Debra
Birnbaum
Editor-in-Chief, Gold Derby

Birnbaum is an accomplished multi-platform media strategist and content creator with over 25 years of experience covering news and entertainment.

Most recently she was the global head of awards for Amazon MGM Studios, overseeing awards strategy for the studio’s extensive slate of original films and series. During her tenure there, Amazon MGM Studios set new studio records for awards, including 12 Academy Award nominations in 2021, 68 Emmy Award nominations in 2023, and 16 Golden Globe Award nominations in 2023, along with other high-profile industry awards.  

Birnbaum spent five years as the executive editor, TV, for Variety, leading television news and awards coverage for the trade magazine’s multiple platforms, including the weekly print edition, Variety.com, and special awards season issues. As the president and editor-in-chief of TV Guide Magazine, a position she held for seven years, she revitalized a classic brand with innovations like the annual "Fan Favorites" cover contest and the "Hot List" party. She has also worked for Redbook, George, More, The New York Post, and Us Weekly, overseeing entertainment coverage.

She has appeared frequently on TV and radio as an entertainment expert, and moderated hundreds of panels for high-profile industry and consumer events at the Television Academy, Screen Actors Guild, Paley Center, Comic-Con, and more. Her work has earned recognition from the L.A. Press Club, the Publicists Guild of America, the Webby Awards, the Clio Awards, Promax, and the Television Academy, notably an Emmy Award for producing Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series.

Birnbaum recently joined the Board of Directors of the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA). A graduate of Cornell University, she’s a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women and serves as an alumni ambassador. She also belongs to key entertainment industry organizations, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the Television Academy, and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Debra
Birnbaum
Editor-in-Chief, Gold Derby

Birnbaum is an accomplished multi-platform media strategist and content creator with over 25 years of experience covering news and entertainment.

Most recently she was the global head of awards for Amazon MGM Studios, overseeing awards strategy for the studio’s extensive slate of original films and series. During her tenure there, Amazon MGM Studios set new studio records for awards, including 12 Academy Award nominations in 2021, 68 Emmy Award nominations in 2023, and 16 Golden Globe Award nominations in 2023, along with other high-profile industry awards.  

Birnbaum spent five years as the executive editor, TV, for Variety, leading television news and awards coverage for the trade magazine’s multiple platforms, including the weekly print edition, Variety.com, and special awards season issues. As the president and editor-in-chief of TV Guide Magazine, a position she held for seven years, she revitalized a classic brand with innovations like the annual "Fan Favorites" cover contest and the "Hot List" party. She has also worked for Redbook, George, More, The New York Post, and Us Weekly, overseeing entertainment coverage.

She has appeared frequently on TV and radio as an entertainment expert, and moderated hundreds of panels for high-profile industry and consumer events at the Television Academy, Screen Actors Guild, Paley Center, Comic-Con, and more. Her work has earned recognition from the L.A. Press Club, the Publicists Guild of America, the Webby Awards, the Clio Awards, Promax, and the Television Academy, notably an Emmy Award for producing Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series.

Birnbaum recently joined the Board of Directors of the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA). A graduate of Cornell University, she’s a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women and serves as an alumni ambassador. She also belongs to key entertainment industry organizations, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the Television Academy, and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

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