Academy Names Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner as Producers for 95th Oscars, Plans to Explore Streaming Options and 'Reinvigorate' Ceremony

Academy CEO Bill Kramer named Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner as executive producers for the 95th Academy Awards on Saturday.

Academy Names Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner as Producers for 95th Oscars, Plans to Explore Streaming Options and ‘Reinvigorate’ Ceremony

Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner will serve as executive producers of the 95th Oscars, which will take place in March 2023. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer announced the producing duo, both of White Cherry Entertainment, on Saturday morning.

Along with producing, Weiss will serve as director for the ceremony for an eighth consecutive year. The 2023 Oscars will mark Weiss’ second time and Kirshner’s first time producing the Academy Awards. The two were tapped by the Academy as part of “a focus on expertise in live television event production.”

“We are thrilled to have Glenn and Ricky at the helm,” Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “We look forward to working closely with them, our Board of Governors and the Board’s Awards Committee to deliver an exciting and energized show.”

“Bill made us ‘an offer we couldn’t refuse,'” Weiss and Kirshner said in a joint statement, adopting a line from “The Godfather” about mafia intimidation tactics before shifting to a warm tone with a “Jerry Maguire” citation. “But he really ‘had us at hello.'”

During the Academy’s meeting on Saturday, Kramer also tackled feedback from members, opening his remarks by stating that there is “a need to reinvigorate the show.” To address this, the organization outlined plans to create a dedicated team within the Academy solely focused on the awards ceremony, enrich the event status of the pre-show red carpet and tackle how to best honor craft winners. The Academy faced backlash this year for its decision to announce the results of certain below-the-line categories ahead of the televised ceremony, airing taped and abbreviated acceptance speeches during the broadcast.

Notably, Kramer and Yang also mentioned plans of “exploring extensions of the show on streaming,” which would mark new territory for the awards ceremony. The Academy Awards have remained an exclusively televised event in recent years, even as streaming has grown in volume among consumers.

As both Weiss and Kirshner have been named as executive producers, there remains a possibility that the Academy may recruit another high-profile figure to serve as producer for the ceremony. The executive producers’ “expertise in live television event production” would provide the background needed if the Academy decides to name additional producers, such as Will Packer in 2022 and Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins in 2021.

Along with Weiss and Kirshner, the Academy also announced a team of creatives who will assist the pair in shaping the Oscars. David Chamberlin will serve as executive producer for the red carpet show, while Met Gala veterans Lisa Love and Raúl Àvila will serve as red carpet creative consultants. Additionally, Kenny Gravillis will serve as creative director, while Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley have been tapped as production designers for the ceremony.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have live event veterans Glenn and Ricky as executive producers of the 95th Oscars telecast on ABC,” Rob Mills, executive vice president for unscripted and alternative entertainment at Walt Disney Television, said in a statement. “Their experience and creativity are bar none, and we look forward to seeing their vision play out for Hollywood’s biggest night.”

Weiss is a live televised event directing veteran, winning two Primetime Emmys for his work on the Academy Awards and earning three directing and nine producing Primetime Emmys across 21 Tony Awards shows. Other credits include the Democratic National Convention, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Primetime Emmy Awards, the American Music Awards, the BET Awards, “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” and the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Across a career spanning three decades, Kirshner has received 26 Emmy nominations and has won nine Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award. His credits include the Tony Awards, 14 Super Bowl Halftime Shows, “Night of Too Many Stars,” the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Democratic National Convention and Presidential Inaugurals.

The 95th Oscars will take place on March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The ceremony will be televised live on ABC.