Kathy Connell was a working actress and Screen Actors Guild board
member when she was asked to become part of the committee that would create the
inaugural Screen Actors Guild Awards in 1995. She not only assumed the role of SAG
Awards Committee chair, a position she held for two years, but was also the
show’s first producer. This became a full-time job in 1996 after she stepped
down from SAG’s Board of Directors. Connell recently added a new title to her
resume: SAG-AFTRA’s
assistant national executive director of awards and national programming.
Kathy Connell: It was fairly terrifying when we sent out the invitations because we were throwing a very grand party and we didn’t know if anybody would come.
But they did come.
Connell: Yes. We had a room full of actors and it was wonderful.
