
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Awards Committee has announced that FotoKem will receive HPA's prized Charles S. Swartz Award at the 19th HPA Awards gala on Nov. 7. The ceremony will return to the Wolfe Theater here at the Television Academy.
Last given in 2018, the Charles S. Swartz Award is one of HPA's most significant honors; bestowed at the discretion of the HPA Awards Committee to recognize profound and lasting contributions to the media content ecosystem. FotoKem, renowned for over 60 years of service, has played a pivotal role in supporting filmmakers, studios, cinematographers, and artists across diverse film and media landscapes. A team from FotoKem will accept the award.
FotoKem was founded in 1963 by Gerald Brodersen as an independent black and white film lab, located on Cahuenga Boulevard, only a couple of blocks from Universal and Warner Bros. FotoKem is considered one of the world's best artistic and technical partners, whose deep film expertise is accompanied by a philosophy of implementing innovative and sophisticated digital processes. Celebrating decades of collaboration with the industry's most brilliant artists, FotoKem has become a creative hub for all aspects of filmmaking. In addition to FotoKem's main campus in Burbank, their other LA facilities include an editorial facility in Hollywood, Keep Me Posted episodic post in Burbank, and LA Studios / Margarita Mix sound in Hollywood and Santa Monica. They have four wall facilities in several US states and deploy dailies and edit systems globally to support production anywhere in the world. While recognized as playing a critical role in keeping film alive as a viable acquisition and delivery medium, their technical and artistic expertise presents a deep understanding of color, sound, and complex workflow. FotoKem remains an independently owned and operated company, an anomaly in today's post production services sector.
Bill Brodersen, chief executive officer of FotoKem said, On behalf of the entire team at FotoKem, we are deeply honored to be recognized with the Charles S. Swartz Award. From the time my father started FotoKem until today, we have remained dedicated to serving the filmmakers who entrust us with their work. This award shines a light on our teams who work so diligently on behalf of our clients, and the community of artists and technologists who tell stories and share their vision. Thank you to HPA for honoring FotoKem with such a meaningful award.
Of FotoKem being named the recipient of the Charles S. Swartz award, HPA President Seth Hallen said, The HPA Awards Committee and the Board of Directors were unanimous in their desire to honor FotoKem with this award. They have played an undeniable role in keeping film alive as a viable tool for filmmakers. The impact of their unwavering support of film along with their non-stop innovation in many aspects of the post production processes and the talent and skill with which they serve their clients, eloquently illustrate their impact. From dailies to the meticulous restoration of classic films, and outstanding work for picture and sound to mind-blowing 70mm workflows, FotoKem brings an unparalleled level of talent. It is with great pride that the HPA Awards Committee bestows the Charles S. Swartz Award to FotoKem. It is richly deserved thanks to their team that includes some of the most talented creative, technical and operational individuals in the industry.
The award is named in honor of the late Charles S. Swartz, who led the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California from 2002 until 2006 and helped to build it into the industry's premiere test bed for new digital cinema technologies. Swartz passed away in 2007 and this award was established to honor his legacy and contributions to our industry. In addition to a long and successful career as producer, educator and consultant, Swartz served on the Board of Directors of the HPA.
The HPA Awards are made possible through the generous sponsorship of Blackmagic Design, Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services Worldwide, Avid, Colorist Society, Sohonet and Dolby. For sponsorship or program advertising opportunities, contact Joyce Cataldo at jcataldo@hpaonline.com.
Ticket sales for the November 7th HPA Awards gala are now open, and available at HPAAwards.com.
For further information visit www.hpaawards.com or email awards@hpaonline.com.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
17/02/2026
Eutelsat announces the renewal of multiple capacity agreements with Viewsat, rei...
17/02/2026
At Milano Cortina 2026, one statistic stood out across industry reporting: 70% of global signal distribution is now happening over public cloud. What began as e...
17/02/2026
CP Communications provided broadcast support for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, Calif. at Levi's Stadium, marking 27 years of working around the Big Game. Th...
17/02/2026
Street-level images of iconic Los Angeles landmarks are incorporated into the regular-season look
With NBC Sports just months into its return to NBA coverage a...
17/02/2026
Sophie Hyde and John Lithgow backstage during the premiere of Jimpa. (Photo by George Pimentel / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
17/02/2026
Johannesburg, 17 February 2026 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), ...
17/02/2026
A Green Beret hangs a 60mm mortar round from a M225A mortar system on a live-fire range. (Photo credit: U.S. Army)...
