Variety Sweeps 100 Nominations at SoCal Journalism Awards, Four Journalists Up for Top Honor
TL;DR: Variety secured an unprecedented 100 nominations for the Los Angeles Press Club's 2025 SoCal Journalism Awards — the highest tally of any outlet. Four of its journalists are finalists for the prestigious Journalist of the Year awards, including Daniel D'Addario, Brian Steinberg, Brent Lang, and Chris Willman. This massive haul, covering everything from criticism and photography to audio and investigative reporting, cements Variety's leadership in entertainment journalism as awards season heats up.
Variety's Record 100 Nominations: What Does That Even Mean?
One hundred nominations. Think about that number. Variety didn't just pick up a few nods; it amassed 100 nominations for the Los Angeles Press Club's 2025 SoCal Journalism Awards, an astounding figure that positions it as the most recognized outlet this year. These nominations, announced during the 2025 calendar year, highlight work across the entire spectrum of entertainment journalism. In a media landscape constantly shifting — with trade publications facing cuts and the rise of AI-generated content — this kind of robust, broad recognition from a respected press organization isn't just impressive. It's a statement.
Meet the Journalist of the Year Finalists
Among the 100 nominations, four of Variety's staff are vying for the most prestigious individual honors: Journalist of the Year. This isn't a small thing; it means their consistent, high-quality work stood out above all others.
According to the LA Press Club's official finalists document, the finalists are:
- Daniel D'Addario — Journalist of the Year, Print (over 50,000 circulation)
- Brian Steinberg — Online Journalist of the Year
- Brent Lang — Entertainment Journalist of the Year
- Chris Willman — Entertainment Journalist of the Year
That Chris Willman is nominated for Entertainment Journalist of the Year for a second consecutive time is particularly noteworthy. (Variety reported he actually won this award last year.) Willman, known as Variety's chief music critic, also picked up a separate nomination in the humor/satire category for a piece pitching slasher-film takes on 1920s public domain classics. Talk about range.
Beyond the Big Names: The Breadth of Variety's Nominated Work
These 100 nominations aren't just for a few standout pieces or critics. They span nearly every form of media that Variety produces, showcasing a deliberate investment across the board. Look — the list really reads like a cross-section of what modern entertainment journalism can be:
- Sharp-Eyed Critics: Owen Gleiberman (film and TV criticism), Alison Herman (TV under 1,000 words), Aramide Tinubu (TV commentary, theater criticism), Jem Aswad (music criticism). These folks are shaping how we talk about culture.
- Deep-Dive Reporting: K.J. Yossman's investigative feature on the BBC's reputational issues, for instance, isn't just news; it’s the kind of institutional reporting that takes real effort. There's also a behind-the-scenes look at the famously troubled Midas Man biopic.
- Visual Storytelling: The photography nominations include stunning portraits of Julia Roberts and A$AP Rocky, plus innovative covers featuring Bad Bunny and a distinct Donald Trump illustration.
- Audio Powerhouse: Michael Schneider, Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, and Emily Longeretta were recognized as an ensemble anchor team for their audio journalism, showing Variety's commitment to the podcast space.
Honestly, what strikes me is how this breadth — print, online, audio, photo, design — tells the real story. It isn't just a legacy brand resting on its laurels.
Why This Awards Haul Matters for Entertainment Media Now
The timing of this recognition feels important. Entertainment journalism has been in a tough spot lately. We've seen staffing cuts, media consolidation, and a constant debate about whether audiences will actually pay for quality entertainment news. This sweep by Variety suggests a publication that's not just surviving, but thriving by doing the hard work.
Take K.J. Yossman's BBC crisis feature. It tackles a major media story with the kind of depth and context you don't get from quick aggregators. That's real journalism. Or the collaborative piece by Tatiana Siegel, Brent Lang, and Matt Donnelly on David Ellison's first 100 days at Paramount, nominated in the business/government category. That's insider Hollywood access, the stuff trade journalism built its reputation on. Todd Spangler's YouTube at 20 retrospective, meanwhile, shows a willingness to take the long view on platform history, rather than just chasing the latest news cycle.
For global readers, especially those in India tracking entertainment through platforms like Movie OTT, these nominations offer a useful guide. They point to the reporters doing the most credible work on stories that genuinely affect global audiences. When Variety covers a massive Netflix-Warner Bros. deal or the NBA's media rights scramble, these recognized pieces are shaping how the world understands the business of entertainment.
The SoCal Journalism Awards, run by the LA Press Club, has been honoring Southern California journalism for decades. They cover everything from news and sports to photography and radio, which makes a 100-nomination sweep from a single entertainment outlet genuinely rare.
Variety's Consistent Presence and What's Next
Variety isn't new to these awards. The publication won 16 awards at the 2024 ceremony, including the Entertainment Journalist of the Year prize for Chris Willman (who's back again!) and Best Website for Variety.com. So, 100 nominations in 2025 is a massive leap even for them.
Founded in 1905, Variety has been a dominant force in Hollywood trade coverage for over a century. Its current format — a mix of daily news, long-form features, criticism, video, and audio — reflects a strategic evolution beyond its print origins. The audio journalism nominations this year, recognizing the ensemble of Schneider, Davis, Tangcay, and Longeretta, clearly show the success of their investment in podcasting.
Owen Gleiberman, nominated in both film and TV criticism, has been with Variety since 2016. He's one of those critics with enough institutional weight to be recognized across multiple disciplines. Jem Aswad, nominated for music criticism, for example, for his piece on Paul McCartney's surprise Bowery Ballroom set — that's the kind of on-the-ground reporting that defines good music journalism. Clayton Davis, nominated for a newspaper personality profile and commentary, has become a key awards-season voice. His commentary piece, "My Son Is Not an Epidemic: A Father Responds to RFK Jr.'s Dangerous Autism Rhetoric," stepped completely outside entertainment. It proves the judges value journalism that uses its platform responsibly.
The actual SoCal Journalism Awards ceremony date hasn't been confirmed yet, but the LA Press Club typically holds it in late summer or fall. With 100 nominations, Variety is bound to add to its 2024 total of 16 wins. But the competition is always fierce. We'll be watching the Journalist of the Year categories closely — Daniel D'Addario, Brian Steinberg, Brent Lang, and Chris Willman could potentially sweep all four individual honors. That would be a story in itself.
The Global Readership: Finding Nominated Stories & Films
For readers outside Southern California — especially Indian audiences following global entertainment media — Variety's nominated pieces offer a practical roadmap to important stories. Movie OTT, for example, is constantly tracking how these stories resonate globally.
Aramide Tinubu's nominated TV commentary on Apple's The Savant postponement, for instance, touches on content-platform relationships that often differ between American and Indian streaming subscribers. Brent Lang's nominated Benedict Cumberbatch feature covers a Marvel actor whose films arrive on Disney+ Hotstar in India, often just weeks after theatrical release. And Todd Spangler's YouTube at 20 piece is directly relevant to Indian audiences, given India is YouTube's largest market by user count.
Here's the practical tip for Indian readers: While Variety's website makes its content globally accessible, some long-form features do sit behind a paywall. If a Variety profile, like Angelique Jackson's Harrison Ford feature, sparks your interest in a show like Shrinking, Movie OTT's where-to-watch tracker can help you find its Indian OTT platform availability (Apple TV+, in this case). It’s not always straightforward; different platforms carry different titles at different times. That's exactly why tools like Movie OTT exist.
