2015 HONOREES & PRESENTERS
Award-winning filmmaker Mick Garris began writing fiction at the age of 12. By the time he was in high school, he was writing music and film journalism for various local and nation publications and during college, edited and published his own culture magazine. His first industry job was a receptionist for George Lucas’ Star Wars Corporation. Years later, Steven Spielberg hired Garris as story editor on the hit NBC TV series “Amazing Stories”, writing 10 of the 44 episodes. Garris is a triple threat as a writer, director and producer. Various directing projects include the mini-series based on the Stephen King books “The Stand”, “The Shining” and “Bag of Bones”. Genre feature films include “Riding The Bullet”, “*Batteries Not Included”, “The Fly II”, “Hocus Pocus”, and “Critters II”. He is the creator and Executive Producer of Showtime’s “Master’s of Horror” and the NBC mini-series “Fear Itself”. Other TV credits include “Tales From The Crypt”, “Pretty Little Liars”, “Ravenswood” and “Witches of East End”. Recently he Executive Produced the Universal feature film “Unbroken” directed by Angelina Jolie which has become an international box office hit. Garris has also written many books, his first, “A Life In Cinema” is a collection of short stories and a screenplay published by Gauntlet Press. We are very pleased to present Mick Garris with an Honoree Award at this years Closing Night Gala.
MICK GARRIS: HONOREE
Larry Cohen is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter who majored in film at the historic City College of New York. An independent maverick who got his start in studio-based television, he created the TV series The Invaders, one of the very first series to present the concept of alien invaders living among us. Larry is best known for inventive low-budget horror films that combine scathing social commentary with the requisite scares and occasional laughs. He was also a major player in the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s. Later in his career, he became a sought-after screenplay writer. He is best known as a movie auteur of horror and science fiction films – often containing a police procedural element. He has since concentrated mainly on screenwriting including the Joel Schumacher thriller Phone Booth, Cellular, and Captivity. Cohen returned to the directing chair for Mick Garris’ Masters of Horror TV series and directed the episode “Pick Me Up”. We are very pleased to present Larry Cohen with this years screenwriting award.
LARRY COHEN: HONOREE
Douglas Kirkland is an award-winning celebrity photographer. He joined Look Magazine in his early twenties, then Life Magazine and contributed to other major publications including The New York Times Magazine and Town & Country. He photographed over 2,000 assignments and more than 600 major celebrities — from Marilyn Monroe to Angelina Jolie. Kirkland also worked as a Special Photographer on the sets of more than 150 motion pictures, including The Sound of Music, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Out of Africa, Titanic, Moulin Rouge, Australia, and The Great Gatsby, among others. His photography books include Light Years, Icons, Legends, Body Stories, Freeze Frame, An Evening With Marilyn, Coco Chanel: Three Weeks in 1962, the New York Times #1 best-selling James Cameron’s Titanic, Michael Jackson the Making of Thriller, and Douglas Kirkland – A Life in Pictures, was released in September of 2013. Douglas Kirkland’s photographs are included in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery in London, The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra Australia, the Smithsonian Museum, the Eastman House, the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane Australia and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2011, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) presented him with the prestigious President’s Award. He has enjoyed a long-term career spanning over fifty years with no sign of slowing down. When he is not traveling the globe on assignment with his wife and business partner Francoise, his home and studio is in the Hollywood Hills. We are proud to honor Douglas Kirkland for his award-winning lifetime of iconic work with photography and film.
DOUGLAS KIRKLAND: HONOREE
Marsha Hunt, originally a New Yorker, began her film acting career in 1935 at the age of 17, under contract to Paramount Studios, where she was given only leading roles and earned her the proud title of “Hollywood’s Youngest Character Actress”. She has appeared in 62 motion pictures and proved her versatility in such films as Pride and Prejudice with Laurence Olivier and Hell Town with John Wayne and made her Broadway stage debut starring in Joy to the World in 1948. Miss Hunt’s television debut was as Viola in Twelfth Night, the first Shakespeare play to be televised from coast to coast. Television credits include The Outer Limits, Gunsmoke, The Defenders, Ben Casey, Run For Your Life, The Outsider, Twilight Zone, My Three Sons, Ironside, Police Story, Murder She Wrote and Star Trek: The Next Generation to name a few. In addition to television, she performed in countless radio dramas during its golden era. Miss Hunt has devoted her private time and life energies serving on many Boards of Directors and Trustees, the first being The Screen Actors Guild in 1946. For over 3 decades she has served on boards dedicated to the United Nations Specialized Agencies, hunger, fair housing, community relations, youth, cerebral palsy, family planning, mental health and interfaith harmony. She hosted an early telethon, for cerebral palsy, which set a record for continuous hours on the air and went on to host 7 more throughout the United States thus encouraging other celebrities to do the same. As Honorary Mayor of Sherman Oaks CA for 18 years she concentrated on the severe social/economic problem of the Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley homeless population. In 1983 she founded the Valley Mayors’ Fund for the Homeless, the first organization of its kind, which helped to raise funds for three facilities and other related services. Her concept of a new Thanksgiving observance called “Thankful Giving” was passed by both houses of Congress in 1978 and President Jimmy Carter advocated it in his proclamation. At 97 she continues to thrive and hasn’t any thoughts of retirement. We are proud to honor Marsha as this years recipient of the “Awareness Award” for her commitment to social change in the world.
