The 45th annual Saturn Awards, the sole event honoring science fiction, fantasy, and horror entertainment, will take place on Friday, September 13, 2019, at the historic Avalon Theater in Hollywood, California.
For the first time in its history, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, the organization that founded and owns the Saturn Awards, has made a multi-year partnership deal with veteran television producer Justin W. Hochberg. This new highly sought-after collaboration has immediately resulted in the upcoming, newly produced and reinvigorated Saturn Awards show. The traditionally non-televised Saturn Awards has always been a favorite event among the most groundbreaking creators. This new production will be an exciting evolution of the beloved award show and, for the first time since the one-time TV airing in 1978, it will be available to global fans via a streaming partner to be announced shortly. Hochberg’s additional plans to expand the brand creating a home for fandom year round will include a slate of co-marketing deals and brand partnerships all for the first time in the show’s 45 year history. With new content in development and decades of never before seen exclusive archival awards show footage with fandom’s legendary icons, the Saturn brand will provide fans with unprecedented innovative experiences impossible to duplicate.
“For 44 years, The Saturn Awards show has been the ONLY award show to exclusively recognize Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror feature films and television,” said Robert Holguin, the President of the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. “Today genre fans make up the most powerful portion of today’s global entertainment audience but our rich history started long before it was mainstream and includes everyone from J.J. Abrams to Gale Anne Hurd, George Lucas to Jason Blum, Jordan Peele to Gal Gadot, Ryan Coogler, Zoe Saldana and legends like Rod Serling. We couldn’t be more grateful to Justin and the team he has assembled as they take this to infinity and beyond.”
The reinvigoration of The Saturn Awards also includes the creation of an Awards Advisory Board with members of the TV, film, animation and fan community. The board’s role will be to help produce the annual presentation and ensure it rigorously honors fans and fan culture. Board members that have joined the advisory board thus far include writer/producer Roberto Orci (“Star Trek”, “Transformers” 1-3), Christina Steinberg producer of the Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”, filmmaker Dean Devlin (“Independence Day”), producer Roy Lee (“It”, “Bates Motel”), Director Robert Rodriquez (“Alita: Battle Angel”, Cannes winner “Sin City”) and Oscar-winning director Peter Ramsey (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”), among others.
“I’ve been a fan of the Saturns my entire career,” says Orci. “I cannot wait to roll up my sleeves to help celebrate pop culture’s most impactful storytellers. For every geek, cosplayer, nerd and underdog, this one is for us.”
“I am a life-long fan and the opportunity to reinvent the show for today’s social media age and further develop this unique brand for fandom with innovators like Bob Orci, Dean Devlin, Christina Steinberg, Roy Lee, Peter Ramsey and Robert Rodriguez, whose work has generated billions and thrilled millions, is a chance to work with real-life superheroes,” says Hochberg, who has brought all of these new elements together.
Nominations for the 45th Saturn Awards will be announced on July 15, 2019.
Follow on Instagram @thesaturnawards or via www.SaturnAwards.com.
ABOUT THE SATURN AWARDS
Since 1973, the Saturn Awards have honored the very best in science-fiction, fantasy and horror entertainment. The Saturn Awards is the official award presentation of the non-profit Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The Academy was founded in 1972 by noted film historian Dr. Donald A. Reed to honor and recognize films often overlooked by mainstream awards. Recent past winners include “Black Panther”, “The Shape of Water”, “Get Out”, “The Walking Dead”, Gal Gadot, Mark Hamill, Danai Gurira, Ryan Coogler, Sonequa Martin-Green, Tom Holland, Chloe Grace Moretz among many others.
ABOUT JUSTIN HOCHBERG
Justin W. Hochberg is CEO of Saturn Media, Inc. a live event, digital media and social commerce company launched in conjunction with its partnership with the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. Justin is a veteran TV producer and has 25 years of media experience turning intellectual property into multifaceted businesses. He helped launch unscripted TV’s first billion-dollar franchise, “The Apprentice,” launched its branded entertainment business and has over his career created $500MM in brand partnerships. Hochberg’s own TV series include “The Profit,” CNBC’s #1 Show in 25 years, Ron Howard’s “Great Escape” and Mariah Carey’s “Keys of Christmas.”
