“Never Have I Ever” exec producer and “The Mindy Project” exec producer/star Mindy Kaling has been named the recipient of the Producers Guild Awards‘ next Norman Lear Achievement Award. Kaling will receive the award at the 34th Annual Producers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at The Beverly Hilton.
Kaling joins a list of past honorees that include Greg Berlanti, Marta Kauffman, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, Dick Wolf, Jerry Bruckheimer, Lorne Michaels, Aaron Spelling, David E. Kelley, and Lear himself. The honor is meant to recognize a producer or producing team for their body of work in television.
“Comedy can break boundaries and push culture forward; Mindy Kaling‘s immense contributions to the television comedy landscape are prime examples of this truth,” Producers Guild of America presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line said in a joint statement. “Kaling is known for her trailblazing work on ‘The Office,’ a widely loved and infinitely rewatchable contemporary classic, but it’s her work producing series from diverse female perspectives that is reshaping the industry. From ‘The Mindy Project’ to ‘Never Have I Ever’ to ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls,’ Kaling has proven just how much audiences have been craving funny, relatable stories about characters we’ve rarely see as television protagonists. We are so happy to present her with the Norman Lear Award at this year’s PGA Awards ceremony.”
Kaling has enjoyed a successful career since first joining “The Office” as a writer and supporting cast member (as Kelly Kapoor). She spent eight seasons on the show, becoming an EP on the series, writing 26 episodes, and was part of the team that received five consecutive nominations for the Emmy Award for outstanding comedy series. (Kaling also became the first woman of color to be Emmy nominated in any writing category).
“It is such an honor to be asked to receive the Norman Lear Award, a prize named after the prolific and groundbreaking producer I am so inspired by. To be included in this prestigious group of past recipients is humbling, and I’m so grateful to the Producers Guild for this recognition”, said Kaling.
Kaling created, executive produced and starred in “The Mindy Project” for six seasons, and wrote, produced, and starred in her feature film debut “Late Night.” She is creator and executive producer of Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever” and HBO Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” She’s next behind “Legally Blonde 3” and “Velma.”
The 2023 Producers Guild Awards are chaired by Funny or Die’s CEO Mike Farah and COO Joe Farrell. Anchor Street Collective is producing the event, with Branden Chapman as EP and Carleen Cappelletti as co-EP, with Matt Ullian and Jane Sarkin of Boldface Partners as talent executives and Jim Piccirillo as director.
