00:02Good afternoon. I am Dr. S. Robert Levine, and I was married to Mary Tyler Moore for 33 years.
00:09When Mary died in 2017, I promised that I would do all that I could in everything that I did
00:15to honor her legacy as a great talent who, through her insistence on telling the truth
00:20about the characters she played in an accessible way,
00:24changed the way women were perceived in the entertainment industry and society.
00:29Mary was a pioneer, a game changer, a beacon for others to follow along their journeys to be seen,
00:35for their authentic voices to be heard.
00:38And her Mary Tyler Moore show was the model for optimistic workplace comedy
00:43with ensemble warmth and broad appeal.
00:46In 2024, we established the Variety Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award,
00:50to remember a legend whose influence still shapes the industry she loved
00:55and to honor the next generation of Mary's.
00:59For leaders like Variety CEO, Daya Lawrence, who launched her own career
01:02with the iconic MTM show theme song playing in the background as she drove across the country,
01:08Daya, by the way, I think you made it after all.
01:10This partnership is a heartfelt tribute to Mary's enduring spirit.
01:15To inform our selection process, I put together a list of Mary attributes to share with Daya.
01:21That list included brilliant, optimistic, accessible, generous, honest, brave, innovator, role model,
01:32funny, poignant, real.
01:35Further, Mary had a dancer's discipline, work ethic, drive to perfection,
01:39and willingness to take risks, literal leaps of faith,
01:42with a clear understanding of what every ballerina knows.
01:47That to create something that will move people and bring audiences to their feet,
01:52your toes were going to get bloody.
01:55And as someone who started out in the chorus,
01:58Mary understood the importance of the ensemble.
02:01Always willing to pass the best lines to others to elevate those around her,
02:07because in doing so, she knew she would elevate the work.
02:10And it was always about the work.
02:13This year, we are honored to present the Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award to Quinta Bronson.
02:24In Quinta, not only do we have a multiple, award-winning, brilliant, kind, brave, innovator
02:30who is an actor, comedian, dancer, singer, and writer,
02:34we are next to leveling it, pushing up to match Mary's role as a creative
02:38who forced change to the world of television production.
02:42In truth, as creator, producer, showrunner, lead actor, and lead writer of Abbott Elementary,
02:49and as talented and brave and hardworking as Mary was,
02:52Quinta has gone beyond what Mary would have even dared to try.
02:56And though none of us should ever discount the role of providence and luck in our lives,
03:01Quinta's success is deeply rooted in her exceptional talent, work ethic, grace,
03:07and practice of true creative collaboration.
03:09But you might still ask, where is the Mary in Quinta?
03:13Well, Mary was born in Brooklyn, Quinta in West Philly, so city girls.
03:19Mary was a Capricorn, upon whose cusp with Sagittarius Quinta sits,
03:24both probably fighting the battle for no combo birthday and Christmas presents as children.
03:33They each found their spark in performance, with childhood shows for family being the rule.
03:38And they both loved to dance.
03:41It was in dance that they developed the creative muscles of discipline and hard work,
03:46gained confidence in their bodies, and most importantly, found their joy.
03:51In her high school yearbook, Mary wrote, quote,
03:54The world is always ready to receive talent with open arms, end quote.
03:58This was an affirmation for herself, a hope that her talent would be her ticket to acceptance, to success.
04:06And it gave her the courage to leave home still a teenager and seek a career in the entertainment industry.
04:13Quinta had her moment of decision to leave home while at Temple, realizing if she wanted to live her dream,
04:21she needed to leave family and friends in Philadelphia and find her way to L.A.
04:27Mary learned from sketch and storytelling comedy geniuses, Maury Amsterdam, Rose Marie, Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke.
04:34Quinta learned from the geniuses at Second City.
04:37Mary believed that was God's greatest gift to be able to make people laugh.
04:41Quinta has said, quote,
04:43It felt good to be loved, but felt better to get a laugh, end quote.
04:48Mary got her transforming big laugh on episode two, season one of the Dick Van Dyke show,
04:54titled My Blonde-Haired Brunette, which I would encourage any of you to look up online and watch.
04:59It's extraordinary.
05:01Quinta got her big laugh, her first transforming big laugh,
05:05at the comedy store, doing sketches on stand-up night, winning over a reluctant audience.
05:13Let me just, I'll put it that way.
05:15And they both and everyone around them knew from that moment on, this was their why.
05:22With Abbott Elementary, Quinta is showing her love for classic network sitcoms,
05:27modeling the Mary Tyler Moore shows, workplace-centered storytelling, strong ensemble cast,
05:32and optimistic, but realistic, accessible tone, with small growth in characters over time.
05:38And like Mary, Quinta plays an idealistic, single-working woman,
05:42with real friends, navigating career, relationships, and identity.
05:47In situation comedy for women, it's fair to say that Mary is a true icon.
05:51Not only did she star in two of the most beloved and socially impactful situation comedies of all time,
05:56she used her star power to build an independent production company,
06:00MTM Enterprises, that changed the way television was produced,
06:05putting creatives in charge, and women at every level,
06:08including in the writer's room as lead scriptwriters.
06:12MTM produced numerous Emmy award-winning shows that launched the careers of countless creatives.
06:19With all that she has achieved in such a short time,
06:22it is clear that Quinta is the next Mary in every way.
06:28And the Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award is a way for me to pass on the baton of Mary's legacy
06:34as a game-changer.
06:36James L. Brooks, who with Alan Burns was the creator of the Mary Tyler Moore show,
06:40once said of Mary,
07:00So it's obvious to me that anyone who has worked with Quinta,
07:05and has been witness to her extraordinary talent, commitment to the craft,
07:11belief in the power of the ensemble,
07:12and gift for making everyone around her shine as brightly as she does,
07:16would say the same thing of her.
07:19In fact, they already have.
07:21Quoting Amy Poehler about Quinta from her Good Hang podcast,
07:39One of Mary's most frequently cited quotes reflects her courage as someone who,
07:46as Quinta is now doing,
07:48disrupted the status quo while redefining the mainstream.
07:51Mary said, quote,
07:53Take chances, make mistakes, that's how you grow, end quote.
07:58The confidence and willingness to play it real,
08:01taking risk to share joy with her audience,
08:04is evident in everything Quinta does.
08:07And if I had to put on a bumper sticker,
08:09something on a bumper sticker to describe the career of the singular actor,
08:14comedian, writer, producer, showrunner,
08:17and yes, Quinta, mogul,
08:19it would be always order the large.
08:23Please join me in celebrating the 2026 Variety Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award recipient,
08:30the amazing Quinta Brunson.
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