New York, July 30, 2012 —Producer/writer Ryan Murphy, who reinvented the musical comedy genre with his hit series Glee, and promotes acceptance and inclusion through his globally successful television and movie work, will receive the 2012 International Emmy® Founders Award. Academy President & CEO, Bruce L. Paisner, announced today that Murphy will accept the Award –which recognizes an individual who crosses cultural boundaries to touch our common humanity– at the 40th International Emmy® Awards Gala, on Monday, November 19, 2012, in New York City. Murphy’s latest television show The New Normal, premieres this fall in the United States.

“Throughout his career, Ryan Murphy has masterfully redefined storytelling to create unprecedented atmospheres and characters that celebrate human difference, be it dark, as in Nip/Tuck, or hopeful, as in Glee,” said Paisner. “We are looking forward to recognizing his creative accomplishments, which continue the great tradition of American television as we mark the 40th Anniversary of The International Emmy Awards.”

Ryan Murphy is the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning creator, writer and director of television shows Glee, American Horror Story, Nip/Tuck and Popular. Throughout his career, he has been personally nominated for 7 Emmy Awards and won the 2010 Emmy for Best Direction of a Comedy Series, for Glee, while his shows garnered a total of 69 Emmy Awards over 8 years. Glee is one of the most popular television series in the world and has also spawned the Glee Live Tours which Murphy produces. Murphy created, writes for and directs the FX hit series American Horror Story, which just received 17 Emmy nominations, tying for the most any program received and marking the most any show has received in FX’s 17-year history. Murphy also created, wrote and directed the FX series Nip/Tuck, which was the first freshman drama series to earn a Golden Globe Award as Best TV Series, Drama. Murphy began his career as a journalist writing for publications such as The Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, The New York Daily News and Entertainment Weekly. In 2010 Murphy directed Julia Roberts in an acclaimed adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir, Eat Pray Love. His next film will be the screen adaptation of Larry Kramer’s award-winning The Normal Heart, starring Julia Roberts, Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer.