Dean McFlicker to Host 2018 SMPTE Awards Gala

LOS ANGELES and WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Oct. 16, 2018 — SMPTE®, the organization whose standards work has supported a century of advances in entertainment technology and whose membership spans the globe, today announced that Dean McFlicker — producer, director, and one of Hollywood's leading marketing experts — will host the SMPTE Awards Gala at the SMPTE 2018 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2018). The gala, which will be held Oct. 25 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites' San Francisco Ballroom in downtown Los Angeles, will recognize individuals for their technical achievements and contributions within the media and entertainment industry.

"We're thrilled that Dean is joining us to celebrate great people who have helped to build the media and entertainment industry we know today and those shaping the media ecosystem of tomorrow," said SMPTE Executive Director Barbara Lange. "With an astounding resume as producer, director, choreographer, teacher, public speaker, and marketing expert, Dean has raised the bar for performances on stage and screen. He's the perfect host for a special awards gala honoring excellence in our industry."

McFlicker is senior vice president and creative director of original production, live events, and promotional programming at NBC, where he is an award-winning producer and director of countless productions. He has created campaigns for some of the most successful shows on television, including "The Voice," "This Is Us," "World of Dance," "America's Got Talent," "Chicago Fire," "ER," "Law & Order: SVU," "Smash," "Heroes," "The Apprentice," "The West Wing," "The Biggest Loser," "Friday Night Lights," "Days of Our Lives," "Las Vegas," "Fear Factor," "Deal or No Deal," "American Dreams," "Nashville Star," and all of NBC's live musicals, including the original ratings phenomenon, "The Sound of Music Live," and this year's critically acclaimed "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert," which recently won five Emmy® Awards.

McFlicker also has produced for CNN, HBO, "Entertainment Tonight," "E! News Daily," and "Good Morning America." On Broadway, he choreographed "Sha*Bang" (Lincoln Center), "Gypsy of the Year" (Virginia Theater), and "Upfront" (Radio City Music Hall) in addition to original dance productions at Studio 54, the Palladium, the Los Angeles Wilshire Theatre, Universal Amphitheatre, Royce Hall, and The Geffen. He is also proud to be one of the creators of the cult hit "Octomom: The Musical."

In Hollywood, McFlicker has done countless TV shows, music videos, and international concerts with Tina Turner, Prince, Barry Manilow, Ray Charles, The Temptations, Kool and The Gang, The Pointer Sisters, Debbie Reynolds, and Carol Channing, to name a few. He has been one of Twyla Tharp's dancers, an instructor at Broadway Dance Center, and also a private dance teacher to the stars, with Rita Wilson, Kelly Preston, and Maria Shriver among his clients.

"I'm excited and honored to be hosting the SMPTE Awards Gala," said McFlicker. "Recognizing the talent that creates the technology that enables consumers to experience motion picture and television magic gives me such an appreciation for all they do. I congratulate all the honorees."

Along with leadership from SMPTE and the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), McFlicker will guide guests through the awards ceremony. Among the awards presented will be the Society's highest honor, Honorary Membership, which this year will be awarded to Charles A. Steinberg. SMPTE will give its most prestigious award, the Progress Medal, to Craig Todd. Click here to read more about Steinberg, Todd, and other honorees.

The SMPTE Awards Gala is the culminating event at SMPTE 2018, which will also feature the daylong SMPTE Symposium, Driving the Entertainment Revolution: Autonomous Cars, Machine Intelligence, and Mixed Reality; a technical conference with a record number of paper presentations; and an extensive exhibition show plus numerous opportunities for socializing, networking, and engaging with experts and visionaries from across the media and entertainment industry.

Tickets for the SMPTE Awards Gala are limited. Those registering for SMPTE 2018 may elect to purchase tickets to the Awards Gala as an add-on to their conference packages. Tickets may also be purchased separately as a ticket-only registration. Further information about SMPTE 2018 is available at smpte2018.org.

Further information about SMPTE is available at smpte.org.

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About SMPTE®

For more than a century, the people of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, or SMPTE (pronounced "simp-tee"), have sorted out the details of many significant advances in media and entertainment technology, from the introduction of "talkies" and color television to HD and UHD (4K, 8K) TV. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has received an Oscar® and multiple Emmy® Awards for its work in advancing moving-imagery engineering across the industry. SMPTE has developed thousands of standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines, more than 800 of which are currently in force today. SMPTE Time Code™ and the ubiquitous SMPTE Color Bars™ are just two examples of SMPTE's notable work. Now in its second century, SMPTE is shaping the next generation of standards and providing education for the industry to ensure interoperability as the industry evolves further into IT- and IP-based workflows.

SMPTE is a global professional association of technologists and creatives who drive the quality and evolution of motion imaging. Its membership today includes more than 7,000 individuals: motion-imaging executives, creatives, technologists, researchers, and students who volunteer their time and expertise to SMPTE's standards development and educational initiatives. A partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) connects SMPTE and its membership with the businesses and individuals who support the creation and finishing of media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at smpte.org/join. 

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Link to Word Doc: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/181016SMPTE.docx

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Caption: Dean McFlicker to Host 2018 SMPTE Awards Gala

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