Producers Guild of America to Honor J.J. Abrams with 2013 Norman Lear Achievement Award

10:05 AM PST 11/5/2012 by Jonathan Handel

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The producer-director behind hit series including "Felicity," "Lost" and NBC's "Revolution" will receive the honor at the Producers Guild Awards on Jan. 26.

Producer-director J.J. Abrams will be honored with the 2013 Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television, the Producers Guild of America said Monday. The award will be presented at the annual PGA Awards ceremony Jan. 26 at the Beverly Hilton.

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“J.J. Abrams has produced some of the most iconic and highest-rated television shows of the past decade and longer -- series that have changed the landscape of television,” Producers Guild Awards chair Michael De Luca said in a statement. “His talent is astonishing, and through his commitment to ingenious storytelling, compelling characters and television programming of the highest quality, he truly lives up to this award’s namesake.”

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“It is an incredible honor to be asked to accept the Producers Guild Norman Lear Award, especially since Mr. Lear is one of my true heroes,” said Abrams. “I feel privileged to be included among the prestigious list of past recipients and look forward to celebrating the work of my fellow producers in January.”

Abrams is the founder and president of Bad Robot Productions, which he runs with his producing partner Bryan Burk. Formed in 2001, Bad Robot is partnered with Paramount and Warner Bros. and has produced films and television series such as Cloverfield, Star Trek, Morning Glory, Super 8, Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol, ABC’s Alias and Lost, Fox’s Fringe and CBS’ Person of Interest.

In 1998, he co-created his first television series, Felicity, with collaborator and longtime friend Matt Reeves.

Perhaps less well known is that Abrams composed the theme music for Alias, Fringe, Lost, Person of Interest and Revolution and co-wrote the theme song for Felicity.

Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, Abrams attended Sarah Lawrence College, where he co-wrote a treatment that became the basis for Disney’s Taking Care of Business. He went on to write or co-write such films as Regarding Henry, Forever Young, Armageddon and Joy Ride.

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Abrams is executive producer of CBS’ Person of Interest, Fox’s Fringe and NBC’s Revolution, and his most recent feature, the sequel to 2009's Star Trek, will be released in 2013.

In 2005, Abrams received Emmys for Lost as best drama series and for directing the Lost pilot.

Past recipients of the Norman Lear Award include Don Mischer in 2012, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Dick Wolf, Jerry Bruckheimer, John Wells, Lorne Michaels, Bud Yorkin, Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, David L. Wolper, Don Hewitt, Garry K. Marshall, Aaron Spelling, Steven Bochco, David E. Kelley, Mark Burnett and Norman Lear.