MARSHA HUNT: HONOREE
Ronn Moss was born and raised in Los Angeles and grew up surrounded by theatre and the rock & roll music world. At age 11, he learned to play the drums, guitar and electric bass. In 1976, Moss joined creative forces with fellow singer and guitarist Peter Beckett, guitarist/keyboardist J.C Crowley, and drummer John Friesen to form the musical group Player. The group was signed by music impresario Robert Stigwood, and RSO Records and the first three weeks of release, their single “Baby Come Back” occupied the #1 spot on the national pop charts. Moss then made the move from music to television, and was offered the role of “Ridge Forrester” on the soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful. The show is broadcast in nations all over the world and Ronn has been a Soap Star ever since, with thousands of fans around the globe. Moss frequently travels overseas to promote the show and his music and in 2010 was a participant on the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars, finishing second with his partner, Sara Di Vaira. More recently, Moss also released his new solo album, Uncovered. We are pleased to once again have Ron as one of our celebrity presenters this year.
RONN MOSS: PRESENTER
Kristen has been following her passion as an actress from the early age of 17 when she was cast in The Sausage Factory, a wonderfully quirky series for MTV. Currently, Kristen had a recurring role as “Ima” on the critically acclaimed FX series, “Sons of Anarchy” and played Morgan Hollingsworth on NBC’s popular daytime drama series, “Days of Our Lives”, as well as many memorable guest appearances on hit TV shows including, “The OC”, “CSI:Miami”, “CSI:NY”, and “The Glades”. Recent projects include a hilarious pilot for CBS called “Friend M”, as well as a terrifying short “Girl at the Door” directed by Academy Award Nominee Colin Campbell. Kristen recently won “Best Actress” at the Claremont Film Festival for her short “Love In Our Time” which she co-produced. She was able to show her comedic side while playing Charlie Sheen’s love interest in “Anger Management”, and is proud of her recent war drama, “Battle Scars”, which portrays the often dark reality service men and woman face adjusting to home life after returning from war. We are pleased to once again have Kristen as one of our celebrity presenters.
KRISTEN RENTON: PRESENTER
John’s first major film role was starring opposite Robert Deniro and Christopher Walken in the “The Deer Hunter”, which garnered five Academy Awards. Another legendary role was playing Claude Bukowski in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit, “Hair”. Other feature films include Terrence Malick’s war film, “The Thin Red Line”, “The Onion Field”, “White Squall” and “The Godfather Part III”. On stage, John appeared on Broadway in David Mamet’s iconic play, “American Buffalo” with Robert Duvall. In more recent years, John’s work has been seen on the small screen as well. He was the recurring character of Donald Lydecker in James Cameron’s series “Dark Angel”, Captain Ransom in the two part episode “Equinox” on “Star Trek: Voyager” and a recurring role as Henry Scudder in the HBO series “Carnivàle”. Other notable TV credits include Guest Starring roles on “Fringe”, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”, “The District”, “Everwood” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”. He is currently starring in the western thriller “The Sorrow” with Michael Madsen and has several upcoming films including the dark romantic comedy “Hit List”, “Bullett” and can be seen playing the President of the United States in the SYFY Original movie “Bermuda Tentacles”. John will be presenting the award to this years recipient for “Best Actor”.
JOHN SAVAGE: PRESENTER
At the age of 13, Kirkland began making super 8 films and working for his father creating “making of” films for major production companies and sparked Kirkland’s desire to seek a career in the entertainment industry. Kirkland developed an interest in drawing at an early age. At the age of 17, he began studying in the Experimental Animation Program at the California Institute of the Arts, earning a BFA degree. In 1976, he won the Student Academy Award for the graphically animated film made to the song “Fame” by David Bowie. After graduating, he applied to Disney, but he was not accepted and instead began working for Hanna-Barbara. He began working on The Simpsons in season two and has since directed over 78 episodes and in season 18, he became the show’s supervising director. Kirkland has won three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Environmental Media Awards and a Pioneer in Television Animation Award from the Burbank International Film Festival for his work on The Simpsons. As an independent filmmaker, Kirkland has written, directed and produced award-winning short films which have been shown at film festivals around the world and screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Kirkland is also an accomplished still photographer whose images have been published in US and People magazines. In 2014, we presented Mark with the “President’s Innovation Award” for his short film “The Moving Picture Co. 1914”. We are pleased to have Mark presenting this years Animation Award.
