Awards on Display
On a small table in Gale Anne Hurd's Universal City office is a collection of the various awards she's earned during her illustrious career, including recognition for her work on The Terminator.
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‘Terminator’ Twosome
Hurd's geeky desk ornaments include a pair of figurines from The Terminator, for which she penned the screenplay and produced. "It’s really hard to get a lot of films in the genre made that star women. There are few exceptions but there’s still this strange sense that other than franchises that already exist like Aliens that somehow a genre film in which a woman is the lead is going to turn men off," Hurd says. "That’s not the case. It’s a perception that unfortunately influences decision making by executives who have the ability to say yes."
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Hands-On Producer
Hurd serves as CEO of Valhalla Entertainment, a production company with four feature films and five scripted dramas in development. "They’re generally focused on ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances and how they cope," Hurd says of what defines a Valhalla show. "That theme works better in television than it does in features because you can continue to tell the story. The perfect show is Breaking Bad: an ordinary chemistry teacher who ends up in a world of meth."
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Full Plate
Among the trinkets Hurd has been sent over the years is this small tea saucer that depicts a young zombie girl who could double for The Walking Dead's Penny. It's a favorite for the prolific producer, who keeps it on her desk.
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Michonne’s Sword
Among the gifts AMC has sent Hurd for her work on The Walking Dead are a replica of Michonne's katana sword (seen here), which she keeps mounted on the wall behind her desk, as well as one of Rick's trademark sheriff's hats.
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‘Dead’ Days
Hurd keeps several autographed photos in her office, including this season-one cast shot from The Walking Dead. Can you spot how many characters have already been killed off? (Shane, Dale, T-Dog and Lori are among them.)
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Avid Art Collector
Hurd is an avid art collector and has several pieces in her Universal City office. Large pieces include of works by a group of French artists collectively known as Figuration Libre, Remi Blanchard and others. She also has a Lichtenstein print, as well as as a painting from an Aboriginal artist she purchased while producing No Escape in Australia.