Producers Guild presidents to end trying, triumphant tenure

Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher were both Hollywood veterans when they were elected as co-presidents of the Producers Guild of America in June 2018

Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher were both Hollywood veterans when they were elected as co-presidents of the Producers Guild of America in June 2018. But while both had overseen big studios, films and television shows, nothing could have prepared them for what they’d encounter in their four years Iin office with the PGA, including the #MeToo revolution, the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We didn’t know each other when this shotgun marriage was formed,” Berman said. “But we sort of joined hands and said, “let’s try our best to move this forward.” And we’ve had the best time with each other. It was definitely more than we ever considered when we said yes, but I will say that we’re leaving with our heads held high with a lot of pride for the organization and what the organization has been able to accomplish in a difficult, difficult time.”

Before they bid farewell to their co-presidency, they will celebrate Saturday night at the 33rd PGA Awards in Los Angeles. The untelevised show gives awards to producers of films (nominees include “The Power of the Dog,” “CODA” and “Dune”) and television shows (from “Ted Lasso” to “Squid Game”). And they’ll also be honoring the likes of George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, Issa Rae, “Dune” producer Mary Parent, Greg Berlanti and Rita Moreno.

Both women were already trailblazers in their industry before taking the job with the guild. Fisher has been a studio executive for over 40 years, overseeing films like “The Goonies” and “The Fugitive” at Warner Bros., and “Men in Black,” “Jerry Maguire” and “My Best Friend’s Wedding” as vice chairman of Sony Pictures. Berman, meanwhile, made her name in television as an executive producer of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and an executive at Fox, overseeing the development and scheduling of shows like “American Idol” and “Arrested Development.”