Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544300
4 M PS E . O R G FROM THE MPSE OFFICE TRACIE M. COSTABILE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Hello, wonderful members! We hope you had an enjoyable holiday season and Happy New Year. The office was busy putting the finishing touches on the 73rd Golden Reel Awards. What an epic night! If you were able to join us, we hope you had a fantastic time. If we missed you this year, here's a quick rundown of the evening's festivities. Upon arrival at the gorgeous and historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre, guests checked in and then made their way directly to the theater. We were happy to provide pre- poured wine and beer, as well as savory snacks, for guests to pick up and enjoy on their way in. Once the lights went down, our outstanding host, Patton Oswalt, kicked off the show with big laughs and great admiration for the sound community. This was Patton's fourth year in a row with us, and he let me know that he was already looking forward to next year. We'd love to have you back, Patton! The first awards of the evening for our three Animation categories were presented by Foley icon and longtime friend of the MPSE, John Roesch. Despite being officially retired, we're happy to see that John is still involved in the sound community, sharing his hard-earned wisdom with peers and students. Our three Documentary categories were presented by first-time presenter and social media sensation, Sanaa Kelley. Sanaa has become a TikTok staple as she demonstrates the creativity and skill that goes into quality Foley work. Thank you, Sanaa, for gracing our stage and for sharing your love of your craft with the world. The MPSE was incredibly proud to have one of the most prolific and successful producers of all time, Kathleen Kennedy, as the recipient of our Filmmaker Award. Kathleen was incredibly gracious and complimentary of the sound community saying, "What I love most about sound designers and editors is your curiosity. You find the extraordinary in the ordinary." Ms. Kennedy's award was presented to her by none other than the sound legend, Ben Burtt. Ben waxed nostalgic on his beginnings working with "Kathy" on ET, and their subsequent blockbusters like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park. He praised her for always leaving room for the sound team to be creative and contribute in meaningful and artistic ways. We were immensely fortunate to bring to our stage two prolific voice actors: Tim Friedlander, founder of the National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA), and Cissy Jones, BAFTA winner for the video game Firewatch, to present our three Game Audio categories. They both expressed their gratitude to the MPSE for acknowledging the hardworking human artists behind the games we all love to play. The MPSE had the tremendous honor of presenting the one-and-only Mark Mangini with our Career Achievement Award. It is hard to imagine anyone who is more deserving of this award. Mark's legacy of not only ingenious and creative sound, but of his mentorship to the next generation, made him the ideal candidate to be honored this year. But as Mark said, "I'm just getting started!" We're very happy to hear that, Mark! We look forward to more of your genius. George Miller (Dune) was unable to join us in person but sent a special message of love and support for his friend. George called sound "a key vector in the telling of stories." After working with Mark, he said he now believes that "we hear with our eyes and see with our ears." Presenting Mark Mangini's award was acclaimed director/producer Gavin O'Connor (Warrior, The Accountant, Miracle). As a longtime friend of Mark's, Gavin was in a unique position to speak about his work ethic, personal ethics, accomplishments, and family. In Gavin's words, "Mark doesn't approach sound like a designer or a technician. He approaches it like a musician. Sounds are notes. Sounds are rhythm." It was clear that Mark and his enormous talent made a meaningful impact on Gavin during their time working together. Presenting our two Short Form categories was beloved