Shonda Rhimes To Receive WGA Wests 2015 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award For TV

Prolific television writer-producer Shonda Rhimes (Greys Anatomy, Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder), will receive the Writers Guild of America, Wests 2015 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement, honoring lifetime achievement in outstanding television writing. Rhimes contributions to entertainment will be recognized at the upcoming 2015 Writers Guild Awards West Coast ceremony to be held on Saturday, February 14 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in LA.

Few writers in television have had the impact on the medium that Shonda Rhimes has. Her ability to create, consistently, television that is, at once, excellent, provocative and crowd-pleasing is almost the least of it. She is a breaker of barriers. On screen, she has taken us places that were previously off limits, giving voice to characters who had been voiceless and tackling issues and touching nerves without fear. Off screen, she has been a mentor to a generation of writers some of whom are women, some of whom are writers of color all of whom will look to her as a pioneer in a business that is now more diverse and more vibrant because she played her part. She is, in every way, the embodiment of the qualities that the Television Laurel celebrates, and her Guild is proud welcome her into the select group of writers so honored, said WGAW President Chris Keyser.

Rhimes is the prolific writer, executive producer and creator of the hit ABC series Greys Anatomy and Scandal, in addition to creating the hit Greys Anatomy spinoff series Private Practice, which ran for six seasons on ABC. Rhimes is also Executive Producer of the ABC series How to Get Away with Murder, which premiered in 2014 as the number one new show of the Fall in adults 18-49.

As an EP on Greys Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder, Rhimes has scored the rare feat of having three drama series currently airing consecutively on a Thursday night primetime programming block on ABC.

For her work on Greys Anatomy, now entering its eleventh season, Rhimes shared a 2007 Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama (having also been nominated in 2006 and 2008), the 2007 Golden Globe for Outstanding Television Drama, the 2007 Lucy Award for Excellence in Television from Women in Film, consecutive wins from 2007 2011 for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series, as well as five wins for Outstanding Drama Series.

Along with her Greys Anatomy writers, Rhimes shared a 2006 Writers Guild Award for New Series, as well as received WGA nominations for Dramatic Series in 2006 and 2007. Rhimes also shared Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series in 2006 and 2007 for her work on Greys, as well as earned an Emmy nomination for penning Greys 2006 episodes, Its the End of the World as We Know It, Parts I & II.

For her work on Scandal, Rhimes was the 2013 winner of the AFI Award, Peabody Award and NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama Series, as well as received a nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. Rhimes was the recipient of the 2012 GLAAD Golden Gate Award, 2010 RAINN Hope Award, and a 2009 GLSEN Respect Awards Honoree. Additionally, for her work on Private Practice, Rhimes received the Television Academy Honors award in 2010 and 2011, as well as the Prism Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in 2011.

Rhimes has twice been included in Time Magazines 100 list of the most influential people along with Fortunes 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, Varietys Power of Women, and Glamours Women of the Year. In 2013, Rhimes was appointed by President Obama to serve as Trustee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2014, Rhimes and her Shondaland producing partner Betsy Beers received the Directors Guild of Americas Diversity Award. Rhimes was also a 2014 recipient of the W. E. B. Du Bois Medal from Harvard and was named to both Vanity Fairs 2014 New Establishment list and Marie Claires New Guard List for the most connected women in America.

On December 10, Rhimes received The Hollywood Reporters Sherry Lansing Leadership Award presented at THRs 2014 Women in Entertainment gala, recognizing a woman who continues to be both pioneer and leader in her industry. In March, Rhimes is set to receive Human Rights Campaigns Ally for Equality Award for creating some of the most ground-breaking portrayals of LGBT people on television, as well as being a longtime advocate for LGBT equality. This April, Rhimes will also be inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Beyond her success with network television, Rhimes screenwriting credits include the feature films The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) and Crossroads (2002). Her other television writing credits include the telefilm biopic, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, produced by HBO and nominated for numerous awards, for which Halle Berry won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for Best Actress in a miniseries for her portrayal of Dandridge. Rhimes created her production company Shondaland in 2004.

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Shonda Rhimes To Receive WGA Wests 2015 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award For TV