Bill Kramer: Last News

Awards season is officially in full swing! The nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24.

The big picture was clear enough in the fiscal 2022 financial report released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last Tuesday: Income down, expenses up, rough going overall in a tough financial climate.

Back to the old ways. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the 2023 Oscars broadcast will once again include all 23 award categories.

Roll out the red carpet! Movie lovers are already expecting the 2023 Academy Awards to be a star-studded affair.

Cynics have tabbed them “The Doomsday Summits.” To believers, however, their mission is to re-energize the Oscars at a moment when award shows in general are in massive retreat.

EXCLUSIVE: As a direct result of a  suggestion at the September 17 Academy membership meeting, AMPAS CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang told the 10,000+ group in an email this morning that Academy members without tickets for the actual Oscar show will now be allowed to serve as seat-fillers during the broadcast.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences new CEO Bill Kramer explicitly acknowledged there are fixes that need to be made in the Academy’s annual Oscars show and process and promised to address them while speaking at this morning’s AMPAS membership meeting held in person at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles  as well as virtually for members worldwide.

Film Academy chief executive Bill Kramer dropped a reminder in Toronto on Saturday, that his group’s movie museum will in February devote space to the late director John Singleton’s Boyz N The Hood.

Our own Nancy Tartaglione was on hand this week when Bill Kramer, new chief executive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, set his sights on the whole wide world.

As new Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer continues his inaugural outreach tour, he stopped in Venice today to discuss AMPAS’ relationship with global cinema and declared, “I think our future is with international cinema as much as with American cinema.”

Manori Ravindran International Editor Bill Kramer, the newly appointed CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, kicked off his charm offensive with the international film community at the Venice Film Festival, telling a small audience of journalists that the Academy’s “future is with international cinema as much as it is with American cinema.” Kramer — who is in Italy this week and will also be at Telluride — is keen to demonstrate the Academy’s support of its international contingent, which makes up more than 25% of its overall membership. Kramer said that international members comprised 50% of the latest class of new Academy members. Kramer, who was interview by Variety’s Rome-based international correspondent Nick Vivarelli, suggested the org is looking to “educate” and “encourage” its international members to submit to more Oscar categories apart from best international feature film, and cited the multi-category success of films such as “Worst Person in the World” and “Drive My Car” in the recent Oscar season.

Months after Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards in March, the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" alum appears to be feeling more optimistic. "Will is feeling much more confident and much more positive and less depressed," a source tells "Entertainment Tonight." "He was in very low spirits prior to making his public apology," the source continued.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is going global in a big way, hitting major festivals around the world and the US, beginning with the Fall trifecta of Venice, Telluride, and Toronto. All that is according to new CEO Bill Kramer who is continuing his inaugural outreach tour not just to members of AMPAS, but also the press. In addition to the A.Frame interview earlier this month with Kramer that was distributed to all 10,000 ish members as well as media outlets (and which Deadline reported on), Kramer this week held a Zoom press conference with key consumer outlets as well as the Hollywood Trades. He was keen to emphasize the org is going to once again be front and center at major events , and that means everywhere including reinstating their London membership meeting, and even adding one in Copenhagen.

Earlier today the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences not only sent out their latest edition of their digital newsletter, A. Frame to their entire 10,000+ strong membership, they also alerted press and made it available to them as well just an hour later. The reason for all this? An “Exclusive” interview with new CEO Bill Kramer who last month replaced previous CEO Dawn Hudson.

Clayton Davis Hollywood producer Janet Yang has been named the new president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization’s Board of Governors. Yang, who is of Chinese descent, is the first Asian person ever to hold the position and the fourth woman behind Fay Kanin (1979-1983), Cheryl Boone Isaacs (2013-2017) and Bette Davis (Davis resigned after two months in 1941).Yang is beginning her first term as president and her second term as a Governor-at-Large.

Producer Janet Yang has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization’s Board of Governors at a meeting held today.

Here’s a wish for Tuesday:

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentNewly named Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer is set to attend the upcoming Venice Film Festival along with other Academy senior leaders, in what is being touted as the first time an official AMPAS delegation makes the trek to the Lido.Kramer will attend the fest’s opening night on Aug. 30th and subsequently meet with international AMPAS members, industry professionals and press.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorJenny Galante has been promoted to executive VP of revenue and business development, Academy CEO Bill Kramer announced Monday.She will report directly to Kramer. In the newly-created position, she will be responsible for driving global revenue growth across plaforms including special events, member initiatives, international programs, digital platforms, the Academy Screening Room, talent development and inclusion programs, and the Academy Museum, Margaret Herrick Library, Science and Technology Council, and Academy Film Archive.

New Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences CEO Bill Kramer continues what appears to be a major reorganization of AMPAS with yet another newly created position and appointment.

Wow. Bill Kramer’s lightning strikes at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—into the chief’s job 17 days early, Chief Operating Officer Christine Simmons out by mid-morning, Jacqueline Stewart in place to take his old Academy Museum post less than a week later—are impressive. Even the Academy’s often spotty Website was updated in real time: The revised executive line-up posted as the coup got underway.