The Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB) has now announced the winners of its biennial PGGB Awards.
This time, “Wonka”, “Supacell”, Producer David Heyman, Georgette Turner, Valeria Bullo and new talent Marc Ronnie received accolades.
Lyndsay Duthie, CEO of PGGB paid tribute to the winners saying, “Our PGGB members are best in class. This wealth of below-the-line talent is the bedrock of our film and television industry and it’s their hard work and skill that creates the first class reputation the UK has garnered. Our 2024 awards are also an opportunity to acknowledge the incredible contribution producer David Heyman has made and we celebrate him with our Contribution to the Industry accolade.”
Bianca Gavin, PGGB Chair added: “Our PGGB Awards are a celebration of the tremendous and inspiring achievements of our membership and those who are the backbone of the UK film and television industry. As Chair, I am proud to highlight these contributions: our industry is built on collaboration, and we all benefit from the exceptional work of these individuals.”
The Six Awards are:
The Production Guild of Great Britain
Production Team of the Year – Film Award 2024
Sponsored by Panavision
Winner: “Wonka”
The PGGB Film Production Team of the Year Award sponsored by Panavision is presented to the production team behind feel-good movie of 2023, the exquisite musical Wonka (Warner Bros / Village Roadshow Pictures / Roald Dahl Story Company).
PGGB members Alex Derbyshire (Producer), Tim Wellspring (Executive Producer/UPM) and Adam Hughes (Production Manager) will collect the award on behalf of a largely UK team which included 16 PGGB members, whose passion to deliver an exceptional project was evident.
The senior leadership created real cohesion to ensure that junior team members were able to develop their skills and increase their knowledge, fostering an outstanding team spirit. Beyond the sheer logistics of delivering a large-scale feature film on time and on budget when Covid19 was still dogging productions, they demonstrated resilience and inclusivity on all levels, ensuring that all members of the team felt valued and committed.
Sustainability was a priority, with a strong focus on tightly controlling waste and emissions to minimise the carbon footprint of the production and ensuring that assets were recycled and repurposed when the film wrapped.
On screen, the world of Wonka is beautifully designed and crafted and the technical achievements in camera and in post are clear and a credit to all who worked on it.
PGGB Members recognised:
Alexandra Ferguson Derbyshire – Producer
Tim Wellspring – Executive Producer/UPM
Adam Hughes – Production Manager
Emma Mallett – Production Manager (Additional Photography)
Oliver Crawford – Assistant Location Manager
Gemma Todd (Smithers) – Post Production Accountant
Cristina Zanoletti – AP Supervisor
Kirsty Lea – Payroll Supervisor
Owen Keys – 1st Assistant Accountant
Andrew Durbin – Assistant Payroll Accountant
Karen Bicknell – Post 1st Assistant Accountant
Tom Ormerod – Production Coordinator
Liam Shorrock – Assistant Production Coordinator
The Production Guild of Great Britain
Production Team of the Year – HETV Award 2024
Sponsored by Netflix
Winner: “Supacell”
The PGGB High-End TV Production Team of the Year Award sponsored by Netflix is presented to the production team behind Season 1 of Supacell, an innovative superhero story created, written and directed by rapper and first-time TV director Rapman. Taking audiences by storm, achieving a top 10 placing on Netflix, Supacell stars Tosin Cole, Nadine Mills, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Calvin Demba and Josh Tedeku as the five superheroes pursued by Eddie Marsan and his organisation.
Shot in London, Supacell’s strong emphasis on recruiting diverse, local talent is a credit to its production. Delivering unique opportunities to cast and crew members who might not otherwise have had the chance to work on a production of this scale, all were guided by a production team whose expertise and willingness to share and help overcome challenges was essential to the project’s success.
PGGB members Nessa King (Financial Controller), Cecily Colahan (Production Manager), Artur Surma (Netflix VFX Finance Consultant Post Production), and Marjan Zolghadr (Payroll Accountant), alongside the wider production team are honoured for helping deliver a superhero TV show without a superhero budget.
The Production Guild of Great Britain
Inspiration Award 2024
Sponsored by: BCD Media & Entertainment and Virgin Atlantic Delta Air Lines
Winner: Georgette Turner
A tireless operator, Georgette Turner delivers incredible results for productions and crews across the industry in her key roles as a Unit Production Manager and Supervising Location Manager, and most recently as a Line Producer. Her credits include Wonder Woman, The Little Mermaid, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, The Boys in the Boat, Edge of Tomorrow and Austin, as well as countless other productions.
Georgette is a role model working on the frontline of the industry, inspiring and influencing crew as they move up through the ranks. Her Location Bootcamps ensure the next generation of location managers are equipped to progress.
Always approachable, always making time to talk to others, she was an invaluable source of information for many colleagues during the pandemic, so much so that she became termed ‘the Covid Queen’.
Georgette is passionate about addressing the diversity and inclusion challenges in the industry both at the junior level and for people entering the industry from other careers or returning to work after a break. As a young mother, she demonstrates more energy and time than several people put together. She inspires others in senior positions to support new, upcoming talent, and to ensure they foster a well-trained and trusted workforce to help the industry thrive.
