Latest news with #HowellTaylor
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oscars: Lynette Howell Taylor Elected President of Film Academy
As The Hollywood Reporter recently forecasted, Lynette Howell Taylor, an Oscar-nominated film producer, was elected the 37th president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences through a vote of the organization's board of governors on Thursday. She succeeds Janet Yang, a fellow producer who held the job for the past three years, but was forced by term limits to step away from the board for at least the next two. Howell Taylor, 46, who was born in Liverpool, England, is the youngest person in 70 years (since George Seaton took office at 44) and the first person born outside of the U.S. in 28 years (since Canadian Arthur Hiller) to serve as Academy president. More from The Hollywood Reporter Korean Powerhouse CJ ENM Teams With Janet Yang, Miky Lee and Dominic Ng for Asian Storytelling Venture Film Academy's Longtime Theater Manager Richard Stermer Is Retiring (Exclusive) The Family Feud Over An Iconic Oscar Five other governors were also tapped for officer positions: composer Lesley Barber was re-elected as vice president (chair, membership committee); producer Jennifer Fox was elected vice president (chair, awards committee); documentarian Simon Kilmurry was elected vice president/treasurer (chair, finance committee); actor Lou Diamond Phillips was elected vice president (chair, equity and inclusion committee); and writer Howard A. Rodman was re-elected vice president/secretary (chair, governance committee). 'Lynette has been a vital part of the Academy board of governors for many years, most recently revitalizing our awards work as chair of the board's Awards Committee,' Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement. 'I so look forward to working with her as our new Academy president, as well as with these incredibly dedicated and strategic board officers. This is an exceptional group of Academy members who will advance the Academy's mission, support our membership around the world, ensure our long-term financial stability, and celebrate the achievements of the global filmmaking community.' Howell Taylor began her career in the theater. Since moving to Hollywood at 22, she has accumulated dozens of film credits. Among them are acclaimed indies (such as 2006's Half Nelson, 2010's Blue Valentine and 2016's Captain Fantastic) and studio films (including 2018's A Star Is Born, for which she received a best picture Oscar nom, and The Accountant 2, a hit earlier this year). She joined the Academy in 2014, and was recruited to produce the 2020 Oscars telecast with Stephanie Allain. She was elected to the board of governors for the first time later that same year, and has served on it for the last five years. In each of the last three years, she was chosen by the board to serve as its vice president, overseeing its powerful awards committee, which is integrally involved with the planning of all aspects of the Oscars ceremonies. And in each of those years, the telecast's ratings have ticked up. Howell Taylor certainly has a full plate: she and her husband, Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content) co-CEO Graham Taylor, are the parents of three young kids; the family recently lost its home in the Pacific Palisades wildfire; and she has a high-profile film, Derek Cianfrance's Roofman, starring Channing Tatum, coming out later this year. But the new president is known to be indefatigable and is already familiar with the inner workings of the Academy and the Oscars, so she is expected to be able to hit the ground running. Plus, she is only able to remain on the board and to serve as president for this coming year before running up against the same term limit as Yang. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best Solve the daily Crossword

Kuwait Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Oscars group picks ‘A Star is Born' producer as new president
Oscars group picks 'A Star is Born' producer as new president The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences elected 'A Star is Born' film producer Lynette Howell Taylor as its new president, the group behind the Oscars said Thursday. Howell Taylor, who is British and also produced 'Blue Valentine' and 'The Accountant,' becomes the fifth woman chosen to run Hollywood's most elite group of filmmakers. Academy members vote for the winners of the Oscars each year. CEO Bill Kramer praised Howell Taylor for 'revitalizing our awards work' during her time serving as an Academy governor. Howell Taylor also produced the 2020 Oscars ceremony, in which 'Parasite' became the first non-English language film to win best picture. Hollywood's most prestigious award show, the Oscars have seen a recent uptick in interest, with nearly 20 million watching the latest ceremony in March. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Oscars ratings sank to barely 10.4 million. The Academy Awards telecast regularly topped 40 million just a decade ago.--AFP


