE & DEGI Hedy Lamarr Inspirational Women in Entertainment Awards, the BASE & DEGI Positive Impact Programme, and the BASE Awards 2024, please contact Louise Kean-Wood at [email protected]
For more information about the annual DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group Hedy Lamarr Award for Innovation in Entertainment Technology, please contact Andi Elliott and Marcy Magiera on [email protected] and [email protected]
