The Academy Elects 2025-2026 Board of Governors

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences made some big moves today announcing their new members of the Board of Governors!

THE ACADEMY ELECTS 2025-2026 BOARD OF GOVERNORS

 LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced its newly elected 2025-2026 Board of Governors.  The governors will take office at the first scheduled board meeting of the new term.

Incumbent governors reelected to the Board:

Marlee Matlin, Actors Branch

Marlon West, Animation Branch

Richard Hicks, Casting Directors Branch

Dion Beebe, Cinematographers Branch

Jason Reitman, Directors Branch

Chris Hegedus, Documentary Branch

Nancy Richardson, Film Editors Branch

Jason Blum, Producers Branch

Missy Parker, Production Design Branch

Peter Devlin, Sound Branch

Elected to the Board for the first time:

Peter Kujawski, Executives Branch

Gigi Williams, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch

Carter Burwell, Music Branch

Andrew Roberts, Visual Effects Branch

Returning to the Board after a hiatus:

Isis Mussenden, Costume Designers Branch

Christina Kounelias, Marketing and Public Relations Branch

Larry Karaszewski, Writers Branch

They will join returning governors: Pam Abdy, Wendy Aylsworth, Lesley Barber, K.K. Barrett, Rob Bredow, Brooke Breton, Paul Cameron, Patricia Cardoso, Eduardo Castro, David Dinerstein, Ava DuVernay, Linda Flowers, Jennifer Fox, Richard Gibbs, Jinko Gotoh, Lynette Howell Taylor, Kalina Ivanov, Simon Kilmurry, Laura C. Kim, Ellen Kuras, Hannah Minghella, Andy Nelson, Daniel Orlandi, Lou Diamond Phillips, Gerald Quist, Stephen Rivkin, Howard A. Rodman, Terilyn A. Shropshire, Dana Stevens, Mark P. Stoeckinger, Chris Tashima, Kim Taylor-Coleman, Jean Tsien, Rita Wilson and Debra Zane.

The Production and Technology Branch and Short Films Branch did not hold elections.

New governors-at-large will be elected and announced later this month.

The Academy has 19 branches, each represented by three governors, except for the Animation Branch, represented by two governors; the Short Films Branch, represented by one governor; and the Production and Technology Branch, represented by one governor.  Governors, including the board-elected governors-at-large, may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional three-year terms for a lifetime maximum of 12 years.

The Board of Governors sets the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.

For the current 2024-2025 Academy governors, click here

Simple Plan gets a documentary on Amazon Prime

The Candian Pop Punk Band Simple Plan is getting a documentary this summer on Amazon Prime!

For as long as I can remember, Simple Plan has been a part of my regular rotation. From the first time I listened to the album, "No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls" I was hooked. I've seen these guys live countless times over the years, and they have never let me down. Back in 2003, Seb even gave one of my old shitty bands the advice to get out of Utah if we seriously wanted a record deal. Needless to say, we didn't listen. Honestly, looking back on it, I received that advice a lot... I'm really glad I finally took that to heart years ago. 

Now while this is their first official documentary, I will never forget the impact that their CD/DVD combo of "A Big Package for You" had on me. I was early in my days of trying to be in a band, and seeing all of their BTS footage of being on the road and touring just made me eager to play live music on the road. While that dream was short lived, following Simple Plan never stopped. I am very excited to see so much of their story unfold in the trailer that I never knew and can't wait to see more. 

Check out the trailer below and stream Simple Plan: The Kids in the Crowd on July 8th! 

Peacemaker is back!

 The long-awaited Season 2 of DC Studios HBO Max series Peacemaker is set to make its return! 

DC Studio released a new poster and trailer for Season 2 today, and I must say I am thrilled to see more Eagly! Following the release of Superman on July 11th, Peacemaker will be the fifth release under the new DC Studios leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran. So far, things have been off to an incredible start! 

Check out the new trailer below for Peacemaker Season 2 and let us know what you think!

JAWS 50th Anniversary Documentary Coming July 10th!

Steven Spielberg's iconic film, JAWS celebrates its 50th Anniversary today! 

It's honestly crazy to me that this iconic film has been around for half a century. JAWS is one of the many movies that inspired me and so many others to become filmmakers. I remember seeing this film for the first time and just being mesmerized. As I got older and started becoming more and more interested in film, learning everything I could about this movie and the hell that Spielberg went through to make it happen became an investment for me. I was awestruck the more I learned about how so much went wrong, especially with Bruce, and yet they still made the masterpiece they did really spoke to me. There was such a purity to the fact that no matter what was thrown at them, they were going to tell this story and tell it well. 

This famed picture of Spielberg in the mouth of Bruce has always been one of my favorite BTS shots.

To celebrate JAWS turning 50, National Geographic is releasing a documentary called JAWS @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. This will air on National Geographic Thursday July 10th, and stream the following day on Disney+ and Hulu. I am incredibly excited about this documentary and can't wait to see even more behind the scenes bits from JAWS. 

Check out the trailer below!

See you soon, SDCC!

We are so excited to officially announced that we will be returning to San Diego Comic-Con this summer!

Join us this July at SDCC as we celebrate 10 years at San Diego Comic-Con! We have made so many great memories and friends over the years at SDCC and can't wait to start making another 10 years' worth of memories. 

More details and guest information to come! 

Stay tuned to all of our socials for more!

The new "Superman" trailer is here!

From DC Studios and Warner Brothers Pictures, the long-awaited trailer for James Gunn's Superman is finally here!

I could not be more excited about the prospect of the film. As DC Comic's fan, as well as a fan of James Gunn's work, this pairing has had me excited since it was first announced. I am happy to say the trailer did not disappoint! We also get a fun look at Krypto even kicking some ass! Let's be honest, none of us will be able to get enough Krypto when all is said and done. Check out the trailer below and let us know your thoughts!

Episode 232 - The Berkowitz Brothers

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE ON APPLE PODCASTS HERE

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE ON SPOTIFY HERE

On today's episode I have comic book writers and filmmakers, Ben and Max Berkowitz! 

I first came across the Berkowtiz Brothers almost a year ago when I briefly met them at a signing for their comic book, "The Writer". I'll be honest, I wasn't at the signing for them, but for another comic and decided to pick theirs up while I was there. As soon as I dove in, I was hooked!

I talked with Max and Ben about growing up on the East Coast, their first introduction to comic books, getting involved with entertainment, earliest influences and the first comics they bought, developing "The Writer" and bringing Josh Gadd on board, pitching to Dark Horse Comics, their social marketing company Not a Billionaire, and so much more!

A huge Thank You to Max and Ben for taking the time to join me on the show. I've been wanting to have them on the show for a while now and was thrilled we were able to make it happen. You can pick up the paperback of "The Writer" now, which includes the full story and all of the issues in one book simply by clicking on the link below. Make sure to follow the Berkowitz Brothers on all of the links below as well. 

Thanks, Ben and Max!

Enjoy the episode!

BUY "THE WRITER" ON AMAZON HERE

FOLLOW THE WRITER ON INSTAGRAM HERE

FOLLOW THE BERKOWITZ BROTHERS ON INSTAGRAM HERE

FOLLOW BEN ON INSTAGRAM HERE

FOLLOW MAX ON INSTAGRAM HERE

FOLLOW NOT A BILLIONAIRE ON INSTAGRAM HERE

OFFICIAL NOT A BILLIONAIRE WEBSITE HERE

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE ON APPLE PODCASTS HERE

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE ON SPOTIFY HERE

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE ON PODBEAN HERE