A committed advocate for sustainability, she has developed innovative products, services and systems to help achieve a more sustainable industry, from delivering market-leading solar-powered facilities to providing a second life for props and costumes. Her creative approach has delivered solutions across the industry.
Georgette is a force of nature, celebrated not only for her professional abilities but her generosity, creativity and her enduring impact on the industry.
The Production Guild of Great Britain
Diversity & Inclusion Champion Award 2024
Sponsored by EON Productions
Winner: Valeria Bullo
PGGB Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award sponsored by EON Productions is presented to Valeria Bullo for her tireless work in making the industry a kinder, more inclusive and healthier place for everyone. Her commitment to mental health support, to peer support, and to tackling industry stigma has been transformative and unfaltering, whether in-house or in a consultancy role.
Back in 2019, she launched her Cinemama’s initiative, a female-led community for mothers working in the screen industries. Since then, it has provided invaluable connections for working parents, helping them to access advice, support and practical solutions, and to ensure that more talent remains in the industry.
Among her other achievements, Valeria developed and implemented the Whole Picture toolkit for the Film & TV Charity, co-designing it with the industry through a working group, focus groups and many interviews with freelancers – all of which she ran. It’s a resource which has been adopted by over 100 productions now, and which provides essential information, guidance and acknowledgement of a range of issues and concerns which might affect crew through an evidence-based mixture of guides and templates, all designed to make productions healthier, fairer and more inclusive. It has been a game-changer for the industry, and she continues to ensure that its benefits are extended to even more productions.
Valeria has long been a staunch and committed campaigner in a very difficult sector. She is a pioneer in our industry who is making a genuine difference to the health and wellbeing of its talent, and we are delighted to recognise her achievements with this award.
Andrew Noakes of EON Productions who are sponsors of the award said: “Sponsoring the PGGB Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award is a wonderful way to support and celebrate the progress being made in the production industry. It’s inspiring to see the industry taking significant steps towards inclusivity and prioritising the wellbeing of the workforce.”
The Production Guild of Great Britain
Spotlight on New Talent Award 2024
Sponsored by MBS Equipment Co
Winner: Marc Ronnie
The PGGB Spotlight on New Talent Award sponsored by MBS Equipment Co. is presented to Marc Ronnie for the diligence and enthusiasm he has shown in his roles in both the Production and Accounting departments.
A member of PGGB since 2019 when he was accepted on to the APATS course, Marc has thrown himself into work, and has accumulated some impressive credits including The Sandman (2020-21), When Paddington Met the Queen (2022) and The Acolyte (2022-23), working his way up to Payroll Supervisor on his most recent production, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2024).
Along the way, he has assisted Action Props on a Wes Anderson project where his involvement was essential in steadying the ship and giving him a unique insight into production beyond the spreadsheet.
Marc has demonstrated that he is keen to make a difference in the industry, by supporting and encouraging colleagues in furthering their careers, and is committed to his own continued development. He’s the ultimate team player and an asset to any production.
Special Mention: Sarah Boyks
A Special Mention in this category goes to Sarah Boyks for demonstrating her commitment to her own personal development in the industry as she worked her way up from a Covid department to the production dept. Credits: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story – 2nd Unit Production Coordinator, Stampede Ventures (2022)
The PGGB Contribution to the Industry Award 2024
Sponsored by Universal Production Services Set Lighting and Rigging
Winner: David Heyman
Acclaimed UK producer David Heyman of Heyday Films, whose glittering credits include the Harry Potterfranchise and more recently Wonka, Barbie and the Paddington movies has built a global reputation for excellence and that track record prompted the PGGB jury to name him recipient of the PGGB Contribution to Industry award for 2024.
Icon is an overused word, but David’s work is full of icons, it brings them to life, puts a new spin on them. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood used screen icons Brad Pitt and Leonardo di Caprio, and Quentin Tarantino himself to create a work that’s about icons and film legacy. Paddington and Wonka are icons revived and Barbie the iconic doll now turned into a freshly iconic, record-breaking movie.
As these blockbusters attest, David Heyman has a suave ability to spot a hit movie and, more crucially, to find its heart. With an indie spirit but a limitless eye for potential, David has made the job of the British film producer a proud, smart and creative one.
He has brought the world to our shores – from Brighton to Kings Cross, Leavesden to Alnwick. He’s given actors and directors their career kick-starts and leg-ups, spawned plays and spin-offs and helped kids and adults discover reading and movies, and inspired legions of special effects wizards and craft practitioners to get better and better. He’s helped the British film industry become the envy of the film world.
What’s amazing, heartening and gratifying, is that so much of David’s work has been anchored here in the UK, where his demands and ambitions have inspired new levels of achievement in SFX departments and studio facilities, inspiring generations of new producers and even gently changing film promotion and how we do premieres. Quite simply and quietly, he raises everyone’s game.
We thank and honour David Heyman for all the business he’s spawned, the standards he’s raised, the production values he’s instilled and insisted on, and the talents he’s encouraged and nurtured – but mainly, the acknowledgement and the award is for giving us and millions of others what it’s all really about and what we all really want, : so many wonderful hours of magic at the movies.
Jon Creamer
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