Brad Oltmanns Joins PricewaterhouseCoopers' Academy Awards® Balloting Team
Los Angeles, CA—Continuing its association with the world-renowned Academy Awards®, PricewaterhouseCoopers today announced that Brad Oltmanns, managing partner of the firm's Los Angeles office, has joined the leadership team managing the 2005 Academy Awards balloting process alongside PricewaterhouseCoopers partners Greg Garrison and Rick Rosas.
The three will be the only people who know the voting results before the recipients are announced during the 77th Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, February 27.
"The Academy Awards balloting and voting demands the highest level of integrity and trust. We continue to find that in our relationship with PricewaterhouseCoopers," said Bruce Davis, executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "We look forward to welcoming Brad to the stage later this month."
"I am joining an exclusive group of PricewaterhouseCoopers partners who have been entrusted with one of the entertainment industry's best kept secrets for 71 years running," said Oltmanns, PricewaterhouseCoopers. "It is a serious responsibility and certainly one of the biggest honors of my career. I am proud to continue the tradition for years to come."
Oltmanns joins a group of only 11 other partners who have safeguarded the world's most famous, hand-counted secrets. He has served the firm for 25 years, and is in charge of managing PricewaterhouseCoopers' entire 1,000-person staff in Los Angeles. Mr. Oltmanns has also served in leadership roles in the firm's Chicago, New York and Minneapolis offices. Active in professional and community organizations, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, The Music Center, Town Hall Los Angeles and the California Chamber of Commerce.
"I look at Brad and remember when PricewaterhouseCoopers first offered me the opportunity to lead the Academy Awards balloting process—the excitement, the privilege, the honor," said Frank Johnson, PricewaterhouseCoopers' longest-time lead balloting partner (retired). "With a few helpful hints, I'm sure that Brad will make his mark among the exclusive group of past partners who have shared in this experience of a lifetime."
Greg Garrison celebrates his 10th year as a balloting partner. Head of the firm's U.S. Assurance Practice, Garrison has been with PricewaterhouseCoopers for 29 years. Rick Rosas has been with the firm's Entertainment & Media Practice since 1996, with more than eight years working with the Academy. It is his fourth year on the ballot team.
Fun Facts from 71 Years of Oscar® Balloting
• 415,000: The approximate number of ballots counted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 71 years on the job.
• 2,400: The number of winners' envelopes stuffed since the envelope system was introduced in 1941.
• 1,700: The approximate number of "person-hours" it takes the PricewaterhouseCoopers team every year to count and verify the ballots by hand ( 120,700 hours total over the 71 years!).
• 51: The number of broadcasts PricewaterhouseCoopers partners have appeared on since 1953—the year the Oscars ® were first televised. The partners used to come on stage to hand-deliver the envelopes—hence, "and the envelope please"—but this is now done just offstage.
• 24: The number of awards categories tabulated at a secret location known only to the members of the small PricewaterhouseCoopers ballot team.
• 21: The number of years Frank Johnson [retired] served as a lead balloting partner—holding the world record (1977 through 1997)!
• 7: The number of days it takes to count the ballots for nominations.
• 3: The number of days it takes to count the final ballots.
How it Works
Identities of Oscar recipients are kept confidential until they are announced during the live telecast.
PricewaterhouseCoopers mails ballots to eligible Academy members and receives all votes. The balloting partners then manually tabulate the responses according to Academy rules. As a precautionary measure, two complete sets of envelopes bearing recipients' names are prepared and brought by PricewaterhouseCoopers partners to the ceremony under armed guard via separate, secret routes. As a second precautionary measure, the PricewaterhouseCoopers partners also memorize the names of the award winners.
During the telecast, Garrison and Oltmanns will remain backstage and hand the envelopes to award presenters immediately before they walk onstage.
In the more than seven decades since PricewaterhouseCoopers has managed balloting, there has not been a single security breach.
For additional information, including photos and video, visit: http://www.onthescene.com/MNR/PwC/PwC_TheOscars2005.htm
About PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers' Entertainment and Media (E&M) practice is comprised of a network of more than 3,000 practitioners providing audit, advisory and tax services to help clients manage risk, maximize shareholder value and support M&A activities. It addresses business challenges for its clients, including developing strategies to leverage digital technology; marketplace positioning in industries characterized by consolidation and convergence; and identifying new sources of financing. Known as an industry thought leader, the E&M practice publishes the annual Global Entertainment and Media Outlook and other surveys and white papers highlighting current and future trends in the industry.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services for public and private clients. More than 120,000 people in 144 countries connect their thinking, experience and solutions to build public trust and enhance value for clients and their stakeholders. "PricewaterhouseCoopers" refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.
