THANK YOU!

Special thanks to all the talented people who helped make possible the production of the 11th Annual PRISM Awards that just aired on FX Network. PRISM is just about a year long process. It is created first from the commitment to others and dedication of the EIC staff, Board of Directors, a number of Trustees, members of the EIC Creative Professional Network and a host of volunteers from the creative community.

Uniquely, the heart of the PRISM Awards emanates from people within and outside of the entertainment industry who recognize the importance and relevance of the entertainment industry to help others by using its power and influence to reach audiences with health and life style information that can literally help save a life. PRISM is a culmination of creative professionals’ awareness and attention to empowering the public with accurate information in an entertaining way. The PRISM Awards showcases some of the best work of actors, writers, producers, directors and other creative professionals that makes a difference in the lives of audiences.

As we enter the PRISM season of Call for Entries, I encourage those in our industry who would like to be a part of something that is special and unique to get involved with EIC. Your skills and talent will be well received by all involved with the PRISM Awards. New thinking is welcome as is pro bono production services. There is plenty of opportunity to be involved in Call for Entries, Judging, the annual Awards Event, Capitol Hill Showcase, marketing, promotion, public relations and the production.

So please don't hesitate to contact EIC to wear your heart on your sleeve a little bit...be a part of bringing the power and influence of the entertainment industry to bear on health and social issues. Help create the "art of making a difference."

Snapshots: PRISM Awards Showcase (10/2/07)

CONGRESSIONAL SPEAKERS
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Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Representative Diane Watson (D-CA)

Representatives Grace Napolitano (D-CA) & Tim Murphy (R-PA)

SPECIAL GUESTS

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The lovely Judith Light...striking a pose.

EIC's Management Team with Mark Weber, the Director of Communications for SAMHSA.

Matthew Margo, Senior VP of Program Practices, CBS Television Network

Marcellus Alexander (President, NAB Education Foundation); Kathryn Power (Director, Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA); Katherine Fugate (Creator and Executive Producer, Army Wives); Nick Grad (Executive VP, Programming, FX Networks); Dr. Gary Sachs (Founder & Director, MGH Bipolar Clinic & Research Program), Judith Light (Actor, Ugly Betty); Brian Dyak (President & CEO, EIC)

Judith Light, Katherine Fugate and Morgan Brittany

Quality Control vs. Creative Freedom: Who Gets To Judge?

Quality: A general term applicable to any trait or characteristic whether individual or generic (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary)

Check it out! A new Wall Street Journal article, “Drinks, Drugs, Dysfunction Star on Summer Cable TV” by John Jurgensen (July 20, 2007), analyzes creative depictions of substance abuse on cable shows. I am extremely pleased to see the PRISM Awards recognized in the article along with the concept of accurate depiction integrated into story telling.

EIC has pioneered depiction efforts working with the creative community for close to 25 years, initially addressing the perceived glamorization of drug use in comedy and drama, exploitation of drug use without the reality of negative consequences, or the portrayal as funny, sexy, or macho during the 1970s and ’80s.

As we were founded and are governed by entertainment professionals, EIC places a priority on creative freedom; we believe that writers and other creative people should be allowed to do what they feel necessary to tell a story the way it needs to be told. This is called artistry. After a couple of years of taking a strong “Just Say No” approach, EIC shifted focus from glamorization to accuracy. The response to this new attitude—challenging creators to be as accurate as possible while maintaining creative integrity and engaging audiences, rather than pointing the finger at “glamorous” portrayals and watering down everything for a general audience—was astounding. Our peers in the industry took on the challenge and asked for more.

This led to our publishing of a comprehensive creative community depiction encyclopedia, EIC's Spotlight on Depiction of Health and Social Issues: Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Use and Addiction, in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). This resource set the standard for accurate depiction providing show researchers and writers with quick reference information about substance abuse all vetted by NIDA. In fact, we are updating the book right now.

Given today’s availability of resource information on myriad health and social issues for the creative community, I feel now is the time to issue a reality check for people who are never satisfied with what the entertainment industry produces. This constant complaining comes down to one common denominator: QUALITY. Quality is in the eye of the beholder.

EIC focuses on accurate, science-based information because by definition, the quality of anything is entirely subjective. What one person thinks is ‘off the mark’ may be ‘on the mark’ for others. You may find a particular depiction or character’s dialogue not entertaining and offensive, and I may find it a reflection of life as I know it or fantasy—escapism storytelling.

The bottom line: WHO IS TO JUDGE?

Brian