75th Annual Writers Guild Awards: Paul Simms presented with the Sargent Award by Donald Glover

Paul Simms was presented with the Writers Guild of America, East’s Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence by Donald Glover at the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards at New York’s Edison Ballroom on Sunday, March 5, 2023.

The Sargent Award is awarded to a writer who embodies the spirit, commitment and comic genius of Mr. Sargent, as well as his dedication to mentoring new writers. A legendary writer and television producer, Sargent served as president of the WGAE for 14 years and his credits include being a writer/producer of “Saturday Night Live” for more than 20 years. The Sargent Award has been presented to influential comedy writers Judd Apatow, Tina Fey & Robert Carlock, Steve O’Donnell, Norman Stiles, Lorne Michaels, Paula Pell, and James L. Brooks.

Simms joined the Guild in 1990 as a writer for ”Late Night with David Letterman”. He was a writer and producer for the first three seasons of HBO’s “The Larry Sanders Show,” and in 1995 he created the beloved NBC sitcom “NewsRadio” that starred the late Phil Hartman.

Simms is widely respected by his peers for his uncanny ability to mentor and support series creators and inspire writers rooms. He has played an instrumental part in the success of numerous classic television comedy series, from his work on “Flight Of The Conchords” and “GIRLS,” to his role as Executive Producer of “ATLANTA,” which earned him two Writers Guild Awards. He is currently the showrunner of “What We Do In The Shadows,” which has received multiple Writers Guild Awards and Emmy Award nominations.

The Writers Guild Awards honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news, radio, and promotional categories. The 7th Annual Writers Guild Awards were presented at concurrent ceremonies on Sunday, March 5, 2023, in New York City and in Los Angeles.

The New York ceremony is sponsored by Vision Media, Good Energy, HBO Max, Universal, Walt Disney Studios, Hazmat Media Inc, Scriptation, iMoxie Media, Save the Cat, Final Draft, and Coverfly. The New York ceremony’s Afterparty was sponsored by Vision Media. The media partner for the New York ceremony was Vulture.