The three will be the only people who know the voting results before the recipients are announced during the 77th Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, February 27.
"The Academy Awards balloting and voting demands the highest level of integrity and trust. We continue to find that in our relationship with PricewaterhouseCoopers," said Bruce Davis, executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "We look forward to welcoming Brad to the stage later this month."
"I am joining an exclusive group of PricewaterhouseCoopers partners who have been entrusted with one of the entertainment industry's best kept secrets for 71 years running," said Oltmanns, PricewaterhouseCoopers. "It is a serious responsibility and certainly one of the biggest honors of my career. I am proud to continue the tradition for years to come."
Oltmanns joins a group of only 11 other partners who have safeguarded the world's most famous, hand-counted secrets. He has served the firm for 25 years, and is in charge of managing PricewaterhouseCoopers' entire 1,000-person staff in Los Angeles. Mr. Oltmanns has also served in leadership roles in the firm's Chicago, New York and Minneapolis offices. Active in professional and community organizations, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, The Music Center, Town Hall Los Angeles and the California Chamber of Commerce.
"I look at Brad and remember when PricewaterhouseCoopers first offered me the opportunity to lead the Academy Awards balloting process—the excitement, the privilege, the honor," said Frank Johnson, PricewaterhouseCoopers' longest-time lead balloting partner (retired). "With a few helpful hints, I'm sure that Brad will make his mark among the exclusive group of past partners who have shared in this experience of a lifetime."
Greg Garrison celebrates his 10th year as a balloting partner. Head of the firm's U.S. Assurance Practice, Garrison has been with PricewaterhouseCoopers for 29 years. Rick Rosas has been with the firm's Entertainment & Media Practice since 1996, with more than eight years working with the Academy. It is his fourth year on the ballot team.
Fun Facts from 71 Years of Oscar® Balloting
• 415,000: The approximate number of ballots counted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 71 years on the job.
• 2,400: The number of winners' envelopes stuffed since the envelope system was introduced in 1941.
• 1,700: The approximate number of "person-hours" it takes the PricewaterhouseCoopers team every year to count and verify the ballots by hand ( 120,700 hours total over the 71 years!).
• 51: The number of broadcasts PricewaterhouseCoopers partners have appeared on since 1953—the year the Oscars ® were first televised. The partners used to come on stage to hand-deliver the envelopes—hence, "and the envelope please"—but this is now done just offstage.
• 24: The number of awards categories tabulated at a secret location known only to the members of the small PricewaterhouseCoopers ballot team.
• 21: The number of years Frank Johnson [retired] served as a lead balloting partner—holding the world record (1977 through 1997)!
• 7: The number of days it takes to count the ballots for nominations.
• 3: The number of days it takes to count the final ballots.
How it Works
Identities of Oscar recipients are kept confidential until they are announced during the live telecast.
PricewaterhouseCoopers mails ballots to eligible Academy members and receives all votes. The balloting partners then manually tabulate the responses according to Academy rules. As a precautionary measure, two complete sets of envelopes bearing recipients' names are prepared and brought by PricewaterhouseCoopers partners to the ceremony under armed guard via separate, secret routes. As a second precautionary measure, the PricewaterhouseCoopers partners also memorize the names of the award winners.
During the telecast, Garrison and Oltmanns will remain backstage and hand the envelopes to award presenters immediately before they walk onstage.
In the more than seven decades since PricewaterhouseCoopers has managed balloting, there has not been a single security breach.
For additional information, including photos and video, visit: http://www.onthescene.com/MNR/PwC/PwC_TheOscars2005.htm
About PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers' Entertainment and Media (E&M) practice is comprised of a network of more than 3,000 practitioners providing audit, advisory and tax services to help clients manage risk, maximize shareholder value and support M&A activities. It addresses business challenges for its clients, including developing strategies to leverage digital technology; marketplace positioning in industries characterized by consolidation and convergence; and identifying new sources of financing. Known as an industry thought leader, the E&M practice publishes the annual Global Entertainment and Media Outlook and other surveys and white papers highlighting current and future trends in the industry.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services for public and private clients. More than 120,000 people in 144 countries connect their thinking, experience and solutions to build public trust and enhance value for clients and their stakeholders. "PricewaterhouseCoopers" refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.
