Award-winning film and television producer Gale Anne Hurd will be in Lincoln March 28 to visit with students in the emerging media arts program of the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film and to celebrate the 35th anniversary of her film “Tremors,” which will be screened that evening at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center. Both events are free and open to the public.
“We are thrilled to welcome multi-award-winning producer Gale Anne Hurd to the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts and have her interact with our students and faculty and the community,” said Megan Elliott, Johnny Carson Endowed Director in Emerging Media Arts. “Gale is one of the most respected film and television producers in the industry, and it will be a true honor to host her. Her work champions daring storytelling and technological innovation. She is a trailblazer for women in a male-dominated industry, and her extensive producing credits include a range of Academy Award-winning films. This is a tremendous opportunity for our students to interact with a truly groundbreaking producer.”
“A Conversation with Gale Anne Hurd” will take place during IGNITE from 12:30 to 1:50 p.m. March 28 in the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts at 13th and Q streets.
A special 35th anniversary screening of the 1990 monster-horror film “Tremors,” starring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward and produced by Hurd, will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Ross, 313 N. 13th St. Hurd will do a pre-show talk at 7:30 p.m. followed by the screening. Seating is limited, so reservations are required. Reservations will be available online and in person at the box office the night of the show.
In the film, repairmen Val McKee (Bacon) and Earl Bassett (Ward) are tired of their dull lives in the small desert town of Perfection, Nevada. But just as the two try to skip town, they happen upon a series of mysterious deaths and a concerned seismologist (Finn Carter) studying unnatural readings below the ground. With the help of an eccentric couple (Reba McEntire and Michael Gross), the group fights for survival against giant, worm-like monsters hungry for human flesh.
Hurd is the founder of Valhalla Entertainment, most recently known for the global cultural phenomenon, Emmy-winning and record-shattering TV series “The Walking Dead” and its multiple spin-offs, including “Fear the Walking Dead,” “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” and “The Ones Who Live.”
Hurd’s extensive producing credits include a range of Academy Award-winning films, with “Aliens” notably earning seven nominations and two wins. Her additional Oscar-winning works include “The Abyss,” “The Ghost and the Darkness,” “Armageddon” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” which was recently added to the National Film Registry by the U.S. Library of Congress. Hurd produced and co-wrote “The Terminator.” Some of her additional studio credits include “Tremors,” “The Relic,” “Aeon Flux,” Ang Lee’s "Hulk,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Alien Nation” and Sundance Audience Award winner “The Waterdance."
Additional Valhalla TV credits include Amazon Prime Video’s “Lore,” SYFY’s limited series “Hunters” and two seasons of “Falling Water” on the USA Network.
On the film side, Valhalla produced the feature film “Hellfest” for Lionsgate, currently streaming on Netflix, and “Mankiller,” which chronicles the life of the late Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Most recently, Valhalla produced Tribeca Film Festival’s Spotlight Documentary “The YouTube Effect,” which shines light on the spread of misinformation and the algorithms that manipulate public perception.
Her honors include the 2022 Locarno Film Festival’s Best Independent Producer Award, the Cartier Award from the Deauville American Film Festival, Women in Film’s Crystal Award, the Producer’s Guild’s David O. Selznick Best Feature Film Producer Award, the Visual Effect Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award and, most recently, the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Online Film Critics Association.
Hurd’s visit is presented by the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts and The Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.
