The Hasty Pudding Institute Of 1770 To Honor Acclaimed Director Paris Barclay With The Order Of The Golden Sphinx

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770 announces that acclaimed producer and current President of the Directors Guild of America, PARIS BARCLAY, will be the 2017 recipient of the Order of the Golden Sphinx award. Mr. Barclay will be honored and presented with the prestigious award at the annual Order of the Golden Sphinx Gala to be held at the Diamond Horseshoe at the Paramount Hotel in New York City on April 3^rd, 2017.

The Order of the Golden Sphinx, named for a traditional symbol of the Hasty Pudding Institute, is the highest honor bestowed by the Institute and recognizes individuals in the entertainment industry for their extraordinary contributions to the performing arts. The recipient represents the Institute's mission to support and foster the performing arts within its membership, at Harvard, and the community at large. Previous recipients of the Order of the Golden Sphinx award include Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment Inc.; David Heyman, producer of Gravity and the Harry Potter film universe; legendary music producer Clive Davis; and ten time Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, Daryl Roth.

"We are especially excited to honor Paris Barclay this year," said Andrew Farkas, Chairman and Grand Sphinx of the Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770. "Paris is the first recipient of the Order of the Golden Sphinx to have been a member of the Hasty Pudding Institute as an undergraduate. As a former singer with the Harvard Krokodiloes, a composer of two Hasty Pudding Theatricals shows, and now an Emmy award-winning director, Paris embodies a lifelong dedication to the arts and what it means to be a Pudding member."

"I'm thrilled to be recognized with this honor, and it's particularly exciting to be the first alumnus who's had first hand experience with all the Institute has to offer," said Barclay, "I hope everyone is well-prepared for a suitably pretentious speech from me, surrounded by rampant impropriety."

PARIS BARCLAY, one of television's most successful and honored directors, is the President of the Directors Guild of America.

Throughout his illustrious career in television, Paris has directed 150 episodes of television, including episodes of NYPD BLUE, ER, THE WEST WING, LOST, THE GOOD WIFE, CSI, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, HOUSE, GLEE, SMASH, EXTANT, SONS OF ANARCHY, MANHATTAN, SCANDAL, and EMPIRE. He won two Emmy Awards for his direction of NYPD BLUE and has received six additional Emmy nominations for producing and directing, including three for directing episodes of GLEE. Paris has garnered ten Directors Guild nominations, and also became the first Director in the history of the Guild to receive a comedy and drama nomination in the same year, two years in a row (2008 & 2009). In addition, he has received three NAACP Image Awards, for producing, co-creating, and directing CITY OF ANGELS; and for directing COLD CASE & SMASH – and eight other nominations. In 2014, the NAACP inducted Paris into the NAACP Hall of Fame. He's also received honors such as four prestigious Peabody Awards, two Humanitas Prizes, a nomination from the Writers Guild for his co-writing with Dustin Lance Black the telefilm PEDRO, and countless other recognitions.

During his time at Harvard College, Paris wrote 12 musicals and plays, including the scores for two Hasty Pudding Shows. He also was an active member and musical director of the esteemed a cappella singing group, the Harvard Krokodiloes. Paris graduated from Harvard in 1979.

Paris got his start in advertising working as creative executive and then segued into directing music videos for some of music's biggest stars, such as: Janet Jackson, Bob Dylan, and LL Cool J. In addition to his service to the DGA, Paris has been recognized for his service and contributions to many charitable organizations, including Liberty Hill, the Human Rights Campaign, the African-American Film Critics Association, GLAAD, and Project Angel Food. Paris has said: "What's the point of any success if you don't give back?"

The Order of the Golden Sphinx Gala unfolds as a dinner with special performances by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals' and Harvard Krokodiloes' undergraduates and alumni, produced by Amanda Lipitz Productions and written and composed by Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde: The Musical, The Explorers Club) and Larry O'Keefe (Legally Blonde: The Musical, Heathers: The Musical), both alumni of the Pudding.

TO PURCHASE A TABLE for the gala contact James Patrick Fitzpatrick at [email protected] or visit hastypudding.org/buy-a-table for more information.

ABOUT THE HASTY PUDDING INSTITUTE OF 1770

The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770's philanthropic mission is to provide educational and developmental support in all aspects of the performing arts for the underprivileged, to encourage satire and comedy, and to cultivate young talent around the world. The Institute is comprises the Hasty Pudding Club (the oldest social club in the United States), the Hasty Pudding Theatricals (the third oldest theater group in the world, after the Comédie-Française and the Oberammergau Passion Players) and the Harvard Krokodiloes (the foremost collegiate a cappella group in the United States). Over the last two centuries, it has grown into a premiere performing arts organization, a patron of the arts and comedy, and an advocate for satire and discourse as tools for change worldwide.

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Contact:  
(Hasty Pudding) Carleigh Roesler | Edelman | 917-344-4779 | [email protected]
(Paris Barclay) Bill Abbotts | HARPARBAR, Inc. | [email protected]

SOURCE The Hasty Pudding Institute

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