GRATITUDE FOR INAUGURAL SPONSORS & HONOREES
WIFT TEXAS PLACES FULL PAGE AD IN THE SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS JOURNAL IN GRATITUDE
As WIFT Texas Transitions into the 2026 Awards Season, The Organization Celebrates its Inaugural Sponsors & Honorees
SAN ANTONIO, April 18, 2025 – Today, the full page ad placed by Women in Film & Television Texas (WIFT Texas) in the San Antonio Business Journal thanking the organization’s inaugural sponsors and celebrating the honorees of The Celestial Awards™ was published as an acknowledgment and loveletter from its board of directors, producing team, local, regional, and global members.
“As our industry and our organization transitions into pre-production for the 2025-2026 awards season, we felt it was an important consumer-facing gesture to show our deep gratitude for the sponsors and supporters who believed in our inaugural endeavor to produce a major awards show in the venerable Majestic & Empire Theatres in downtown San Antonio on November 12, 2024 which marked the one year anniversary of our founding. Even though Women in Film & Television Texas is an official chapter alongside 70+ chapters representing 13,000+ members that was founded in Hollywood in 1973 — our chapter was only a few months old when we conceived, packaged, and produced The Celestial Awards™,” continued founding CEO Ceslie Armstrong, “without the sponsors, table underwriters, volunteers, gracious talent, and other fine arts organizations, we would not have been able to create this platform honoring women of excellence in Media & Entertainment that was designed to keep the trailblazing women of Texas’ stories alive while honoring contemporary trailblazers with more stories yet to come. All of the incredibly accomplished women we honored in November 2024 have a shared experience with all women who have dreams as big as the Texas sky that can become reality with determination, grit, graciousness, strength, leadership, and giant hearts. These women too have realized success in part through the power of others believing in them. Whether that support is given through gestures, words, deeds, selfless collaboration, or financially, these kind of support structures are what our organization experienced and thus helped us mount a platform that has already grown beyond measured expectations. As a native San Antonian, I am eternally grateful, in awe, and will always remember how San Antonio and our industry at large rallied in support of our inaugural endeavors,” said founding Women in Film & Television Texas CEO, and the WIFT Texas + The Celestial Awards™ Executive Producer.
Today, Women in Film & Television announced the location, dates, and host of its 2nd annual The Celestial Awards™ honoring women of achievement in the Media & Entertainment industry. The awards show will take place on Saturday, January 17th, at The Tobin Center’s world-class H-E-B Performance Hall in downtown San Antonio, following the WIFT Texas Summit on January 15th and 16th, also located at The Tobin Center. The highly produced and entertaining awards show will be hosted by actress and producer Renae Treviño, who was honored with The Celestial Award for Excellence in Theatrical & Comedy in November 2024. The organization moves forward toward January 2026 with gratitude for the November 2024 sponsors, producing partners and in celebration of the honorees of which many will return to participate in The WIFT Texas Summit + The Celestial Awards™ 2026!
MEDIA INQUIRIES: press@wifttexas.org
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JOIN US IN TAKING A LOOK BACK IN CELEBRATING 2024
The Celestial Awards™ 2024
Hosted by Nicholas Gonzalez
Presented by Women in Film & Television San Antonio
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
The Majestic Theatre & Charline McCombs Empire Theatre
Honoring Women of Achievement in Media & Entertainment
Join us for a musical celebration of the achievements of trailblazing Texas women at The Celestial Awards™ show hosted by actor Nicholas Gonzalez and presented by Women in Film & Television San Antonio
Featuring performances by honorees Shelly Lares, including her new single “She’s A Trailblazer” and featuring her title single of the film Say A Little Prayer starring Luis Fonsi, and Patricia Vonne, performing her hits from Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Desperado
Showcasing San Antonio’s professional and student nonprofit performing arts organizations with performances by YOSA (Youth Orchestras of San Antonio), Fiesta Noche del Rio, Alamo City Arts, the Joci Award performers, Joffrey Workshop and more.
