Lasseter To Be Honored With Variety's Creative Leadership Award

files/pictures/picture-35.jpgPress Release from Variety

LOS ANGELES, CA, AUGUST 25, 2011 -- John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and Principal Creative Advisor, Walt Disney Imagineering, will be honored with Variety's Creative Leadership Award, which recognizes the extraordinary amount of time and effort the honoree has given to mentoring young executives and creative talent. The award will be bestowed to Lasseter on October 11, 2011 as part of the trade publication’s inaugural Hollywood’s New Leaders feature and event.

"John has and will always be a creative pioneer in the film industry," said Brian Gott, Publisher of Variety. "His ability to foster the young creative minds of the next generation of filmmakers is as undeniable as his ability to reach moviegoers of all ages with his rich and diverse storylines."

Variety's Hollywood’s New Leaders feature will spotlight the next generation of power players in the entertainment business, and profile 10 Assistants to Watch, the industry’s top up-and-coming executive assistants who are on the verge of breaking into the junior executive ranks.  That evening, Variety will host an exclusive, invite-only cocktail reception in West Hollywood, CA to celebrate John Lasseter and these talented and inspiring young leaders who will be shaping the industry in the years to come.

About John Lasseter:
John Lasseter is a two-time Academy Award®-winning director and creatively oversees all films and associated projects from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios. Lasseter made his feature directorial debut in 1995 with “Toy Story,” the first-ever feature-length computer-animated film and, since then, has gone on to direct “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” “Cars” and “Cars 2.”

His executive-producing credits include “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “WALL•E,” “Bolt” and 2009’s critically acclaimed “Up,” the first animated film ever to open the Cannes Film Festival and the recipient of two Academy Awards® for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. Lasseter also served as executive producer for Disney’s Oscar®-nominated films “The Princess and the Frog” and “Tangled” as well as Pixar’s most recent Academy Award® winner for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, “Toy Story 3,” which is based on a story written by Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich.

About Variety:
Variety is the leading publication for business entertainment news, recognized and respected throughout the world of show business. The Variety Group – Daily Variety, Daily Variety Gotham, Variety, Variety.com, LA 411, Variety 411 – are owned by Reed Business Information. RBI is a member of the Reed Elsevier Group plc (NYSE: RUK and ENL).