by Maura Kelly
NYWIFT Board of Directors member Maura Kelly writes about female entrepreneurs in tech and entertainment for The Huffington Post. She recently sat down with Evelyn Brady-Watters and her sister Monica Brady, the founders of the Golden Trailers Awards (GTA’s) as they gear up for the live ceremony on May 4th in LA. Here’s an excerpt:
In 1999, NYWIFT members created the Golden Trailer Awards (GTAs) as the first awards show to honor the best in motion picture trailers and recognize the people who create the short art-form. The sisters were successful commercial producers at the time but the growth of the award show spawned new careers and a full-time business for the siblings. Now in its 17th year, the GTAs have evolved to include trailers for television shows, video games and posters.
Who were your early champions and mentors?
We credit the success of the launch of the GTA’s to our highly respected jury. When we first had the idea for creating the awards, we approached Stephen Woolley (The Crying Game) as a juror. We asked him to judge and he immediately called back and said yes. We then approached Harvey Weinstein and he said Miramax is behind this and gave us David Kaminow as a juror. The big coup came when Quentin Tarantino joined our first year Jury. That was the shot heard round the world for the GTA’s. From that moment on major publications and news media outlets too numerous to mention picked up and ran with the story.
Maura Kelly is an independent Emmy-winning producer and principal of Purple Mountain Media. She is a member of the NYWIFT Board of Directors and Co-chair of the Program Committee.
nywift
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Eve Rouverol
Welcome to NYWIFT, Eve Rouverol! Eve came to filmmaking after a career as a newspaper reporter, commercial writer, and teacher of students with disabilities. After her children left for college (she is a single, widowed mother), she was able to return to college to pursue her first love, film. In addition to writing/directing student narrative and documentary shorts at CA College of the Arts and Emerson, Eve wrote, produced and directed the 35-minute film The Muse starring her actor daughter Madeline Rouverol. The film was nominated for Best Student Director at New Bedford Film Festival in 2023. Her screenplays Writer's Block and Lolita Redux have been shortlisted by BlueCat and Scriptapalooza. Writer's Block was selected for participation in the 2026 Stowe Narrative Labs. Lolita Redux was a semifinalist for Stowe Labs’ Writers’ Retreat Fellowship.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Maria Eleni Zollo
Welcome to NYWIFT, Maria Eleni Zollo! Maria is a writer, actor, director, and musician based in Astoria, Queens. As a singer, she has performed at the Norwegian National Opera House in Oslo, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, and on Saturday Night Live. She works as an adjunct professor at CUNY Baruch, and as a Greek Orthodox Church chanter at St George in Hell's Kitchen and St Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center. Maria Eleni also performs as a stand-up comedian in NYC. Her first short film was a semifinalist in Stage 32's 8th Annual Short Film Festival.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Lindsey Brannon
Welcome to NYWIFT, Lindsey Brannon! Lindsey Brannon is a Brooklyn-based producer working across independent film and television. She is the Co-Founder of Doodyaar Productions and works in production and development at Darius Films, bringing a unique blend of creative producing experience and a strong background in finance, operations, and startups. Lindsey has produced narrative shorts, managed productions as a Line Producer and UPM, and champions stories that elevate underrepresented voices. She also serves as Secretary of the Hollywood Radio & Television Society Associates New York Board and is an active member of NYWIFT, supporting emerging filmmakers and fostering creative community. Passionate about character-driven storytelling and championing underrepresented voices, Lindsey approaches her work with both strategic insight and a deep commitment to meaningful, impactful stories.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Ayo Oti
Welcome to NYWIFT, Ayo Oti! Ayo Oti is a media creative, social impact professional, and emerging filmmaker. She publishes Sounds Like Impact, a curated resource for social impact podcasting, and hosts Audio For Action Live. Previously, she produced for How to Save a Planet and Degrees: Real Talk About Planet-Saving Careers. Ayo is currently developing two documentary films: one exploring first-generation Nigerian identity and another examining African American creatives inspired by Mexico and its artistic practices. Beyond her own work, she collaborates on social issue documentaries as a producer, supporting projects across production, strategy, and impact distribution to help stories reach and engage audiences.
READ MORE