THE CELESTIAL AWARD™ 2024 HONOREES
Carol Burnett
“The Carol” Award for Legendary Excellence & Women’s Advocacy – Named in Honor of Carol Burnett
Jaselyn Blanchard-Pace
“The Jocelyn” Award for Excellence in Overall Producing – Named in Honor of Jocelyn “Joci” Straus
Patricia Vonne
“The Charline” Award for Excellence in Performing Arts – Named in Honor of Charline McCombs
Anne Krause
“The Lila” Award for Excellence in Civic Leadership – Named in Honor of Mayor Lila Cockrell
Rosemary Kowalski
Diana Barrios Treviño
“The Rosemary” Award for Excellence in Culinary Arts & Hospitality – Named in Honor of Rosemary Kowalski
Martha Tijerina
“The Irma” Award for Excellence in Audio, TV & Film – Named in Honor of Irma Nicolas
Montserrat Oliver
“The Irma” Award for Excellence in Audio, TV & Film – Named in Honor of Irma Nicolas
Livia Treviño
“The Irma” Award for Excellence in Audio, TV & Film – Named in Honor of Irma Nicolas
Dr. Susan Blackwood
Dr. Lisa Campos
“The Susan” Award for Excellence in Sports Entertainment – Named for Dr. Susan Blackwood
Janet Holliday
The Celestial Award for Excellence in Live Event Entertainment
Shelly Lares
The Celestial Award for Excellence in Music
Renae Treviño
The Celestial Award for Excellence in Theatrical & Comedy
San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM) – CEO Deoborah Omowale Jarmon
The Celestial Award for Excellence in Storytelling
The Celestial Awards 2024 Host:
NICHOLAS GONZALEZ
The Celestial Awards 2024 PRODUCERS & CO-HostS:
The Celestial Awards Executive Producers
Ceslie Armstrong, Executive Producer, Host / CEO of Women in Film & Television San Antonio, CESLIE Studios, The BeXar Studios
Jaselyn Blanchard-Pace, Co-Executive Producer & Production Manager / Executive Director, The Majestic-Empire Foundation
Eileen Kret, Co-Executive Producer / Film Producer, entertainment industry executive
Producers and Co-Hosts:
Emily Smith, ATG Entertainment, The Majestic Theatre, The Empire Theater, The Espee
Callie Hoch, THE TOBIN CENTER & Tobin Entertainment
Mary Ullmann Japhet, Japhet Media
Asia Ciaravino, The San Pedro Playhouse, The Classic Theatre
Nicole Greenberg, entertainment industry executive (Los Angeles), script supervisor, formerly San Antonio Woman magazine
Traci Lewand, San Antonio Zoo, formally Hemisfair
Erin Moody, Ad Astra PR + MKTG
Ashley Landers, Texas Creative
Women in Film & Television San Antonio is in residence at The BeXar Studios, 110 Broadway in downtown San Antonio
THE CELESTIAL AWARDS™ OFFICIAL SPONSORS & PRODUCING PARTNERS:
Gamez Law Firm
ATG Entertainment, Majestic & Empire Theatres
The Majestic Empire Foundation
Third Coast Bank
McCombs Foundation
InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk, an IHG Hotel
KSAT 12 & KSAT.com
San Antonio Profiles
Bohanan’s Prime Steaks & Seafood
San Antonio Business Journal
UTSA Athletics
Alamo Colleges Foundation
JMT Studios
Ranch Brand Wine & Spirits
Texas Creative
North Park Lexus of San Antonio
BRAVO! 2024 TABLE SPONSORS HONORING WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
Gamez Law Firm
Third Coast Bank
ATG Entertainment
Axle Capital
KSAT (ABC)
JMT Studios
San Antono Profiles
April Ancira
San Antonio College
McCombs Foundation
The Straus Family
UTSA Athletics
Steve Trevino
Eric Siess Strategies
VeVá Media
Giant Noise
EBF Development & Design Studio
Guillermo Nicolas & Jim Foster
Los Barrios Family Restaurants
InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk
Majestic & Empire Theatres
Majestic Empire Foundation
ABOUT WOMEN IN FILM & TELEVISION TEXAS
Women in Film & Television Texas is the leading nonprofit membership organization chartered in 2023 for people working in the media and entertainment industry throughout Texas including members located throughout the United States and globally and advocates of the organization. The WIFT Texas mission and programming is dedicated to promoting equity for women in the Media & Entertainment industry at all stages of their careers, including students.
We are proudly an official chapter of Women in Film & Television International “WIFTI” which is a global network of more than 13,000 members and 70 partners and chapters located on six continents that for more than 50 years has been dedicated to advancing professional development and achievement for women working in all areas of media and entertainment.
WIFT Texas members represent a broad range of professions spanning the entire Media & Entertainment industry. From producers and directors to accountants and lawyers, above the line and below, in front of the camera or behind it, WIFT Texas is dedicated to helping women reach their highest level of achievement in media and entertainment. Memberships are also available for people who want to advocate, align with, and support the nonprofit organization. College students from across the state, individuals with an interest in learning about the industry, partner organizations, and corporate members are welcomed. WIFT Texas’ mission includes builing community across the industry while collaborating with other WIFTI chapters and partners and organizations in the region we serve.
Based in downtown San Antonio, Texas, Women in Film & Television Texas was founded by native San Antonian and Media & Entertainment veteran Ceslie Armstrong on November 11, 2023, at the invitation of the global organization.
To learn more about becoming a member, supporter, partner, and the programming slate including The Celestial Awards™, visit WIFTTEXAS.ORG or email hello@wifttexas.org
To Contact our CEO Ceslie Armstrong directly: ceslie@ceslie.com
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