Nominations Announced For The 21st Annual NAMIC Vision Awards

NEW YORK, April 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) has announced the 2015 NAMIC Vision Awards nominees.  Now in its 21^st year, the awards recognize original television and digital programming content that depicts the lives, spirit and contributions of people of color and best reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of the viewing audience.

A total of 27 networks and producers/distributors representing a wide variety of programming generated 75 nominations for awards presented in 16 categories: Animation; Children's; Comedy; Documentary; Drama; Foreign Language; Lifestyle; News/Informational; Original Movie or Special; Reality; Reality – Social Issues; Sports; Variety/Talk Show; Best Performance – Comedy; Best Performance – Drama; and Digital Media (Short Form).  Original programs airing November 1, 2013 through November 30, 2014 were eligible for consideration. 

"As the landscape of the viewing audience becomes more ethnically and culturally diverse through shifting demographics and the expansion of content distribution, the creation and green lighting of diverse original content is an imperative," said Eglin E. Simons, president and CEO, NAMIC. "NAMIC National in partnership with NAMIC – Southern California is pleased to continue our tradition of recognizing networks, talent and content creators for their achievements in programming diversity and we extend sincere thanks to all of those within the industry that continue to support this awards initiative."

Among the top nominated networks are ESPN, E:60 and ESPN Deportes with a collective 11 nominations.  Nickelodeon garnered 10 nominations with HBO receiving nine.  Other networks receiving multiple nominations include OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and OWN Digital with a total five noms; Universal Television also received five with CNN, Discovery Latin America/USH and TV One each earning four; BET Networks, Lifetime and NBC Universo garnered three nominations respectively with Showtime Networks Inc. receiving two.

HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," was this year's top nominated original series garnering a total of three nominations in the Best Performance – Drama category for actors Margot Bingham, Michael Kenneth Williams and Jeffrey Wright. The original programs receiving a total of two nominations  include HBO's "Looking" featuring comedians Frankie J. Alvarez and Raul Castillo recognized for Best Performance – Comedy; Nickelodeon's "Instant Mom" was nominated in  the Comedy category with a second nomination going to Instant Mom's Tia Mowry-Hardrict for Best Performance – Comedy; Nickelodeon's "Kids' Choice Sports Awards" received nominations in the Children's and Variety/Talk Show categories; Universal Television's original series, "State of Affairs" garnered a nomination in the Drama category with a nod also going to Alfre Woodard for Best Performance – Drama.  Additional nominees in the performance categories include: Mike Tyson for HBO's "Undisputed Truth," Don Cheadle for Showtime Networks Inc.'s "House of Lies" and Nelsan Ellis for HBO's "True Blood."

Simons added: "The original content nominated for this year's awards and the success of shows featuring diverse talent and storytelling is reflective of an evolving viewing audience. The favorable ratings and growing popularity of multiethnic and multicultural programming will greatly contribute to the continued profitability and sustainability of our industry."

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 were judged by a distinguished panel of entertainment industry executives.  Judging 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.

Winning programs will be showcased via an online event format with the 2015 NAMIC Vision Awards Winners Gallery to be unveiled mid-May.  The online awards gallery will feature :60 second clips of the winning entries in each of the 16 categories.

A complete list of nominees for the 2015 NAMIC Vision Awards follows.  For more information, visit www.namic.com or contact Sandra Girado, senior director of Meetings and Events, at the NAMIC National headquarters, 212-594-5985 or via email at [email protected].

2015 NAMIC Vision Awards Nominees

ANIMATION
Doc McStuffins - Disney Junior                                            
Doki - Discovery Latin America/USH                                               
Sanjay and Craig - Nickelodeon                                            
The Legend of Korra - Nickelodeon                                      

BEST PERFORMANCE – COMEDY                      
Frankie J. Alvarez: Looking - HBO
Raul Castillo: Looking - HBO
Mike Tyson: Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - HBO
Tia Mowry-Hardrict: Instant Mom - Nickelodeon
Don Cheadle: House of Lies - Showtime Networks Inc.                                          

BEST PERFORMANCE – DRAMA
Margot Bingham: Boardwalk Empire - HBO
Nelsan Ellis: True Blood - HBO         
Michael Kenneth Williams: Boardwalk Empire - HBO
Jeffrey Wright: Boardwalk Empire - HBO     
Alfre Woodard: State of Affairs - Universal Television