17/02/2026
AI Is Scaling Faster Than Governance And That's a Risk AI adoption hasn't rolled out through neat transformation programmes. It has spread organically...
17/02/2026
Cable Surges 9% on Strength of College Football Playoffs and News, while NFL Delivers Top 15 Broadcast Telecasts
ESPN (+86%) and FOX News Channel (+17%) Combin...
17/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/02/2026
As the FCC explores a potential clawback of Upper C-Band spectrum currently used for broadcast distribution, BCNEXXT is working with broadcasters and operators ...
17/02/2026
17 Feb 2026
VEON and Hala to Explore Partnership in Ride-Hailing Services Dubai, February 17, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator ( VEON...
17/02/2026
Qube Cinema announces the acquisition of the business of Arts Alliance Media (AA...
17/02/2026
Back to All News
Unveiling What's Next on Netflix for Australia and New Zealand in 2026
Entertainment
17 February 2026
GlobalAustraliaNew Zealand
Link ...
17/02/2026
Back to All News
WBD Files Definitive Proxy Statement and Schedules Special Mee...
17/02/2026
Arvato Systems Once Again Named One of Germany's Best IT Service Providers.
The best IT service providers in 2026
G tersloh - Arvato Systems is once ag...
17/02/2026
Open the report
Our 2025 report brings together results from 155 consumer magazine titles across 42 market sectors, published by 59 media owners. Over the year...
17/02/2026
Celebrating 21 Years of the RT Choice Music Prize
RT Choice Music Prize
In association with IMRO and IRMA
Classic Irish Album
And the winning album is
T...
17/02/2026
RT has today announced that as part of its public-service remit, it will expand...
16/02/2026
The production infrastructure scaled seamlessly from regular-season games to the...
16/02/2026
The operations team reimagined traditional workflows were reimagined and built a...
16/02/2026
Once again an in-house operation, the league's network is producing shows fr...
16/02/2026
The league is producing its first All-Star with NBC, Intuit Dome, and, once agai...
16/02/2026
When a customer in London needed a 4K video wall that could take 12G input, the media company found no video wall suppliers that could meet their specs and time...
16/02/2026
Grass Valley, a media and entertainment technology innovator, has won a competitive NATO-wide tender to provide the new camera system for NATO's main broadc...
16/02/2026
Comcast Business announces it is again partnering with NBCUniversal to architect and manage critical components of the linear and digital broadcast for three of...
16/02/2026
Week two of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are underway and crucial to the NBC Sports efforts has been the NEP Group which is providing a full range of...
16/02/2026
The Film Independent Spirit Awards have officially switched things up. This Sund...
16/02/2026
SBS's Powerhouse Current Affairs Line-up is Back with the Conversations and ...
16/02/2026
A THAAD interceptor is launched during a successful Missile Defense Agency intercept test (Photo Credit: Missile Defense Agency)...
16/02/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, is increasing capacity and ramping up p...
16/02/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending content security platform originally developed for the film, television and entertainment industries, has today announced a ma...
16/02/2026
Back to All News
Unscripted Content Producer MEGUMI Signs Exclusive Partnership with Netflix
Entertainment
16 February 2026
GlobalJapan
Link copied to clip...
16/02/2026
In Ep62 of the AMPS Podcast, they share how a 3 mm DPA 6061 Subminiature Mic became part of a custom solution hidden inside the underwater mask capturing breath...
16/02/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Releases the Second Season of Gangs of Galicia on April 3
Entertainment
16 February 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Wat...
16/02/2026
Back to All News
"Unscripted" Producer MEGUMI Signs Exclusive Partnership with Netflix
Entertainment
16 February 2026
GlobalJapan
Link copied to clipboard
...
16/02/2026
RT News & Current Affairs has today announced the new appointments of journalis...
16/02/2026
The NVIDIA Blackwell platform has been widely adopted by leading inference provi...
15/02/2026
With new partnership between the league and NBC, workflows distinguish more between live, broadcast sound
There'll be a lot new for the 75th NBA All-Star W...
15/02/2026
After 24-year absence, NBC Sports returns to NBA All-Star Weekend with unique ca...
15/02/2026
New to NBA coverage, the viewer experience offers several angles in addition to ...
15/02/2026
Coverage features 4X-slo-mo Supracam and Steadicam, Nucleus 4K cameras, closer play-by-play angle, 10 player mics
NBC Sports is in the midst of its first NBA A...
14/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...