Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1533995
4 M PS E . O R G I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season. The MPSE was very busy during the winter months with Golden Reel Awards voting and preparations for the awards gala. If you couldn't make it to celebrate with us in person, please enjoy this quick recap. Guests were welcomed into the luxurious and historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre with an open bar, featuring a signature cocktail that aligned with the evening's blue theme, The Blue Lagoon. So delicious! Guests got to visit for a few hours FROM THE MPSE OFFICE Hello, wonderful MPSE members! before being ushered to their seats, where MPSE President David Barber kicked off the show with a heartwarming and invigorating speech detailing our Los Angeles Fire Relief efforts, as well as our formidable plans for the future. The MPSE is up to great things! We were extremely proud to welcome members of the LAFD, who attended as our guests and who received a well-deserved round of thunderous applause from the audience. The city and citizens of Los Angeles are indebted to them for their bravery and protection. Dave then handed the stage to our favorite host, Patton Oswalt, who took over the evening in his signature, hilarious style, with some good-natured roasting of the year's nominated projects. This was Patton's third time hosting for us and, as always, he exuded respect and admiration for our craft and expressed a desire to join us again next year. You're on, Patton! The first batch of awards was for animation, and who better to start the show than the living legend, and former MPSE Career Achievement honoree John Roesch. John is surely in some secret competition for the Nicest Person in Show Business, and he's winning! Our three documentary categories were presented by MPSE member and prolific supervising sound editor Onnalee Blank. This was Onnalee's first time presenting for us and she exuded grace and joy. We were very proud to have her. We were incredibly fortunate to have two living legends present our three gaming categories: David Hayter (aka Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid) and Jennifer Hale, who currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most prolific female video game voice actor. They were so much fun to watch. What a duo! To present to our Career Achievement Award honoree Greg Hedgepath, the MPSE was pleased to welcome sound icon and previous Career Achievement Award honoree Steve Flick to the stage. Steve spoke about his admiration for not only Greg's sound prowess, but also his unflappable demeanor, which made him a bright beacon during challenging projects. Steve said it all when he remarked, "Greg is a master magician." After the crowd enjoyed a heart- stopping montage of Greg's incredible work, he was welcomed to the stage where he spoke about the twists and turns that led to becoming a titan of sound. Starting from a very young age, he was drawn to, and captivated by, the way sound can affect us. He recounted two harrowing tales from his youth in which some of his most visceral memories were the sounds associated with them. And in an MPSE first, Greg took a selfie from the stage with the entire audience! It was our honor to have you, Greg. Our two Short Form categories gave us the opportunity to welcome back to our stage last year's Career Achievement Award honoree, Dane Davis. As always, Dane's energy and enthusiasm jumped off the stage and captured the audience as he included his own dramatic sound effects for ripping open the winner's envelope. Such a character! TRACIE M. COSTABILE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR