Dean Richards, Joe Sedelmaier and Amazon Honored at Chicago International Television Awards (Chicago,IL)

53rd CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION AWARDS TO HONOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER/CRITIC DEAN RICHARDS, ADVERTISING LEGEND JOE SEDELMAIER AND AMAZON STUDIOS MARCH 23, 2017 2nd Annual Television Festival Culminates with Awards Presentation at AMC River East   Cinema/Chicago will pay special tribute to Dean Richards, longtime entertainment reporter and critic for WGN-TV and WGN Radio 720AM, legendary television commercial producer Joe Sedelmaier and Amazon Studios at the 53rd Annual Television Awards Thursday, March 23 at 6 p.m. The celebratory evening includes a cocktail reception in the Lucky Strike Lounge and culminates with the highly anticipated awards presentation at the AMC River East, 322 E. Illinois. Event tickets are now available at chicagofilmfestival.com. The three-day micro-Television Festival, which runs March 21 – 23, features special screenings and panel discussions celebrating the importance and excellence in work being created for television. The culminating annual awards ceremony honors some of the most talented individuals producing television programming and advertisements, as well as pays special tribute to some of the medium’s most respected personalities.  Awards will be presented in a variety of categories including Dramatic Series, Non-Fiction Program, Animated Series and more, as well as the top winners from the television commercial competition and the annual Audience Choice Award winner presented by WTTW11. “Since the founding of the Chicago International Film Festival, we have always saluted the extraordinary talent of those producing content for television,” said Festival Founder and Michael Kutza. “This year, we honor two esteemed professionals: Dean Richards, who has become a trusted resource for those seeking entertainment reviews and interviews that go beyond the superficial, and Joe Sedelmaier, whose commercials rank among the funniest and most creative of all time. We also honor Amazon Studios which will receive an award for its ground-breaking initiatives for producing original content for streaming television consumers.” Dean Richards, WGN-TV’s Emmy Award-winning entertainment reporter and critic and long-time host on WGN-AM 720, will receive the Chicago Award.  A Chicago native, he joined WGN-TV as a staff announcer in 1991, and in 1998, he appeared as a guest reviewer and was brought onboard as a regular contributor soon after. His entertainment reports and reviews are seen on “WGN Morning News,” “WGN Midday News,” “WGN Evening News” and “WGN News at Nine,” where he interviews national and local celebrities, reports on showbiz and reviews the latest movies. He has also hosted and co-produced specials such as the award-winning “Bozo, Gar & Ray: WGN TV Classics,” the Oscar preview special “The Envelope Please” and “Stories of Hope: Facing Breast Cancer.” In 2016, he was inducted into the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Silver Circle and has been enshrined on the WGN Radio Walk of Fameon Michigan Avenue.   On and off the air, Dean has been a tireless advocate for HIV/AIDS issues, hosting charitable functions and supporting “AIDS Run & Walk Chicago,” “Dance for Life Chicago,” Howard Brown Health Center, Center on Halsted, Open Hand Chicago and Stop AIDS Chicago. For over 25 years, Richards was the local host of the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon. He also regularly supports charities fighting Alzheimer's disease, domestic violence and hunger. Joe Sedelmaier will be honored with the Chicago Legend Award.  A graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sedelmaier began his career as an Art Director for the advertising agencies of Young and Rubicam and J. Walter Thompson.  Starting his own production company in 1967, he built an international reputation for his highly prized direction of humorous television commercials for such clients as Federal Express (including the "Fast Talking Man"), Alaska Airlines, Mr. Coffee, Sprint, Aamco, HP (Great Britain), Tang (France), EuropAsstance (Italy), Dannon (Germany) and the creation of the famous "Where's The Beef" commercial for Wendy's.  His commercial work has garnered countless Clio awards, Gold Lions (Cannes) and numerous awards from the One Show, Chicago Film Festival (Golden Hugo), the Art Directors of New York, Communication Arts, Britain’s D&AD and the Hollywood MBA. In 2000, he was inducted into The New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame and in 2016 was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame. Amazon Studios will receive the Commitment to Excellence in Television Production Award. Amazon Studios launched in 2010 as a new way to develop feature films and episodic series—one that is open to great ideas from creators and audiences around the world. Anyone can upload a script online for Amazon Studios to review, and those who choose to make their projects public can also receive feedback from the Amazon Studios community.  Amazon Studios is known for bringing Prime members the multi-Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-winning series “Transparent,” multi-Golden Globe winning series “Mozart in the Jungle” and the Emmy-winning series “The Man in the High Castle,” along with original hits like “Red Oaks,” “Bosch,” “Hand of God” and “Catastrophe.” Prime members also have access to a collection of Amazon Original Series for kids such as “Annedroids,” “Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street,” “Wishenpoof,” and the Annecy, multi-Annie and multi-Emmy Award-winning “Tumble Leaf.” First announced in January 2015, Amazon Original Movies is an initiative by Amazon Studios to produce and acquire original movies for theatrical release and early window distribution exclusively for Prime members. Like Amazon Original Series, Amazon Original Movies focuses on unique stories, voices, and characters from top and up-and-coming creators.  In 2015 Amazon Studios released its first film, “Chi-Raq” from critically acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee. “Chi-Raq” is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes starring Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett with John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. “Chi-Raq” is now available for Prime members to stream exclusively. Amazon Studios released director Benjamin Dickinson’s “Creative Control” in theaters on March 11, 2016 About Chicago International Television Awards When the Chicago International Film Festival was founded over 50 years ago by Artistic Director Michael Kutza, advertising agency heads Leo Burnett, Fairfax Cone and Dick Needham suggested that, with budgets and craftsmanship equal to the feature films being screened, the Festival should showcase the art of television commercials and productions. Five decades later, this simple idea has evolved into an international celebration of the best in television, and encompasses television commercials, productions, series and the innovative realm of online television programming. A component of the Chicago International Film Festival, the Television Festival was expanded into a stand-alone event in spring 2016, featuring an array of programming that highlights local work and innovative contributions from across the industry, as well as providing access to industry leaders. Tickets to the March 23 Awards Night are $75 and include a pre-event cocktail reception.  Tickets to the first two days of the festival, which includes screenings and panel discussions, are free.  Advance reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by visiting http://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/television-festival/. About Cinema/Chicago Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival, is a year round not-for-profit arts and education organization dedicated to fostering better communication between people of diverse cultures through the art of film and the moving image. Proceeds from the Television Festival benefit Cinema/Chicago’s programs throughout the year, including the International Screenings Program, the Chicago International Film Festival, CineYouth Festival, the Education Program and Members Film Screening Series. Celebrating its 53rd edition October 12-26, 2017, the Chicago International Film Festival is North America’s longest-running competitive film festival.