TheWrap Takes 3 First Place Wins at LA Press Club’s SoCal Journalism Awards, Including Best TV Entertainment Feature – TheWrap

TheWrap took home three first place trophies at the LA Press Club’s SoCal Journalism Awards on Sunday night, including top prize in the Entertainment Feature, TV/Radio category for Jose Alejandro Bastidas and Lucas Manfredi’s deep dive into trouble at TCM, titled “Inside the Turmoil at TCM After Executive Exodus: ‘They’re Farming Most People Out.’” It is the first SoCal Journalism awards for TheWrap’s TV editor Bastidas and TV business reporter Manfredi.

TheWrap also took first place in the Entertainment Personality Profile/Interview category for Jeff Vespa and Thadd Williams’ sitdown with John Waters, titled “John Waters Dishes on ‘Hairspray’ at 35.’”

And Richard Stellar won Best Blog, Individual for “AI Imagines a Lennon-McCartney Reunion,” marking TheWrap’s third first-place win of the night.

TheWrap placed in six other categories. Founder and CEO Sharon Waxman took third place in the Political Commentary, Local category for “The Liars of Media: Carlos Watson, Rupert Murdoch and Fox News.”

TheWrap’s Business editor Alexei Barrionuevo and media reporter Natalie Korach won second place in the News Feature, Music/Culture category for their emotional chronicle of Hamas’ attack on the Supernova music festival, “Death in the Desert: When Hamas Came to an Israeli Rave, Friends Perished.”

Box office and labor reporter Jeremy Fuster — who was also nominated for Entertainment Journalist of the Year — took second place in the Lifestyle Feature category for his strike-related feature “’Therapy Can Be a Luxury’: The Strikes and Hollywood Workers’ Mental Health.”

Fuster, Manfredi and TV reporter Loree Seitz also took third place in the News Feature, Film/Broadcast category for their strike feature “’Fair Contract for We Spoil Succession’: Angry and United, Hollywood Writers Hit the Picket Line.”

And Vespa and photo editor Tatiana Leiva won third place in the Portrait Photo, Entertainment category for their feature on “Weird” Al Yankovich.

The winners were announced at an awards dinner gala at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday. See the full list of winners at the LA Press Club’s website.