LOS ANGELES — More than 150 entertainment industry leaders signed an open letter released by the nonprofit organization, Creative Community For Peace (CCFP), urging the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) to rescind the Emmy nomination of Bisan Atef Owda for the 2024 News & Documentary category.
The letter, which comes in response to Owda’s nomination for the documentary “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive,” calls on NATAS to rescind the nominations due to Owda’s documented ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a United States-designated terrorist organization.
The letter expresses deep concern that honoring an individual who has actively participated in PFLP rallies and disseminated antisemitic content legitimizes a terrorist organization and undermines the integrity of the Emmys.
Co-founder and Chairman of CCFP, David Renzer, said, “NATAS must decide – they can either condone the murder of innocent civilians or they can listen to the entertainment community, and stand in opposition to hatred and violence.”
CCFP Executive Director, Ari Ingel said, “The Emmys decision to honor someone with clear ties to a U.S.-designated terrorist group is inexcusable and should have never happened. It would be legitimizing a terrorist organization.”
“If the Emmys don’t change course and rescind this nomination, they will be glorifying someone who is a member of an organization that has carried our numerous aircraft hijackings, participated in the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, carried out waves of bombings on markets and restaurants and murdered innocent women and children. The Emmys cannot allow their prestigious award show to be hijacked by terrorists, and instead should continue to promote peace and tolerance through the arts,” adds Ingel.
The letter states that the nomination is in direct violation of the NATAS code of ethical conduct, which explicitly states a “zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, illegal, dishonest, unethical, or otherwise harmful conduct.”
The 150+ Signatories Include: Haim Saban (Chairman and CEO, Saban Capital Group); David Draiman (Frontman, Disturbed); Debra Messing (Actress); Rebecca De Mornay (Actress); Sherry Lansing (Former CEO of Paramount Pictures); Rick Rosen (Co-Founder, Endeavor); Ben Silverman (Chairman & Co-CEO, Propagate Content); Modi Wiczyk (Co-Founder and Co-CEO, MRC); Fernando Szew (President, Fox Entertainment); Michael Rotenberg (Partner, 3 Arts Entertainment); Emmanuelle Chriqui (Actress); Fred Tozcek (Partner, Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson McGinnis Ryan LLP), amongst others.
For more information on Bisan Owda’s terrorist ties, click here: [Link]
If you are part of the entertainment community and want to add your name, please sign here.
FULL OPEN LETTER
Dear Members of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS),
We, the undersigned members of the entertainment industry, are writing to express our strong opposition to the Emmy nomination of Bisan Atef Owda for the 2024 News & Documentary category.
The Emmy nomination for “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” is deeply troubling, given the creator’s history of promoting dangerous falsehoods, spreading antisemitism, and condoning violence. Bisan Owda’s affiliation with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a United States designated terrorist organization, raises serious ethical concerns that cannot and should not be ignored.
Honoring someone linked to an organization that has caused so much pain and suffering is not just irresponsible; it is a direct affront to the values we hold dear in the entertainment industry.
Owda has repeatedly participated in PFLP rallies and routinely disseminates antisemitism across her social media platforms. PFLP is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks, aircraft hijackings, suicide bombings, and the murders of civilians, including women and children.
The Emmys are a prestigious entertainment institution, known for recognizing excellence in entertainment, often highlighting the unifying power of the arts. Choosing to elevate someone with clear ties to the PFLP not only legitimizes a terrorist organization, it undermines the integrity of the awards.
We urge NATAS to rescind Owda’s nomination to prevent glorifying a figure associated with terrorism and ensure the Emmys remain a symbol of peace and artistic collaboration.
Only in rescinding this nomination, will NATAS uphold its code of ethical conduct, which explicitly states a “zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, illegal, dishonest, unethical, or otherwise harmful conduct.”
