The GLAAD Media Awards: How Stellar Visual Effects Keep Bringing a Trailblazing Show to Life

“It makes waves when industries see that they’re getting rewarded - or called out - when it comes to their efforts in LGBTQ representation. In both cases, it incentivises folks to work harder”. 

To understand the importance of the GLAAD Media Awards, that explanation from their creative director Abdool Corlette makes for a good starting point. For the past thirty four years and counting, the event has celebrated “fair, accurate, and inclusive” representation of the LGBTQ community, “and the issues that affect our lives”. Whilst the event itself is invariably a celebration, the reasoning and messaging behind it all is serious - specifically that LGBTQ representation matters. 

Putting on a good show, then, is of utmost importance. That’s precisely what happened on the 30th March at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, where a powerful message of acceptance was celebrated via a live event and transmitted to audiences around the world via Hulu. Helping to pull the strings of that show - as they have ever since 2020 - was Warm & Fuzzy, the LA-based creative studio and VFX powerhouse. A meticulously-created show was tied together by a series of innovatively-deployed screens which acted as a “magnet” to drag the audience’s attention to the centre of the stage. 

Above: Some pictures taken at the 34th GLAAD Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

Whilst this year’s shows represented another creative step forward (a second event will be staged next week in New York), the truth is that visual innovation began the moment GLAAD joined forces with Warm & Fuzzy. 

“I’ll always remember that the first show I worked on with GLAAD as creative director was also the first year that Warm & Fuzzy became involved”, says Abdool. “It was an especially tricky year, given that we had to contend with a pandemic and going all-digital. However, that did give us the opportunity to creatively depart from what a traditional awards show looked like ‘in the room’, and do something a little different”. 

The results, as Abdool recalls, were electric. “We made something which was colourful, joyous, celebratory, and leaned into the digital format of that year’s show. It was simultaneously extremely polished and a lot of fun to watch - the whole team brought so much to that show”. 

Ever since, that process of creative collaboration has been invigorating for both sides of the relationship. “The mood boards which were initially shared with us were super helpful, but we also got a great deal out of exploratory conversations with the team at GLAAD - so all of the ideas evolved in an organic way”, says Elliot Fan, Warm & Fuzzy’s VFX supervisor who was instrumental in bringing the show to life. 

“One of the worst parts of living through the pandemic was of course that we couldn’t bounce ideas around in a physical room and work off the energy that comes with that”, says Abdool, “but I honestly think the limitations brought our partnership closer. We were able to fine-tune everything and it was an incredibly collaborative process”. 

Above: A selection of images taken from the digital-only show held at the height of the pandemic’s first wave in 2021. 

Fast-forward to today - and past the return of physical live shows - and both sides of this creative partnership appear to have truly hit their stride. 

“Maybe it’s recency bias, but I do think this year’s show was an amazing moment”, says Abdool. “It was set up so that the centre stage acted like a magnet pulling in all the imagery to a singular point. The effect was that, no matter where you were sitting in the room, you were looking at exactly the right spot to get the most out of the event”. 

“We didn’t think of the event as having three or four separate screens”, says Elliot. “Instead, we saw the whole thing as one big interconnected canvas. From a technical point of view it was a challenge, but we’re all proud of the finished show”. 

Because of the rhythm of the GLAAD Media Awards’ scheduling - a show in Los Angeles followed up by another in New York a month or so later - there is often an opportunity to make tweaks between the events. This time, however, and thanks in large part to the Warm & Fuzzy team’s efforts, there’s little need for fixes. “Put it this way, I’ve never been less anxious going into a show than I am for New York this year”, laughs Abdool. 

Perhaps the enduring success of GLAAD and Warm & Fuzzy’s partnership, which will enter its fifth year in 2024 and will coincide with GLAAD’s 35th show, is as much about values as it is about creative and technical know-how. “GLAAD has always been a cool event, and from our side we’re totally on board with the mission”, explains Warm & Fuzzy co-founder John Bashyam. “We’re very aligned - GLAAD gives us a lot of freedom and we enjoy that”. 

As far as Abdool is concerned, it’s the perfect kind of partnership. “I feel like the Warm & Fuzzy team totally gets the social magnitude of what we do, and they’re committed to delivering a quality show”, he says. “Honestly, I wish that more collaborations are like this. It’s not all that common! It’s an amazing combination of skills which is rooted in trust and care”. 

Ultimately, that trust and care is translated into creative quality at the show itself. And, for the latest evidence, look no further than the Hilton Midtown in New York next Saturday 13th.