Luis Guzman Selected As The 2012 NAMIC Vision Awards Members' Choice Winner For His Performance In HBO's "How to Make it in America"

NEW YORK, June 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Luis Guzman, winner of the 2012 NAMIC Vision Award for Best Performance – Comedy has been selected to receive this year's Members' Choice Award.  Guzman's Best Performance – Comedy win was for his work in the HBO original program, "How to Make it in America."    

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NAMIC members were given the opportunity to cast their votes and select their favorite program from the field of this year's winning Vision Awards entries. Online voting for the Members' Choice Award was launched on April 24, 2012 with the unveiling of the NAMIC Vision Awards Gallery, http://namicvisionawards.com. The online voting period concluded May 11th.

"How to Make it in America" follows two enterprising Brooklyn twentysomethings as they hustle their way through New York City, determined to achieve the American Dream and make a name for themselves in New York's competitive fashion scene. Guzman portrays "Rene", a character trying to market his own high-energy drink as he and the cast of burgeoning entrepreneurs use their street knowledge and connections to bring their ambitions to fruition.

"As the ethnic and cultural spectrum of viewers continues to expand, the content across all platforms must mirror the global audience that the industry serves," said NAMIC President and CEO, Nicol Turner-Lee, Ph.D.  "We applaud our Southern California Chapter for their leadership in recognizing achievements in programming diversity through the NAMIC Vision Awards."

Presented by NAMIC – Southern California, the Vision Awards recognize original, multi-platform television programming that depicts the lives, spirit and contributions of people of color and best reflects the diversity of the global viewing audience. The 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. A panel comprised of entertainment industry executives serves as judges for the annual competition. Judging is focused on overall imagery (Creative Merit, Originality, and Presentation), 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. 

"On behalf of the entire Southern California Chapter, I'd like to congratulate HBO for being selected winner of this year's Members' Choice Award," said Mitchell Christopher, president, NAMIC – Southern California, and vice president, Operations, Time Warner Cable.  "We also celebrate all those that joined us in demonstrating a resolute commitment to programming diversity by participating in this year's competition."

Visit the 2012 NAMIC Vision Awards Gallery at http://namicvisionawards.com to access the complete list of winners and view :60 second clips of the Members' Choice Award recipient and other programs recognized. The 2012 NAMIC Vision Awards Gallery is accessible for viewing until June 30, 2012.

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 comprises over 2,700 professionals belonging to a network of 16 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, please visit www.namic.com and stay connected to NAMIC on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and DiversityLive: The Business > Social NAMIC Network.

SOURCE NAMIC