Variety won 16 first-place awards at the SoCal Journalism Awards Sunday night, more than any other entertainment outlet. The haul doubled Variety‘s tally of eight from last year, and set a new high mark for the publication at the awards, besting the previous peak of 14 achieved in 2023.
Among the wins were a top trophy for Variety.com as best website, and an honor for Chris Willman for entertainment journalist of the year.
The Los Angeles Press Club presented the awards at a sold-out banquet at the Millennium Biltmore attended by more than 550 journalists. The 2025 ceremony awarded work published during the 2024 calendar year. Variety went into the event with 93 nominations in 56 categories.
Variety staffers and contributors picking up first-place trophies included Daniel D’Addario, Jennifer Dorn, Owen Gleiberman, Angelique Jackson, Neil Jamieson, Ted Keller, Haley Kluge, Emily Longeretta, Jonny Marlow, J. Kim Murphy, Rebecca Rubin, Ramin Setoodeh, Tatiana Siegel, Greg Swales and Abbey White.
Scroll down to see a full list of Variety‘s winning entries and judges’ comments. (A full list of SoCal Journalism Awards winners can be found here.)
Jonny Marlow for Variety
Variety‘s art and photography department fared especially well in this year’s awards, with creative director Haley Kluge and photo director Jennifer Dorn sharing three honors, and design director Ted Keller being awarded as well. The award for best portrait photo went to a photograph of Demi Moore (won by Kluge and Dorn with Greg Swales). Best cover art was won by the magazine’s Anna Taylor-Joy cover (with honors going to Kluge, Dorn and Jonny Marlow). And the team came through once again with an award for page design, for a “Star Trek” package (awarded to Kluge, Dorn, Keller and Neil Jamieson).
Greg Swales for Variety Magazine
Willman, senior writer and chief music critic for Variety, won four awards. Besides his award for entertainment journalist of the year, he was awarded best magazine columnist, for a selection of commentaries (including “Swifties and Deadheads: Separated at Birth?”); best music feature, for the cover story “How Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Took Over the Entire World”; and best theater feature, for “‘Randy Newman’s Faust,’ the Songwriter’s Brilliant but Rarely Produced Stage Musical, Rises Again for a Weekend in L.A. at the Soraya.”
Chief film critic Owen Gleiberman was a repeat winner in a category he has often claimed, best film criticism, for a selection of reviews, including his take on “Babygirl.”
Chief correspondent Daniel D’Addario and co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh shared the honor for best film feature for the cover story “Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey on Making ‘Queer’.”
Tatiana Siegel, Variety‘s executive editor for film/media, won for best personality profile in the music personalities division for her article “Fugees Founder Pras Michél Speaks Out While Facing 22 Years in Prison: ‘I Never Wanted to Be a Spy’.”
Angelique Jackson, senior entertainment writer for Variety, picked up the personality profile award in the film personalities division for her story “Zoe Saldaña Rebooted: Why the Action Star Broke Her ‘Cycle of Sequels’ for ‘Emilia Pérez’ — And Her One Wish for Marvel’s Next Gamora.”
Emily Longeretta, the magazine’s TV features editor, won the award for personality profile in the TV personalities division for “Mariska Hargitay on Making a TV Icon, Dick Wolf’s ‘Tough Love,’ Fighting for Kelli Giddish and 20 Years of Helping Survivors of Sexual Violence.”
Rebecca Rubin, senior film reporter, was the recipient of the award for entertainment news, performing arts division, for her behind-the-scenes story “Inside the Tony Awards: From Jay-Z’s Lobby Act, an Accidental F Bomb to Overzealous Ushers, Here’s What You Didn’t See on TV.”
J. Kim Murphy, associate news editor for Variety.com, prevailed for best TV/streaming/radio feature for his story “Welcome to ‘Ren Faire’: Lance Oppenheim’s HBO Docuseries Follows a Festival Trapped in a Real-Life Game of Thrones.”
And for best online theater/performing arts feature, the award went to freelance writer Abbey White for their story “Disabled Comedians Speak Out on Performance and Career Barriers Due To Widespread Industry Inaccessibility: ‘I Want There to Be More of Us’.”
The entire staff of Variety.com shared in the publication winning the coveted award for best website for a traditional news organization.
Variety staffers also won 39 second- and third-place awards Sunday night as well.
