Actress-Comedienne Kym Whitley to Host the 2010 NAMIC Vision Awards

LOS ANGELES, April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Actress-Comedienne Kym Whitley will serve as host of the 16th Annual NAMIC Vision Awards.  Presented by NAMIC-Southern California, a regional chapter of NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications), the NAMIC Vision Awards is the only program of its kind, which recognizes the television industry's achievements in programming diversity.  The 16th Annual NAMIC Vision Awards will be presented at a luncheon ceremony scheduled for Thursday, April 22, 2010 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.  

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A talented and driven actress-producer-director-comedienne, Whitley's credits include an impressive roster of film and television appearances in addition to her work in the stand-up comedy arena.  Recent career highlights include co-starring roles in the feature films "Black Dynamite" and "I Love You Man."  Additionally, Whitley is featured in a guest starring role on FOX's "The Cleveland Show."  

Celebrity presenters scheduled for the 16th Annual NAMIC Vision Awards include Alec Mapa (ABC's "Ugly Betty"); Wendy Raquel Robinson (BET's "The Game"); and Jai Rodriguez (The CW's "Harvard Medical School").

A total of 27 networks and producers/distributors representing a wide range of programming generated 59 nominations for awards presented in 15 categories: Animation; Children's; Comedy; Documentary; Drama; Foreign Language; Lifestyle; News/Informational; Original Movie or Special; Reality; Sports; Variety/Talk Show; Best Performance – Comedy; Best Performance – Drama; and Digital Media (Short Form).  Original programs that aired between the dates of November 1, 2008 and October 31, 2009 were eligible for consideration.  

The NAMIC Vision Awards competition extends eligibility to national broadcast and cable networks; local affiliates; local origination programs from cable operators; and VOD content produced for digital platforms.  Entries are judged by a distinguished panel comprised of communications industry executives, producers, and scholars.  Judging is focused on overall imagery (creative merit, originality, and presentation quality), sensitivity (the consideration given to cultural nuances), writing (the depiction of issues relevant to people of color) and the quality of acting in the performance categories.

Warner Bros. is the presenting sponsor of the 16th Annual NAMIC Vision Awards.  For more information contact Danny McGlone, vice president of Fund Development, NAMIC at 212-594-5985 ext. 13.  Registration forms for tickets/table purchases are available online at http://www.namic.com.  

About NAMIC

NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is the premier organization focusing on multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit trade association, today NAMIC is comprised of 2,000 professionals belonging to a network of 18 chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that focus on education, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC champions equity and inclusion in the workforce, with special attention given to ensuring that the leadership cadres of our nation's communications industry giants reflect the multi-ethnic richness of the populations they serve. For more information on NAMIC, visit www.namic.com.

SOURCE NAMIC