49th Chicago International Film Festival Television Awards to Present Leo Burnett with Commitment to Excellence Award

CHICAGO, IL – Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival are pleased to announce that the 49th Chicago International Film Festival Television Awards Gala will take place on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago, hosted by Jeanne Sparrow from You & Me This Morning on WCIU. Ad agency Leo Burnett will be presented with the Commitment to Excellence Award for Television Commercials.
 
Established in 1935, Leo Burnett Worldwide is one of the world’s largest advertising agency networks. The agency has been heralded as a “pioneer on the frontier of marketing” and continues to be ranked as one of the world’s top five creative networks. The organization’s creative contributions have left a lasting legacy not only on the Chicago advertising community, but also on visual culture in every advertising medium.
 
Michael Kutza, Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival, commented: “When I was developing the first Festival in the 60’s, It was Mr. Leo Burnett himself that suggested we honor the hard work that goes into the conception and production of the television commercial, and that it should be a major competition in the Chicago International Film Festival… and it is today 49 years later!”
 
The Chicago International Film Festival Television Awards is an annual international television competition culminating in an Awards Ceremony that honors the best TV commercials and television productions from around the world. Included in the evening program are the presentations of Commitment to Excellence Awards to individuals or companies that have had a lasting impact on the medium of television.
                                                                  
Recent competition winners include: American Masters, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, and many others. Television commercials winners include: Allstate, Audi, Bud Light, McDonald’s, Mercedes- Benz, among others. Recent Commitment to Excellence Award recipients include: Kelsey Grammer, OPTIMUS, FRONTLINE, Bill Kurtis, WTTW, Carol Marin, and Ruth Ratny.
 
The evening includes a cocktail reception with savory hors d’oeuvres, followed by the Awards Ceremony in the main ballroom. Video clips from the winning productions will be screened along with surprise guests from the industry. Tickets are $75/person and are now available at http://sg.carolfoxassociates.com/wf/click?upn=vuRFHzTxfcKQnkGWizvvpLEOQc6sQASghw-2FZW-2FlaaSfViUY7hb8f1V-2BF8aRBTpi81H1-2BmenTx2QOVbrk816f-2FZb0ZX6ux1N-2Bfh6SIuxRA99k8Kseyv4iWlXQ8wLrOloc01paSluW5RZhZvUrc0oUQw-3D-3D_pWrJayHruQfaTqNV9Jjx7V8VEam6rPWCYjgn4QmrwfZBKNiPghMQi7BTGzc6uLQLaKPyAlSDpkn9gIt8fnptzELBp-2FDqKJkGClYRA10q8Z2-2FRd16BnlBBWHs6bu4NaM8l1D-2FQgpohkdQ0V9ToE7DcXtcnkDM3adDdf1hpjneGjJzb6RIeD96XsinL-2BBW7UtqZu2pAYjfYt7ER4hJFJ4iqj-2BvFJuGfwizWIC2fkd7P0ZjMp3YUetZcZTO6eHlwBAz4ygCPrWun20EkaNwuvj08jAUEmRdqTU6KfvVbHvmOLU0j8RMBhUuOCIAvELAyv0J-2BeNgS5j-2B9yYqrAdKV-2FER7Z346nu7FNpW17iT8HEHVTPtGwkLqmo5AQXl-2FAg-2By17M. Eight-person tables are also available.
 
The 49th Chicago International Film Festival Television Awards is presented by Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival. Major Partners include American Airlines, DePaul University School of Cinema and Interactive Media, and Optimus; Evening Partners include Stella Artois, Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago, WTTW11, Screen Magazine, ReelChicago and Shutterbox Entertainment.

About Cinema/Chicago
 
Cinema/Chicago is a not-for-profit cultural and education organization dedicated to encouraging better understanding between cultures and to making a positive contribution to the art form of the moving image. The Television Awards is part of the year-round programs presented by Cinema/Chicago, which also include the Chicago International Film Festival, CineYouth Festival, Intercom Competition, International Summer Screenings Program, Black Perspectives and Educational Outreach.