The ceremony at the Biltmore included the L.A. Press Club‘s customary honorary awards to veteran newspeople or celebrities for their work in journalism or philanthropy. A standing ovation went to veteran Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke, who was given the Joseph M. Quinn Award for lifetime achievement. The Daniel Pearl Award for courage and integrity in journalism went to Clarissa Ward of celebrity.land, who had to accept via a video message due to her being on assignment covering the breaking situation in the Middle East. And actress Kim Fields picked up the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award for contributions to civic life.
The stage was overrun by perhaps more honorees than had ever taken the Press Club’s stage simultaneously before when a Special Award for Stellar Coverage of the 2020 Wildfires was accepted by news directors for all of L.A.’s local TV stations. The moving moment followed a montage of news coverage aired during the disastrous fire in January. Newspeople stepped up to accept congratulations on behalf of ABC7, Fox11, KCAL News/CBS Los Angeles, KTLA, NBC4, Spectrum News 1, Telemundo 52 and Univision 34.
Following is a full list of Variety‘s winning entries, along with judges’ comments:
FIRST PLACE
WEBSITE, TRADITIONAL NEWS ORGANIZATION
Variety Staff http://www.variety.com
Judges’ comment: “Clean homepage to story transition, nice story page design.”
ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST
Chris Willman
Judges’ comment: “Not only does Willman exhaustively cover major music events, such as Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, and major personalities, such as composer John Williams, but also he writes brilliantly about them and their significance.”
CRITICISM OF FILM
Owen Gleiberman https://bit.ly/3T6ie4s
Judges’ comment: “Gleiberman writes for every movie fan. The work is approachable for the common viewer, but it also drops deep-cut references for the true cinephiles out there. There’s more personalized voice than any other entrant in this contest, which leads to a really enjoyable and fun read.”
PORTRAIT PHOTO, Entertainment
Greg Swales, Jennifer Dorn, Haley Kluge, “Demi Moore Photo” https://bit.ly/4ipMukQ
Judges’ comment: “Great irony and symbolism, well-crafted and captured.”
COVER ART
Haley Kluge, Jennifer Dorn, Jonny Marlow, Variety, “Anya Taylor-Joy Cover” https://bit.ly/4kw7HLO
Judges’ comment: “Breathtakingly beautiful cover. This could just as well have been a vintage movie poster from the golden era of movies, fittingly cover for a Cannes special.”
PAGE DESIGN
Haley Kluge, Jennifer Dorn, Ted Keller, Neil Jamieson, Variety, “Star Trek” https://bit.ly/4ixwm0E
Judges’ comment: “A fun cover and design that all Trekkies will enjoy.”
COLUMNIST
Chris Willman https://bit.ly/41pLuWW https://bit.ly/4cHRiyX https://bit.ly/4kjX12N
Judges’ comment: “Willman’s pieces provide illuminating industry-insider perspectives on matters of national interest.”
FILM FEATURE
Daniel D’Addario, Ramin Setoodeh, “Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey on Making ‘Queer’”
https://bit.ly/4iI0rLe
Judges’ comment: “Great feature that stands out in a competitive category. It goes deep and wide and keeps going, never losing the reader’s interest. It stands up regardless of the reader’s inherent interest in the films or personalities, and offers revealing insight into the artists’ work.”
PERSONALITY PROFILE, TV Personalities
Emily Longeretta, “Mariska Hargitay on Making a TV Icon, Dick Wolf’s ‘Tough Love,’ Fighting for Kelli Giddish and 20 Years of Helping Survivors of Sexual Violence” https://wp.me/pc8uak-1lE4qK
Judges’ comment: “This well-written story shows how actor Mariska Hargitay made NYPD Capt. Olivia Benson of “Law & Order: SVU” an icon. Through her Joyful Heart Foundation, Hargitay has become an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.”
PERSONALITY PROFILE, Film Personalities
Angelique Jackson, “Zoe Saldaña Rebooted: Why the Action Star Broke Her ‘Cycle of Sequels’ for ‘Emilia Pérez’ — And Her One Wish for Marvel’s Next Gamora” https://bit.ly/3DnHsq3
Judges’ comment: “A window into Zoe Saldaña’s struggles with dyslexia, anxiety and self-doubt, told with empathy and perspicacity and without sensationalism.”
PERSONALITY PROFILE, Music/Theater Personalities
Tatiana Siegel, “Fugees Founder Pras Michél Speaks Out While Facing 22 Years in Prison: ‘I Never Wanted to Be a Spy’” https://bit.ly/41BlDwI
Judges’ comment: “The subject of this story is inherently fascinating, but the author went above and beyond in telling it — from start to finish this had me riveted.”
