Seven months after earning the coveted top jobs at Warner Bros Motion Picture Studios, Co-Presidents Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy received the PGA Milestone Award on Saturday night. The two paid tribute to their mega-industry mentors; emotionally recalling her childhood in New York and New Jersey; and their new boss, David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, congratulations.
“I can see I’ve entered the twilight part of my career where they’ll give you awards for your work … kind of getting that AARP job post for the first time. I’m sorry I dragged you into this, Pam. Pam is much younger than me, as you all can see,” De Luca joked shortly after taking the stage after Ron Howard gave a warm introduction to a sold-out Beverly Hilton audience.
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“As studio heads, they quietly revolutionized industry practices,” beamed Howard, praising the couple’s “bold green light” for their Thai cave rescue film Thirteen lives at MGM as the industry emerged from the lockout.
“The most ambitious and experienced directors want to work with them,” Howard points out. “They come on the carpet because of the history and the artists they believe in.”
One role featured Abdy and DeLuca’s career highlights: reading Garden State, Revenant, Freedom Writers for abbey and Austin Powers, dumb and dumband more for De Luca. garden state Director Zach Braff recounted how Abdy literally jumped into the pool to test the temperature during production and gained access to an oil truck with hot water in it to warm it up for the cast. David Fincher who did it Seven Speaking to De Luca at New Line, the manager said, “Saved my life.” Adam McKay, who did it anchorman with De Luca at DreamWorks, exclaimed, “He starts with a love of film and business follows.” Gina Prince-Bythewood, who did it Love & Basketball at New Line, De Luca said, “believes in the script.” Called Creed III Filmmaker and star Michael B. Jordan: “They’re a dynamic duo, they’re legends.” joker Filmmaker Todd Philips, who is shooting the sequel at Warners, also thanked the duo.
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De Luca, who made his debut on New Line and has starred in films such as The AustinForce Paul Thomas Anderson reminisced about his childhood in New York while watching the franchise and early films close encounters at the Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan in 1978 (“the opening with that light and that big bass going out”) and also war of stars at the Loews Astor Plaza.
He said he’s “jealous” (but in a good way) of young viewers getting that cinematic feel he had when he was younger, but with today’s movies like Everything, everywhere, all at once And Top Gun: Maverick.
He thanked the space, “Pam and I would be nowhere without artists like those who were on our roll and worked with.”
“We’ve been lucky to be there when some filmmakers make their big debut, and nothing is more exciting than being there when a new artist starts or advances their career.”
“We are passionate about giving new voices a chance,” added De Luca.
De Luca returned to the present at Warner Bros with a big thanks to Zaslav (he and Abdy took top film jobs there in June).
“Thank you, David. It’s the job of a lifetime and we’ll do it for free… ok not really, don’t get too excited – it’s a metaphor. Don’t worry,” said De Luca, the Oscar-nominated producer of The social network Moneyball And Captain Phillips.
Other greetings given by De Luca were former New Line boss Bob Shaye (“gave me my first chance”); DreamWorks founders Steve Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg (“for teaching me to dream big”); former Sony film exec Amy Pascal (“for showing me what pure film love looks like as a business”); Is social network And Captain Phillips producer and partner Scott Rudin (“for teaching me what manufacturing”); Kevin Ulrich (“because he cared about going to the movies when it mattered most”); and Universal Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley (“because she’s the best friend and the best example of a walking miracle who can do anything and everything better than anyone I’ve ever seen try anything.”)
It was in college that De Luca produced the massive $1.3 billion adult franchise Fifty Shades of Grey.
Abdy, who also evokes cinematic childhood memories, said: “Growing up in New Jersey, I didn’t know there was a place for me in the film industry. I just didn’t see where I belonged. Then a teacher at Emerson College recommended a book to me about the wonderful Dawn Steel. It was mentioned They can kill you, but they can’t eat you. And that was it – I found my way, I found my place.
Abdy thanked that professor, David Roderick, as well as “Danny DeVito, Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg. They took me on as an intern and got me going. You taught me how great production is: first on set, last on set, and it has to be on the page.” Howard mentioned in his introduction that Abdy was originally trained as a dancer, but a broken foot, Steel’s book and an Internship at Jersey Films changed everything.
“Sherry Lansing, Karen Rosenfelt, John Goldwyn, Tom Jacobson, Donald De Line and the late Alli Shearmur – rest in peace. They believed in me and taught me how to be a studio manager,” she added, as well as “Donna Langley, Mary Parent and Kevin Huvane for being in my corner since I was an assistant.”
And of course De Luca and Zaslav.
“A big thank you to David Zaslav for literally my dream job and your passion for film and business. You are a great boss and leader,” Abdy said.
She called De Luca “my best friend and partner” and “a visionary”.
De Luca and Abdy are part of an illustrious club associated with past PGA Milestone Awards, a list that includes George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy, Louis B. Mayer, Walt Disney, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Bob Iger, Sherry Lansing, Clint Eastwood, includes Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, James Cameron, Ted Sarandos, Donna Langley and more.
Source: Deadline
Bernice Bonaparte is an author and entertainment journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for pop culture and a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest entertainment news, Bernice has become a trusted source for information on the entertainment industry.
