BAFTA/LA OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES HONORING PRIMETIME EMMY® NOMINEES AT 5TH ANNUAL TEA PARTY
Los Angeles, CA, July 31, 2007 - The British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles (BAFTA/LA) and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will co-host the 5th Annual Primetime Emmy® Nominees’ Tea Party on Saturday, September 15 at the Wattles Mansion & Gardens in Hollywood from 2-5pm benefiting both organizations’ philanthropic divisions. BBC America and British Airways are the presenting sponsors and additional sponsors of the event include GREY GOOSE Vodka, Dove® Chocolate and BV Wine.

In what has become a time-honored tradition, BAFTA/LA and the Television Academy will celebrate the 2006-2007 Emmy nominees from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on the Saturday prior to the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.  Invited guests include past Emmy winners, current nominees and other notable talent from the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, BAFTA/LA Members, Television Academy Members, and industry executives. 

Peter Morris, BAFTA/LA’s Chairman of the Board, remarked “The Tea Party is a wonderful setting for industry friends and nominees to get together and celebrate the rise and success of British talent on American television in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.”

“The Primetime Emmy broadcast is a major event around the world, and especially in English-speaking countries,” stated Dick Askin, Chairman and CEO of the Television Academy, “and the Tea Party has become a highly anticipated stop on the road to the Emmys.  It is a terrific celebration for the UK and Commonwealth nominees to mingle with their American counterparts.”

Serving as the bridge between the American and British entertainment communities, BAFTA/LA is a professional non-profit organization founded in California in 1987 to promote and advance original work in film, television and interactive media.

BAFTA/LA’s outreach programs benefit Members and other professionals working within the entertainment industry, as well as the Los Angeles community at large. BAFTA/LA provides exclusive access to screenings, Q&A’s with talent and filmmakers, conversations with leading UK-based film and television executives, and the Heritage Archive, featuring broadcast-quality interviews with distinguished British members of the film and television industries. Educational outreach for students and the Los Angeles community includes an after-school screening program for inner-city youth at the Helen Keller Park Recreation Center and a recent partnership with FilmAid to mentor young filmmakers. Additional programs include seminars in association with local universities and festivals, scholarships for post-graduate programs, and recognizing professional and student talent with awards at film festivals throughout the U.S.

Maintaining a long tradition of recognizing the finest filmmaking and television talent, BAFTA/LA hosts a series of social networking events, including the Annual BAFTA/LA-Cunard Britannia Awards, the BAFTA Film Awards Brunch, the Annual Garden Party, and the Awards Season Film and Television Tea Parties in January and September. BAFTA/LA is affiliated with BAFTA in London, and members vote annually for the prestigious BAFTA Film Awards. BAFTA/LA also presents its annual Britannia Awards every November, where it has honored such luminaries as Clint Eastwood, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, and Martin Scorsese with the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film.

For more information on BAFTA/LA, visit www.baftala.org. 

Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation is dedicated to utilizing the resources of the Television Academy and the artistry of television to preserve and celebrate the history of the medium and to educate and guide those who will shape its future. The Foundation is responsible for the Archive of American Television, as well as Educational Programs such as the College Television Awards, its renowned Student Internship Program, the Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship and its annual Faculty Seminar. 

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946 just one month after network television was born. It is a non-profit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry. In addition to recognizing outstanding programming through its Primetime Emmy® Awards, the Television Academy publishes emmy® Magazine and stages many industry-related programs, services and year-round events for the television community.

For more information on the Foundation and the Television Academy, please visit www.emmys.tv/foundation.