MUSIC FEATURE
Chris Willman, “How Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Took Over the Entire World” https://bit.ly/3XnqGya
Judges’ comment: “It was no doubt an intimidating challenge tackling the impact of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, but the author rose to the occasion with a fascinating piece that blends lovely personal touch, insights from industry experts and slices of perspective from perhaps the biggest experts of all: Swifties around the world.”
THEATER/PERFORMING ARTS FEATURE
Chris Willman, Variety, “‘Randy Newman’s Faust,’ the Songwriter’s Brilliant but Rarely Produced Stage Musical, Rises Again for a Weekend in L.A. at the Soraya” https://bit.ly/41pdKZI
Judges’ comment: “Willman writes eloquently about an underproduced, and so neglected piece of theatre. Through deft descriptions of the musical and its history, this reader wants to see the show, and to read more of Mr. Willman’s work.”
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS, Music/Performing Arts
Rebecca Rubin, “Inside the Tony Awards: From Jay-Z’s Lobby Act, an Accidental F-Bomb to Overzealous Ushers, Here’s What You Didn’t See on TV” https://bit.ly/3MjavvR
Judges’ comment: “The author’s selection of amusing off-screen anecdotes adds value the average reader might not get elsewhere, and her playful tone makes the article sparkle without straying into the world of editorializing.”
TV/STREAMING/RADIO FEATURE
J. Kim Murphy, “Welcome to ‘Ren Faire’: Lance Oppenheim’s HBO Docuseries Follows a Festival Trapped in a Real-Life Game of Thrones” http://wp.me/pc8uak-1lEd1Z
Judges’ comment: “Both of Murphy’s ‘Ren Faire’ stories provide gripping insight on a filmmaker’s quest to tell a compelling story both dramatically and authentically while showcasing Oppenheim’s personal investment in the subjects.”
THEATER/PERFORMING ARTS FEATURE
Abbey White, “Disabled Comedians Speak Out on Performance and Career Barriers Due To Widespread Industry Inaccessibility: ‘I Want There to Be More of Us’” http://bit.ly/4hes90S
Judges’ comment: “Abbey White’s curiosity and sensitivity to the obstacles faced by the subjects of her story guide the reader through an eye-opening, touching and well-written account that would likely otherwise go entirely unnoticed by the reader.”
SECOND PLACE
BEST ISSUE
Variety‘s Editorial Art Department, “Variety‘s John Williams Issue”
SPORTS JOURNALIST
Brian Steinberg
EDITORIALS
Jem Aswad, “Jennifer Lopez’s Canceled Tour, and Society’s Twisted Pleasure in Seeing Strong Women Fail”
COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS OF TV
Brian Steinberg, “TV Talkers From Pat McAfee to Rachel Maddow Gain New License to Blast Bosses On-Air”
CRITICISM OF THEATER/PERFORMING ARTS
Chris Willman
CRITICISM OF MUSIC
Chris Willman
FEATURE PHOTO
Mary Ellen Matthews, Jennifer Dorn and Haley Kluge, “Robert Downey Jr. and Jodie Foster Cover”
EDITORIAL CARTOON
Haley Kluge and Kristian Hammerstad, “Snoop Dogg at the Olympics”
ILLUSTRATION
Haley Kluge and Ricardo Tomas, “Trump in Hollywood”
FEATURE (Under 1,000 Words) Any feature
Tatiana Siegel, “Apple’s Blockbuster Gamble: Was Spending $700 Million on ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ ‘Napoleon’ and ‘Argylle’ Worth It?”
