John O’Hurley
Finalists and special honorees for the 50th Annual PRism Awards were announced recently by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-LA). The awards will be presented at the PRism Awards Golden Anniversary Gala on Wednesday, November 19 at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
This year’s awards ceremony will be emceed by actor, television personality and author John O’Hurley, best known for playing eccentric mail-order magnate J. Peterman on “Seinfeld,” hosting “Family Feud” and Purina’s annual “National Dog Show,” and making it to the final round (and winning a special audience-judged competition) on the first season of “Dancing with the Stars.” Less well known is the fact that O’Hurley worked as a PR professional and was a member of PRSA before he began his show business career.
“The PRism Awards gala is the biggest night of the year for the PR profession in Los Angeles, and we’re beyond excited that we’ll be celebrating our golden anniversary with one of the most entertaining and experienced emcees on the planet,” said PRSA-LA President Erik Deutsch. “It will be a very special evening to honor our award winners, our organization and our industry in true Hollywood style.”
As it happens, this year’s PRism Awards will be held in the very same location (the Hollywood Roosevelt’s Blossom Ballroom) that hosted the first Academy Awards in 1927. “Attendees will feel a sense of history as we pay tribute to the PRism’s past, present and future,” Deutsch added.
This year’s competition drew more than 200 entries, making it one of the largest and most competitive in the PRism’s 50-year history. The complete list of competitive category finalists is available at https://prsala.org/awards-programs/prism-awards/prism-finalists/. Tickets are on sale now at: https://prsala.org/awards-programs/prism-awards/prism-awards-show/.
In addition to awarding winners in the various judged categories, PRSA-LA will also present seven PRism Special Awards to honorees selected by a committee of senior PRSA-LA board members.
This year’s Special Award Honorees are:
PR Professional of the Year
Howard Bragman
Reputation.com; Fifteen Minutes Public Relations
PR Team of the Year
SpaceX
Outstanding Achievement in Public Affairs
Steven Nissen
NBCUniversal
Corporate Citizen of the Year
Disney
Outstanding Achievement in Publicity
CicLAvia
Joseph Roos Community Service Award
Denis Wolcott
The Wolcott Company
Outstanding News Professional
Rich DeMuro
KTLA-TV
Sponsorship Opportunities
The PRism Awards is among the most high-profile networking opportunities available in the local public relations market. Its popularity makes individual tickets and tables a wise investment for agency members and independent practitioners. For information about PRism Award Sponsorship, please contact Mindy Brundige at PRSA-LA, mindy@prsala.org.
