NATPE Names 2015 Tartikoff Legacy Award Honorees

LOS ANGELES: Linda Bell Blue, Gustavo Cisneros and Adriana Cisneros, Jay Leno, Jonathan Murray and Ted Sarandos are being honored with NATPE's 12th annual Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards at the January 2015 event in Miami.

Craig Ferguson is hosting the awards on January 21, 2015, at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach. The Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award was created to recognize a select group of television professionals who exhibit extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision in the process of creating television programming.

Bell Blue was the executive producer of Emmy Award-winning Entertainment Tonight for 19 years, making her the longest-running executive producer in the history of the number one syndicated entertainment newsmagazine. Gustavo A. Cisneros is currently the chairman of Cisneros, while Adriana Cisneros is the CEO and vice chairman of Cisneros. Leno dominated the late-night lineup for more than two decades on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Murray, the chairman of Bunim/Murray Productions, has been an innovator in the reality genre, with credits such as The Real World, Road Rules and the Kardashians franchise. Sarandos is the chief content officer of Netflix, and has held the post since 2000.

“We are honored to welcome this year’s Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award recipients to NATPE 2015. Together, our honorees collectively represent the theme of Content Without Borders,” said Rod Perth, NATPE's president and CEO. “It is a true testament to the spirit of this award that Brandon’s legacy is celebrated today in such a diversified and distinguished group. Linda, Gustavo, Adriana, Jay, Jonathan and Ted are known for excellence and achievements in television. Each of them have helped shape the face of media today and their talent will endure well into the future. NATPE is proud to honor their legacies at this special annual event.”
 
“It’s a testament to Brandon’s legacy to have such an amazing group of individuals accept this award that not only bears his name, but his unwavering passion for his work and for the entertainment community,” added Lilly Tartikoff Karatz.