CHILDREN'S                                    
Degrassi - Nickelodeon
Dora & Friends - Nickelodeon                                                                                               
Kids' Choice Sports Awards - Nickelodeon
Nick News With Linda Ellerbee - Nickelodeon
The Haunted Hathaways - Nickelodeon

COMEDY                                          
Real Husbands of Hollywood - BET Networks
Devious Maids - Lifetime                                                       
Instant Mom - Nickelodeon
Brooklyn Nine -Nine - Universal Television
Love That Girl - TV One

DIGITAL MEDIA – SHORT FORM             
Music Choice Chronicles Featuring Fat Joe - Music Choice
Larry Hernandez: El Futbolista - NBC Universo       
Who Am I - OWN Digital       

DOCUMENTARY
The Message - BET Networks
Black in America: Black and Blue - CNN     
Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown - HBO
Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley – HBO
Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip Hop - VH1

DRAMA                                             
The Walking Dead - AMC
Masters of Sex: Episode "Giants" - Showtime Networks Inc.         
Grimm: Episode "Mommy Dearest" - Universal Television
Parenthood: Episode "The Pontiac" - Universal Television
State of Affairs: Episode "Pilot" - Universal Television

FOREIGN LANGUAGE                               
La Otra Cara Del Placer - Discovery Latin America/USH
Las Guerras Del Oro - Discovery Latin America/USH
Quinceanera - ESPN Deportes
Norma Bastidas - ESPN Deportes
MTV Agents of Change, Making the Switch - Viacom International Media Networks

LIFESTYLE
Rev Run's Sunday Suppers - Cooking Channel                                          
Myx TV - Eat Your Words
Help Desk - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network                                                            

NEWS/INFORMATIONAL               
Justice for Us: A BET Town Hall - BET Networks
Oprah's Master Class: Cicely Tyson - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
Chicago Love - REVOLT TV & Media          
News One Now - TV One
Unsung Hollywood - TV One

ORIGINAL MOVIE OR SPECIAL               
Documented - CNN
Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck - CNN
The Gabby Douglas Story - Lifetime
The Trip to Bountiful - Lifetime
Best of I Love Jenni - NBC Universo            

REALITY
Texas Trocas - Discovery Latin America/USH                                
Joe Haden: Love One - ESPN
Welcome to Los Vargas - NBC Universo     
Sisterhood of Hip Hop - Oxygen Media
Mary Mary - WE tv                   

REALITY – SOCIAL ISSUES
Beyond Scared Straight - A&E
Chicagoland - CNN
Helping in Haiti - ESPN
Mendota - ESPN
Carlos Gutierrez - ESPN Deportes                                                               

SPORTS                                                        
E:60/ESPN - Marquis Goodwin: The Blueprint
Every Young Boy's Dream - ESPN
Outside the Lines: The N Word - ESPN
Devon Still - ESPN
Yanet Moreno - ESPN Deportes                                   

VARIEY/TALK SHOW                                 
Fashion Queens - Bravo Media
Kids' Choice Sports Awards - Nickelodeon
Oprah Prime: Pharrell Williams - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network                            
Super Soul Sunday: Oprah & Russell Simmons: Success Through Stillness - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
45th NAACP Image Awards - TV One

NOMINATIONS BY NETWORK/DISTRIBUTOR

A&E - 1
AMC - 1
BET Networks - 3
Bravo Media - 1
CNN - 4
Cooking Channel - 1
Discovery Latin America/USH - 4
Disney Junior - 1
E:60 - 1
ESPN - 6
ESPN Deportes - 4
HBO - 9
Lifetime - 3
Music Choice - 1
Myx TV - 1
NBC Universo - 3
Nickelodeon - 10
OWN Digital - 1
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network - 4
Oxygen Media - 1
REVOLT TV & Media - 1
Showtime Networks Inc. - 2
TV One - 4
Universal Television - 5
VH1 - 1
Viacom International Media Networks - 1
WE tv - 1

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 2,300 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, and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT 
Charmaine Chapman
BTB Communications
310-882-5498 (office)
310-256-7470 (cell)
[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150408/197388LOGO

SOURCE NAMIC

Related Links

http://www.namic.com