Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

Airing Sunday, September 20, 2009 on CBS

(North Hollywood, CA) Four-time Primetime Emmy® Award recipient Glenn Weiss will direct the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards, it was announced today by Executive Producer Don Mischer.  The show will air live Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on CBS from the NOKIA Theatre L.A. Live.  This will be Weiss' first time directing the Primetime Emmy telecast. 

"Glenn brings extensive experience in live television direction to the Emmys," said Mischer.  "He is creative, organized, and unflappable.  And for a director of a live 3-hour live event, you can't beat that."

Weiss and Mischer have collaborated before on many projects together; most recently they worked as co-executive producers of the last three Super Bowl Half Time Shows featuring Bruce Springsteen (2009), Tom Petty (2008) and Prince (2007).

As executive producer and director of nine Tony Awards, Weiss has been the recipient of four Primetime Emmy Awards -- in 2008 for "Outstanding Special Class Program" (Awards Program), The 61st Annual Tony Awards; in 2007 for "Outstanding Special Class Program," The 60th Annual Tony Awards; in 2005 for "Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special, The 58th Annual Tony Awards; and in 2003 for "Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program," The 56th Annual Tony Awards. In addition, Weiss also received a Directors Guild Award in 2008 for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety," The 61st Annual Tony Awards.

Weiss also directed numerous television specials including The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration, The Academy of Country Music Awards (April 2009), The American Music Awards, The Miss Universe Pageant, The Vibe Awards, The BET Awards, The TV Land Awards, Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards, Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, among others.  In addition, his television series credits include The Singing Bee, Wanna Bet?, Donny & Marie, Tempestt, Star Search,and many others.  Weiss' production company is White Cherry Entertainment, which he co-runs with partner Ricky Kirshner.

The 61ST PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS is being produced by Don Mischer Productions.  Multiple Emmy Award winner Don Mischer recently produced and directed "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial," and the Bruce Springsteen Super Bowl XLIII Halftime Show.  Nominations will be streamed live at  www.emmys.com.

About the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946 just one month after network television was born. It is a non-profit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry.