The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announced that Shonda Rhimes, creator and executive producer of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” will be inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame at the 2015 NAB Show Television Luncheon on Monday, April 13 in Las Vegas.
The hit ABC series “Grey’s Anatomy” chronicles the personal and professional lives of surgical residents in Seattle. “Scandal” revolves around the life and work of a professional crisis manager and her complicated relationship with an embattled White House administration. Rhimes also created the “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff series “Private Practice,” which ran on ABC for six seasons, and is the executive producer of the new ABC series “How to Get Away with Murder.”
“Shonda Rhimes’ creative talent is undeniable, and is on display every Thursday night on ABC,” said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. “The characters and storylines she creates draw in viewers and keep them coming back for more. Her hit shows serve as Exhibit A on why broadcast television remains the most popular destination for scripted entertainment programming.”
Entering its eleventh season, “Grey’s Anatomy” continues to be hailed by audiences and critics. For her work on the series, Rhimes was named the 2007 Television Producer of the Year by the Producers Guild of America. She also received the 2006 Writers Guild Award for Best New Series, the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Television Drama, the 2007 Lucy Award for Excellence in Television from Women in Film, and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series from 2007-2011 in addition to the show’s five wins for Outstanding Drama Series. “Grey’s Anatomy” also earned Rhimes Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and Writing for a Drama Series.
For “Scandal,” Rhimes was the 2013 winner of the AFI Award, Peabody Award and NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama Series and also received a nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. Rhimes was the recipient of the 2012 GLAAD Golden Gate Award, 2010 RAINN Hope Award and a 2009 GLSEN Respect Awards Honoree. Additionally for “Private Practice,” Rhimes received the Television Academy Honors award in 2010 and 2011 as well as the Prism Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in 2011.
Rhimes has twice been included in TIME Magazine’s 100 list of the most influential people along with Fortune Magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business,” Variety’s “Power of Women” and Glamour Magazine’s “Women of the Year.” In 2013, Rhimes was appointed by President Obama to serve as Trustee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2014, Rhimes, along with producing partner Betsy Beers, received the Directors Guild of America’s prestigious Diversity Award. This marked only the fifth time the organization had bestowed this award. Rhimes was additionally a 2014 recipient of the W. E. B. Du Bois Medal from Harvard, the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award from The Hollywood Reporter and was named to both the 2014 New Establishment list for Vanity Fair and the New Guard List for the most connected women in America for Marie Claire.
Rhimes holds a BA from Dartmouth College in English Literature and Creative Writing. As director of Dartmouth’s Black Underground Theatre and Arts Association, her work earned her numerous awards for excellence. She received her MFA from the USC School of Cinema-Television, where she was awarded the prestigious Gary Rosenberg Writing Fellowship. Rhimes returned to Dartmouth in June of 2014 to deliver the commencement address.
Previous NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame television inductees include “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “American Idol,” Betty White, Garry Marshall, “Meet the Press,” Bob Newhart, “TheTonight Show,” “Saturday Night Live,” Ted Koppel, “M*A*S*H,” “60 Minutes,” “The Today Show” and “Star Trek.”
