Debra Birnbaum

Debra Birnbaum is the editor-in-chief of Gold Derby, overseeing the website’s in-depth coverage and analysis of awards and entertainment news, encompassing film, television, music, and theater.

She was previously the global head of awards for Amazon MGM Studios, overseeing awards strategy for the streaming service’s extensive slate of original films and series. Under her six-year-long tenure, the studio set new records, including 12 Academy Award nominations in 2021, 68 Emmy Award nominations in 2023, and 16 Golden Globe Award nominations in 2023. Birnbaum spent five years as the executive editor, TV, for Variety, leading television news and awards coverage for the trade magazine’s multiple platforms. She has also worked for TV Guide Magazine, Redbook, George, More, The New York Post, and Us Weekly.

She has appeared frequently on TV and radio as an entertainment expert, and moderated hundreds of panels for film and television festivals, industry and consumer events, and more. Her work has earned recognition from the L.A. Press Club, the Publicists Guild of America, the Webby Awards, the Clio Awards, Promax, and the Television Academy, notably an Emmy Award for producing Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series. She also belongs to key industry organizations, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the Television Academy, and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.