TV/STREAMING/RADIO FEATURE
Michael Schneider, “The Re-Reinvention of Television: Streamers Dust Off Some of the Old Broadcast Playbook for a New Era”
THEATER/PERFORMING ARTS FEATURE
Brent Lang, “Nicole Scherzinger on Bringing ‘Sunset Boulevard’ to Broadway: ‘I’m Gonna F—ing Go Out There Every Single Night Coming for Blood’”
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Jem Aswad, “Who Is Mo Elmasri? Searching for Janet Jackson’s Elusive Fake ‘Manager’ Who Issued an Unauthorized Apology on Her Behalf”
PERSONALITY PROFILE, Film Personalities
Adam B. Vary, “How Kristen Stewart Became a Queer Trailblazer”
BUSINESS REPORTING
Brian Steinberg, “TV News’ Big Squeeze: Suddenly, Local and National Anchors All Play for Same Team, Stream and Screen”
SOFT NEWS FEATURE, General News
Pat Saperstein, “Susan Seidelman on Directing the ‘Grittier’ Pilot for ‘Sex and the City,’ Casting Madonna in ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’: ‘She Loved Being Provocative’”
FILM FEATURE, Documentaries/Animation/Indies
Naman Ramachandran, “Indian Documentaries Ride Global Wave as Local Funding and Distribution Concerns Remain”
FILM FEATURE, Profiles of Creatives
Brent Lang, “‘The Brutalist’ Director Brady Corbet on Making His 215-Minute 70mm Epic and Including an Intermission”
FILM FEATURE, Production Histories
Todd Gilchrist, “’Pulp Fiction’ Turns 30: How Quentin Tarantino’s Masterpiece Saved Careers, Conquered Film Festivals and Changed Cinema Forever”
COLUMNIST, Entertainment/Media
Chris Willman
THIRD PLACE
PRINT JOURNALIST (Over 50,000 Circulation)
Daniel D’Addario
CRITICISM OF TV
Aramide Tinubu
CONSUMER NEWS or FEATURE
Tatiana Siegel, “Fugees Founder Pras Michél Speaks Out While Facing 22 Years in Prison: ‘I Never Wanted to Be a Spy’”
COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS OF TV
Jenelle Riley, “This Emmys Season, Don’t Forget About: Heidi Gardner, the Scene Stealer of ‘SNL’”
COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS OF FILM
Peter Debruge, “Critic’s Notebook: Sharper Than Ever, French Crime Classic ‘Le Samouraï’ Might Be the Coolest Film Ever Made”
HUMOR/SATIRE WRITING
Chris Willman, “‘Freedom,’ or ‘YMCA’? What Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’ Music Choices on the Campaign Trail Really Say About Their Candidacies”
OBITUARY/IN APPRECIATION, Politics/Business/Arts Personalities
Chris Willman, “Chuck Philips, Pulitzer-Winning L.A. Times Journalist Renowned for Investigative Reporting on Music Industry, Dies at 71”
FEATURE PHOTO
Joe Toreno, Haley Kluge and Jennifer Dorn, “Variety’s Taylor Swift Tour Cover”
PORTRAIT PHOTO, Entertainment
Jonny Marlow, Jennifer Dorn and Haley Kluge, “Anya Taylor-Joy Photo”
TV/STREAMING/RADIO FEATURE
Ethan Shanfeld, “Do Trigger Warnings Need Spoiler Alerts?”
MUSIC FEATURE
Jem Aswad, “How Nick Cave Weathered Unimaginable Tragedy and Fell in Love With the World”
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Adam B. Vary, “Toxic Fandom: How Hollywood Is Battling Fans Who Are ‘Just Out for Blood’ — From Social Media Boot Camps to Superfan Focus Groups”
PERSONALITY PROFILE, TV Personalities
Angelique Jackson, “Ryan Seacrest on His First Days Hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’ With Vanna White and Pat Sajak’s Parting Advice: ‘It’s Very Full Circle’”
PERSONALITY PROFILE, Music/Theater Personalities
Chris Willman, “John Williams Faces His Legacy: 54 Oscar Noms, ‘Star Wars’ Mistakes and Changing the Movies Forever”
ENTERTAINMENT PERSONALITY PROFILE/INTERVIEW
Tiana DeNicola, “Jack Antonoff Talks Crafting the Summer Hit ‘Please Please Please’ and Falling in Love with Sabrina Carpenter’s Voice”
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS, Film/Broadcast Related
Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin, “Disney Recaptured Its Dominance in 2024 as Family Films and Sequels Ruled the Box Office”
ENTERTAINMENT COMMENTARY, Arts
Chris Willman, “Stop Blaming ‘Celebrity Endorsements’ for Kamala Harris’ Loss: We Need to Hear From Artists Now More Than Ever”
SOFT NEWS FEATURE, General News
Brian Steinberg, “MSNBC’s Primetime ‘Avengers’: Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid Assemble to Battle Cable News’ Old Rules”
FILM FEATURE, Documentaries/Animation/Indies
Leo Barraclough, “How Novelist Christine Angot Came to Make a Film About Her Family’s Reaction to Revelation That Her Father Repeatedly Raped Her”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source variety.com ’