Mint
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Producer Lynette Howell Taylor elected as new President of Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Washington, DC [US], August 1 (ANI): Producer Lynette Howell Taylor has been named the new president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) by the organisation's Board of Governors, reported Variety. According to the outlet, Taylor replaces Janet Yang, who has served as the Academy's president since 2021. With this, Howell Taylor becomes the fifth woman behind Yang (2021-2025), Fay Kanin (1979-1983), Cheryl Boone Isaacs (2013-2017) and Bette Davis (Davis resigned after two months in 1941) to hold the position. Howell Taylor is beginning her first term as president during her second term as a governor representing the Producers Branch, reported Variety. According to the outlet, Howell Taylor has previously served for three years as vice president and chair of the Awards Committee. Lesley Barber and Howard A. Rodman were re-elected as officers. It will be the first officer stint for Jennifer Fox, Simon Kilmurry and Lou Diamond Phillips. After naming Howell Taylor as the President of AMPAS, Academy CEO Bill Kramer expressed his belief in the new board officers and shared his excitement to work with the new President. Academy CEO Bill Kramer said, "Lynette has been a vital part of the Academy Board of Governors for many years, most recently revitalising our awards work as chair of the board's Awards Committee. I so look forward to working with her as our new Academy President, as well as with these incredibly dedicated and strategic board officers. This is an exceptional group of Academy members who will advance the Academy's mission, support our membership around the world, ensure our long-term financial stability, and celebrate the achievements of the global filmmaking community," as quoted by Variety. Howell Taylor's credits include 'A Star is Born,' 'The Accountant 2,' 'The Accountant, ' and 'Blue Valentine.' She is also behind the upcoming feature 'Roofman', which stars Channing Tatum in the lead role. As per the Academy's bylaws, Academy board members may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional three-year terms for a lifetime maximum of 12 years, reported Variety. Officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive years in any one office. (ANI)

LeMonde
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Oscars: 'A Star is Born' producer elected as Academy's new president
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences elected A Star is Born film producer Lynette Howell Taylor as its new president, the group behind the Oscars said Thursday. Howell Taylor, who is British and also produced Blue Valentine and The Accountant, becomes the fifth woman chosen to run Hollywood's most elite group of filmmakers. Academy members vote for the winners of the Oscars each year. CEO Bill Kramer praised Howell Taylor for "revitalizing our awards work" during her time serving as an Academy governor. Howell Taylor also produced the 2020 Oscars ceremony, in which Parasite became the first non-English language film to win best picture. Hollywood's most prestigious award show, the Oscars have seen a recent uptick in interest, with nearly 20 million watching the latest ceremony in March. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Oscars ratings sank to barely 10.4 million. The Academy Awards telecast regularly topped 40 million just a decade ago.


Los Angeles Times
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Lynette Howell Taylor elected new president of the motion picture academy
Hollywood's most exclusive club has a new leader. Producer Lynette Howell Taylor has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group's board of governors announced Thursday, becoming the 37th person to hold the post in the academy's 97-year history. Howell Taylor, a member of the organization's producers branch since 2014, succeeds Janet Yang, who was elected in 2022 and is stepping down after three consecutive one-year terms. Howell Taylor takes the helm alongside CEO Bill Kramer as the organization continues to confront a rapidly shifting landscape for the Oscars and the broader film industry. An academy member since 2014 and, at 46, the youngest president named to the post in decades, the British-born Howell Taylor brings both deep production experience and long-standing involvement in academy leadership. Over the past two decades, she has produced more than 25 films, including 'A Star is Born,' which earned her a best picture nomination in 2019. Her other credits include 'Captain Fantastic,' 'Blue Valentine,' 'The Place Beyond the Pines' and the upcoming 'Roofman.' In 2020, she co-produced the 92nd Oscars ceremony with Stephanie Allain, receiving an Emmy nomination for the broadcast that was capped by a historic win for Bong Joon Ho's 'Parasite.' Within the academy, Howell Taylor served three years as vice president and chair of the powerful awards committee, where she played a key role in shaping the Oscars' direction in a time of institutional change. In a meeting at the academy's Beverly Hills headquarters, the 55-member board also elected a slate of officers for the 2025–26 term. Composer Lesley Barber, producer Jennifer Fox, documentary filmmaker Simon Kilmurry, actor Lou Diamond Phillips and screenwriter Howard A. Rodman will serve as vice presidents, with Kilmurry also taking on the role of treasurer and Rodman serving as secretary. Barber and Rodman are returning officers; the others are serving in officer roles for the first time. As president, Howell Taylor will be expected to help steer the organization through a period of reinvention and uncertainty not just for the academy but for the industry as a whole. The academy continues to wrestle with declining Oscars viewership — this year's telecast averaged 19.7 million viewers, up from the previous year but still less than half what the show pulled in at its peak in the 1990s. The presidency is an unpaid, largely ceremonial role but it has taken on added weight in recent years amid growing scrutiny of the academy's decision-making, including, most notoriously, in the aftermath of Will Smith's 2022 Oscars slap. 'Lynette has been a vital part of the Academy Board of Governors for many years, most recently revitalizing our awards work as chair of the board's Awards Committee,' Kramer said in a statement. 'I so look forward to working with her as our new Academy President, as well as with these incredibly dedicated and strategic board officers. This is an exceptional group of Academy members who will advance the Academy's mission, support our membership around the world, ensure our long-term financial stability, and celebrate the achievements of the global filmmaking community.'