Senator Barbara Boxer & More Join 2016 GENII AWARDS

Alliance for Women in Media Southern California Foundation (AWM SoCal), a nonprofit organization helping to empower and fuel professional development of women across the media landscape, today announced that Senator Barbara Boxer, Netflix board member Anne Sweeney and Film Independent president Josh Welsh have been added as presenters for the 57th Annual Genii Awards.

The awards will be hosted by Erica Olsen, Emmy®-nominated on-air host for CBS2/KCAL9 and will be held on Thursday, May 5th as part of Digital Hollywood at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Extra TV co-hosts and award-winning producer Tracey Edmonds and Charissa Thompson will be honored at the gala event with the Excellence in Entertainment Award.

"It's an honor to receive a Genii Award and walk in the footsteps of so many amazing women in our industry who have been trailblazers in media," said Tracey Edmonds, Extra co-host and Entertainment Award honoree.

"I'm so honored not only to be a recipient of this award, but to receive it alongside and with someone (Tracey Edmonds) who is not only a colleague but has become one of my dearest friends," added Charissa Thompson, Extra co-host and honoree.

Sen. Boxer will present the Excellence in Documentary Award to her daughter Nicole Boxer, a documentary filmmaker (The Invisible War, The Hunting Ground) while Netflix board member and former president of Disney ABC Television Networks Anne Sweeney will present the Inspiration Award to friend Maggie Bellville, vice president at Hitachi Consulting.

"The Genii Awards are a day of pride and inspiration for everyone in our industry," said Anne Sweeney. "We will salute the pioneers, the GROUNDBREAKERS and the fearless innovators whose hard work has served as an inspiration to us all."

Josh Welsh, president of Film Independent (which produces the Spirit Awards, LA Film Festival, Film Independent at LACMA and Project Involve) will present awards to the following film competition winners: Debris: Escombros, directed by Mary-Lyn Chambersfor Best Narrative Short - Drama; Three Strikes, directed by Susan Davis for Best Narrative Short - Comedy; Who Killed Eloa? directed by Livia Perez for for Best Documentary Short; Before the Bomb, written by Tannaz Hazemi and James Grimaldi for Best Short Script - Drama; and If I Don't Lose, I'll Lose, written by Jean St Clair for Best Short Script - Comedy.

"Senator Barbara Boxer, Anne Sweeney, Tracey Edmonds, Charissa Thompson and Erica Olsen are outstanding examples of women of excellence. We are grateful for their leadership and support at this year's Genii Awards," said AWM SoCal president Samantha Brown. "We are also excited to welcome Josh Welsh as the presenter for our first Film Competition Awards. Organizations like Film Independent and AWM SoCal champion programs to help further women in film and media."

Other esteemed presenters and honorees attending the gala include:
Christine Devine, news anchor at FOX KTTV for the Excellence in Journalism Award; Talaya Trigueros, on-air personality from 94.7 The Wave will present Pat Prescott, on-air personality for 94.7 The Wave with the Excellence in Radio Award; Xanthe Wells, former chief creative officer at Pitch Agency for the Excellence in Advertising Award; Sherry Brennan, SVP, distribution strategy & development, FOX Networks Group, for the Excellence in Management Award; and Julie Kertes, general manager for the National Parenting Product Awards will present Annette Covarrubias, digital sales planner at CBS Radio with the Rising Star Award.

The Genii Awards acknowledge the notable achievements of excellence by women in media and entertainment and is sponsored by Hitachi Consulting, SAG-AFTRA and Vubiquity. Media sponsors include Digital Hollywood and Multichannel News. Product sponsor is Evian. Proceeds from the event support the AWM SoCal Foundation and its Student Scholarship Fund.

For tickets visit awmsocalfoundation.org/tickets. For sponsorships visit awmsocalfoundation.org/sponsorships.

For more information about Alliance for Women in Media Southern California, visit awmsocal.org.

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