WGA Awards Honors ’30Rock,’ ‘Anyone But Me’ in New Media

The Writers Guild of America hosted its 63rd Annual Writers Guild Awards (or, as Kristen Schaal called them, ‘The Introverted Emmys’) on Saturday night at simultaneous ceremonies in New York City and Los Angeles.

Schaal played the role of gracious, accommodating, well-timed, and hysterical host to the WGA East event, introducing presenters like Judah Friedlander, Kathleen Turner, and John Larroquette to dispense Whale Tail statuettes (this kind of whale’s tail, not that kind) to the writing teams behind Boardwalk Empire, 30Rock, and The Colbert Report.

Band of Brothers and Gossip Girl star Matthew Settle had the honor of announcing the winners of the WGA’s newly introduced new media categories. In his intro, Settle likened the burgeoning entertainment medium to many of the young characters on Gossip Girl – hot, exciting, and without any discernible form of income. A great line, even if we know it’s not necessarily accurate.

Jon Haller of the 30Rock’s Frank vs. Lutz webisode series took home the WGA award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing Derivative New Media. Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward beat out the other nominees to win Outstanding Achievement in Writing Original New Media with Anyone But Me.

Miller and Ward have received a handful of awards, accolades, and honors for their dramatic story of a gay teen navigating life, health, relationships, and sexual awakening. I caught up with them after the WGA ceremony to ask why this one is different:

Tubefilter: Congrats! How is it winning a WGA Award compared to all the other accolades and awards you’ve received?

Susan Miller: I write therefore

I am. It’s what I do. It’s how I interpret the world. It’s my struggle, my design, my voice.  To be honored by others who know what that means, and to be distinguished for my achievement in creating something original makes me almost unbearably happy, if only for a brief moment, until I have to actually write again.

Tina Cesa Ward: It’s a huge award obviously. But it’s extremely special to be the first ones recognized for New Media. Being in that room and then winning, I was thinking of ever one of my web colleagues that I have gotten to really know over the last year and how much I love being a part of this community. We’re all so passionate about what we do and last night was just the start of being recognized for that.

Tubefilter: How do you feel after winning it?

Susan Miller: Oh boy oh boy oh girl oh girl oh girl!!! We made something happen without waiting for anyone else to say yes or no to it – and it has turned out to be one of the most important and fulfilling things in my life. Anyone But Me has a lot of friends, a lot of love. That’s what I’m feeling.

Click here a full list of 2011 WGA Award Winners. Click here to catch up on, discover, or re-discover Anyone But Me. And be sure to get in touch with Susan and Tina if you’re an advertiser who wants to get involved with a multiple-award-winning web series. A big contrats from all of us at Tubefilter to all the winners.