John Lasseter To Be Honored with Variety’s Creative Leadership Award

LOS ANGELES, CA, AUGUST 25, 2011 — John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and Principal Creative Advisor, Walt Disney Imagineering, will be honored with Variety’s Creative Leadership Award, which recognizes the extraordinary amount of time and effort the honoree has given to mentoring young executives and creative talent. The award will be bestowed to Lasseter on October 11, 2011 as part of the trade publication’s inaugural Hollywood’s New Leaders feature and event.

“John has and will always be a creative pioneer in the film industry,” said Brian Gott, Publisher of Variety. “His ability to foster the young creative minds of the next generation of filmmakers is as undeniable as his ability to reach moviegoers of all ages with his rich and diverse storylines.”

Variety’s Hollywood’s New Leaders feature will spotlight the next generation of power players in the entertainment business, and profile 10 Assistants to Watch, the industry’s top up-and-coming executive assistants who are on the verge of breaking into the junior executive ranks.  That evening, Variety will host an exclusive, invite-only cocktail reception in West Hollywood, CA to celebrate John Lasseter and these talented and inspiring young leaders who will be shaping the industry in the years to come.