MARK KIRKLAND: PRESENTER
June Squibb’s most recent film appearance was in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska as Kate Grant starring opposite Bruce Dern. She was nominated for “Best Supporting Actress” at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Sag-Aftra Awards, Critic’s Choice Awards, and the Independent Spirit Awards. She had also appeared in director Payne’s earlier film About Schmidt opposite Jack Nicholson. Other films include Welcome to Mooseport, In and Out, Scent of a Woman with Al Pacino and Far From Heaven. Her most recent Indie film (currently in post production) is I’ll Be Seeing You with Blythe Danner. She recently appeared on TV in Getting On, Girls, Glee, Devious Maids, and the upcoming HBO Comedy Special, 8 Days in Hell. On Broadway, June played Electra, the stripper, in Gypsy with Ethel Merman, Happy Time (the musical), Gorey Stories and Sacrilege. We are proud to once again have Oscar Nominee June Squibb as a presenter at this years Awards Show.
JUNE SQUIBB: PRESENTER
Blanca Blanco landed her first lead role in the feature film “Doomed Inheritance” quickly followed by “Dark Reel” worked opposite with Edward Furlong. She starred and produced the Independent film “Cruzando Barreras,” which chronicled her life as an aspiring actress. Blanca is known for her work in “Anatomy of Deception” as well as “Crimes of the Mind” which aired on Lifetime. She worked with Danny Trejo in the film “Bullet” and has also been seen on ION television’s “Defending Santa” and in the SYFY original movie “Bermuda Tentacles”. Blanca is currently working on “In Dubious Battle” directed by James Franco. Blanco’s humanitarian efforts to help people who are living in poverty, has influenced her volunteer work, such as becoming a supporter of the Salvation Army, Lupus LA, CASA LA, Autism Speaks, AIDS society, Breast Cancer Alliance, American Cancer Society and an expert in End of Life issues becoming a leader in educating the community on issues of death of dying and terminal care.
BLANCA BLANCO: PRESENTER
Patrick Kilpatrick’s entertainment career has spanned more than 125 films and television shows as lead actor, producer, screen writer, and director, – from Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report” to James Cameron’s “Dark Angel”. His action film appearances span a multitude of genres including “The Replacement Killers” against Yun-Fat Chow; Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Caan in “Eraser”; “Last Man Standing” opposite Bruce Willis; “Under Siege 2: Dark Territory” opposite Steven Segal; “The Presidio” opposite Sean Connery and Mark Harmon; and the ever-popular action mainstay “Death Warrant” opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme. He has even done battle with the largest mammal on earth in “Free Willy 3: The Rescue”. Kilpatrick’s notable TV appearances include “Burn Notice”, “Cold Case”, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, “Chuck”, “Nip/Tuck”, “24″ as Secret Service Agent Dale Spaulding (the man who “killed” Jack Bauer), “Criminal Minds”, and “The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” Kilpatrick is currently directing and producing the feature film “Active Shooter”. We are pleased to once again have Patrick as one of our celebrity presenters this year.
PATRICK KILPATRICK: PRESENTER
Crystal Allen is a Canadian actress with major roles in television and film. She starred opposite Brandon Routh in “Crooked Arrows” and “Ghost Storm” with Carlos Bernard. She is currently a series regular on the Canadian sitcom Canooks as a series regular and is also known for her portrayal of the Orion Slave Girl D’nesh on the Star Trek series “Enterprise” and as Navigator Yara in the popular independent film, “Of Gods and Men”. Allen’s additional notable performances are on hit TV shows such as “Castle”, “Body of Proof”, “Haven”, “Prison Break”, “Desperate Housewives”, “Boston Legal”, “Navy NCIS”, “Modern Men”, “Sex and the City”, “The Sopranos”, and the feature film “Maid in Manhattan” and the Hallmark movie “Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door”. Allen starred in the latest two sequels to their already hit films Anaconda 3 & 4. Crystal has been a guest to the Monaco TV Festival in past years and in 2013 was a member of the festival jury. We are pleased to once again have Crystal as one of our celebrity presenters this year.
CRYSTAL ALLEN: PRESENTER
Isaac C. Singleton Jr. not only makes a living playing big, scary guys, but is also known for his comedic wit. The 6-foot-5 actor can be seen as the menacing Bo’sun in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. For Pirates, he admits his character only had two emotions in the film, angry and annoyed. Other roles include the air marshal in the feature film Anger Management, an evil alien in Galaxy Quest and an ape-soldier in Planet of the Apes. Isaac is extremely well-spoken and articulate and has the kind of resonating bass voice reminiscent of James Earl Jones. Isaac has done voice-over work on over 100 video games including Transformers, Halo 4, Street Fighter 3 & 4 and World of Warcraft. On television, his dramatic credits include The X-Files, Crossing Jordan, Marshall Law and Wanted to name a few. Isaac also showed off his comedic chops on hit comedy shows including The Sarah Silverman Project, Arliss, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and MAD-TV. We are pleased to once again have Isaac as one of our celebrity presenters this year.
ISAAC C. SINGLETON JR.: PRESENTER