Ari Ingel, Executive Director, Creative Community for Peace
David Renzer, Former Chairman/CEO Universal Music Publishing Group, CCFP Chairman & Co-Founder
Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive & Music President, Electronic Arts, CCFP Co-Founder
Rakefet Abergel, Actor/Director, Cyclamen Films
Orly Adelson, Former President of ITV Studios, America
Marty Adelstein, CEO, Tomorrow Studios
Anne-Marie Asner, Co-Founder, Animation Israel
Jeff Astrof, TV Producer/Showrunner, Other Shoe Productions
Michael Auerbach, Partner, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein
Dean Bahat, Attorney, Ziffren Brittenham
Andrea Ballas, VP Comms, CBS
Jackie Barrie, A&R Manager
Richard Baskind, Partner & Head of Music, Simons Muirhead & Burton
Aton Ben-Horin, Executive VP of Global A&R, Atlantic Records Group
Steven Bensusan, President, Blue Note Entertainment Group
Adam Berkowitz, Founder and President, Lenore Entertainment Group
Sharon Bialy, Casting Director, Bialy/Thomas & Associates
Josh Binder, Co-Founder and Partner, Rothenberg Mohr & Binder, LLP
Neil Blair, Founding Partner, The Blair Partnership
Selma Blair, Actress, Author, Advocate, Sainted Productions
Rebecca Blumberg, SVP Ad Sales, Paramount
Evan Bogart, Songwriter & CEO, Seeker Music
Benjamin Budde, CEO, Budde Group GmbH
Bruce Burger, Producer, RebbeSoul
David Byrnes, Attorney, Ziffren Brittenham
Civia Caroline, Social Impact Consultant, CLiC Impact
Pamela Charbit, Director of A&R, Warner Music Group
Emmanuelle Chriqui, Actor, Yellow Ray Entertainment
Leanne Coronel, Talent Manager, The Coronel Group
Raye Cosbert, Managing Director, Metropolis Music
Paul Craig, Ceo, Nostromo Management
Doug Davis, NATAS Member, 2x Emmy winner, The Davis Firm
Rebecca De Mornay, Actor
Jamie Denbo, Co-Executive Producer, Grey’s Anatomy, ABC/Disney
Josh Deutsch, Chairman/CEO, Premier Music Group
Avi Diamond, Director, Film/TV Sync, Warner Music Canada
Craig Dorfman, President and Owner, Frontline MGMT
Rachel Douglas, Manager, Range Media Partners
David Draiman, Frontman, Disturbed
Jeremy Drysdale, Screenwriter, bigbamboo
Craig Emanuel, Ryan Murphy Productions
Hannah Epstein, Agent, CAA
Rami “Kosha dillz” Even-Esh, Rapper/Comic/Actor
Lindsay Fabes, Actor
Ron Fair, Record Producer & CEO, Faircraft Inc.
Sharon Farber, Composer, Score by Score Music
Danny Federman, Owner, Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club
Eric Feig, Attorney and TV Academy Member, Feig/Finkel
Patti Felker, Attorney, Felker Toczek Suddleson McGinnis Ryan LLP
Ken Fermaglich, Partner, United Talent Agency
Ross “Remedy” Filler, Artist
Shalom Fisch, President, MediaKidz Research & Consulting
David Fishof, CEO, RRFC Films, LLC
Siri Garber, Publicist, Platform
David Gardner, President, Artists First
Barbara Garshman, CEO, Garshman Productions LLC
Gary Gersh
Gary Ginsberg, Senior VP, SoftBank Group Corp.
David Glick, Founder & CEO, Edge Group
Zusha Goldin, Celebrity Photographer, Zusha Goldin
Michael Goldwasser, President, Easy Star Records
Andrew Gould, President, Music Publishing
Scott Greenberg, Partner, LBI
Steven Greenberg, Founder and President, S-Curve Records
Daniel Grindlinger, Writer
Ronnie Harris, Partner, Harris & Trotter
Michael Hirschhorn, Manager, Streaming and Sales, Atlantic Records
Linda Edell Howard, Attorney, Novick Law
Rich Ingram, Artist/Creator
Neil Jacobson, Former President, Geffen Records, Founder & CEO of Hallwood Media
Michael Kaplan, Writer/Producer
Sam Katz, Music Manager, Homebase MGMT, LLC
Zach Katz, CEO & Co-Founder, Fixated
Ketura Kestin, Film Producer, Serendipity Productions
Amanda Kogan, Manager, Aaron Kogan Management
Keetgi Kogan Steinberg, Writer/Producer/Showrunner
Jason Kozel, Creative Executive, Range Media Partners
Rick Krim, CEO, Krim Music + Media
Evan Lamberg, President, North America, Universal Music Publishing Group
Sherry Lansing, Former CEO, Paramount Pictures
Colin Lester OBE, Founder/Chairman, JEM Music Group
Sean Liebowitz, Agent
Koura Linda, Founder & CEO, Space Dream Productions
Marci Liroff, Intimacy Coordinator/Casting Director
Cory Litwin, Managing Partner, Range Media Partners
David Lonner, CEO, The David Lonner Company
Ben Maddahi, President, Unrestricted Publishing & Mgmt
Gabriel Mann, Composer
Deborah Marcus, Executive, CAA Foundation
Susan Markheim, Full Stop Mgt., The Azoff Company
Amanda Markowitz, Actor/Producer, SAG/AFTRA & PGA
Orly Marley, President, Tuff Gong Worldwide
Devra Maza, Screenwriter
Debra Messing, Actor/Producer
Hilary Michael, Agent and Partner, WME
Beth Milstein, Writer
Jennifer Morrow, Actor, CAA
Patrick Moss, Writer, Moroccan Boychik
Robert Munic, Writer/Showrunner, Pull The Pin Productions, Inc.
