FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Motion Picture Sound Editors have chosen to present their Career Achievement Award to sound designer Gary Rydstrom for his outstanding contributions to the art of sound. The award will be presented at the 52nd Annual "Golden Reel" Awards to be held Saturday, February 26th, 2005 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

Gary went to film school at the University of Southern California, where he became interested in post-production. USC professor Ken Miura recommended Gary to Lucasfilm in 1983. During his twenty years at Skywalker Sound, Gary has worked as a sound designer, supervisor, and re-recording mixer on a wide range of feature films, theme park shows, commercials and shorts. Currently, Gary is working at Pixar Animation Studios, where he is developing projects to direct.

Gary has received many awards nominations for his sound work, and has won seven Oscars for Best Sound and Best Sound Editing, several MPSE Golden Reels, Cinema Audio Society Awards and British Academy Awards. Gary has worked extensively with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Lasseter, James Cameron, P.T. Anderson, Robert Redford, and Ron Howard. 

Among the films he has worked on are Saving Private Ryan, Titanic, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, Finding Nemo, Minority Report, Monsters, Inc., Star Wars: Episodes 1-3, Backdraft, Atlantis, Into the Arms of Strangers, A Bug's Life, Hercules, Punch Drunk Love, Quiz Show, and many others.

Gary has returned to the USC School of Cinema-Television as a guest lecturer.  He has also given seminars at the American Film Institute and the Directors Guild, and numerous presentations on film sound throughout the country.

Previous recipients of the MPSE Career Achievement Award include Don Hall, Charles L. Campbell, Kay Rose, Alan Splet, Murray Spivack, Frank Warner, Norval Crutcher, James MacDonald, Sam Horta, Douglas Grindstaff, Fred Brown and Jack Foley.