Lisa Nupoff, Manager, iminmusic management
Scott Packman, Founder and Managing Member, SSP Partners LLC
Mark Pinkus, President, Rhino Records
Jonah Platt, Actor/Producer
Wendy Plaut, SVP Music & Celebrity Talent, Paramount Global
Jessica Poter, Writer, Gustavo Anibal Productions
Brian Ralston, Composer/Producer, Studio 74 Music, LLC
Golan Ramraz, Writer/Producer, EGX Film Factory
Bruce Resnikoff
Frederic Richter, Producer, Writer & Researcher
Wendy Robbins, Executive Producer, Creators Inc
Dan Rosen, President, Warner Music Australasia
Rick Rosen, Co-Founder, Endeavor, WME
Aaron Rosenberg, Partner, Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light
Gregg Rossen, Screenwriter
Michael Rotenberg, CEO, 3 Arts Entertainment
Joshua Rothstein, CEO/Founder, Ice Cream For Dinner
Haim Saban, Chairman and CEO, Saban Capital Group
Glenn Sanders, Writer/Director/Creative Director, Masonry Creative
Ayelet Schiffman, SVP Head of Promotions, Island Records
Paul Schindler, Senior Partner, Greenberg Traurig LLC
Jordan Schur, CEO and Chairman, Mimran Schur Pictures and Suretone Entertainment
Adam Schwartz, Writer
Sam Schwartz, Partner, Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency
Jay Schweid, Founder/CEO, ephelants/Village
Adam Segal, President, The 2050 Group
Ben Silverman, Chairman and Co-CEO, Propagate Content
Ralph Simon, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Mobilium Global Limited
Tamar Simon, Owner/CEO, Mean Streets Management
Martin Singer, Attorney, Lavely and Singer
Halle Stanford, President of Television, The Jim Henson Company
Mimi Steinberg, Writer/Producer
Jonathan Steinsapir, Partner, Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir
Gary Stiffelman, Founder, GSS Law
Traci Symanski, CEO, Co-Star Entertainment
Aaron Symonds, Film Composer
Fernando Szew, President, Fox Entertainment
Tal Tavin, Actor
Adam Taylor, President, APM Music
Michael Testa, Casting Director, Michael Testa Casting
Fred Toczek, Partner, Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson McGinnis Ryan LLP
Eric Tuchman, Writer/Producer, MGM-TV
Noa Vinshtok, Streaming, Range Media Partners
Joshua Washington, International Recording Artist, JoDavi Music LLC
Avi Weider, Filmmaker, Loop Filmworks
Jon Weinbach, President, Skydance Sports
Nola Weinstein, Tech Executive
Ilana Wernick, Writer/Producer, Fox
Modi Wiczyk, Co-Founder, MRC
Evan Winiker, Managing Partner, Range Music
Seth Yanklewitz, Casting Director, Yanklewitz Pollack Casting
Sharon Tal Yguado, Founder & CEO, Astrid Entertainment
Ky Zaretsky, Manager, Range Media Partners
David Zedeck, Global Co-Head of Music
Additional Signers Include:
Doug Ellin, Director
Danielle Solzman, Film Critic, Solzy at the Movies
Michael Perlmutter, Music Supervisor, Instinct Ent.
Ross Buckley, Sr. Business Development Manager, Prime Video
Sammy Scher, Film & TV Producer
Dana Landman, Manager
Bradley Fischer, Film Producer
David Kohan, Television Writer/Producer, KoMut Entertainment
Amanda Markowitz, Producer/Actor, PGA/SAG-AFTRA
Jordan Glickson, VP, Music & Talent, Vevo
Brandon Farbstein, Creator & Host, Ten Feet Tall LLC
Hannah Epstein, Agent, CAA
Chiara Simmons, Writer, Script Supervisor, Fremantle
Ronli Tzour, VP, Marketing, FAE grprr
Samantha Fetner, Publicist
Katie Walder, Actress
Leslie Schapira, Writer/Producer, CBS
Melissa Zukerman, Managing Partner, PCG
Avram Kaplan, Producer, Mase Kaplan Produtions, Inc.
Daniel Alcheh, Composer, KeyChain Music
A.M. Driver, SAG/AFTRA Actress, VO Artist, Producer
Cara Wodnicki, Founder, CSW Publicity
Jay Schweid, Founder / CEO, ephelants/Village
Sammy Horowitz, Film/TV Writer
Kate Cohen, Producer, Straight Up Films
Jeff Rabhan, Founder, CEO, Bored of Ed
David Wachtenheim, Director
Steven Gordon, Episode Director, Wild Canary
Michael Kaufman, Producer/Manager, 5X Media
James Burrows, Director
Richard Trank, Writer/Director, Moriah Media
Brendan Bragg, Producer/Manager, Haven
Elle Alexander, Stuntwoman
** Note – The signers of this statement do so as individuals on their own behalf and not on behalf of their companies or organizations. All organizations and companies listed are for affiliation purposes only.