Hollywood red carpet event highlights new Television Academy campus unveiling

This wasn’t your everyday Hollywood facelift.

After a year-and-a-half of construction, the campus of The Television Academy was unveiled to the media and a handful of select guests on Thursday.

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The Television Academy, based in North Hollywood, is home to the 22,000-member group that throws the annual Emmy Awards, and had not been significantly remodeled since 1991. In 2014, a US $40-million capital campaign was begun to redevelop the theater and campus.

Now also sporting the name Saban Media Center, the complex boasts a state-of-the-art cinema, production bays, new office and event spaces, as well as a 4,500-square-foot event space.

The place is unrecognizable from just 18 months ago.

“Well, this is a chance for us to reimagine our entire academy,” said Bruce Rosenblum, Television Academy Chairman and CEO. “It’s such a great future for the academy. We’ve really set them on the right path. I think that from a foundation standpoint, from a philanthropy standpoint, we’re really well set. We’re building an endowment for them. We have a new alignment with the Alliance for Children’s Rights for foster youth. It’s just a great time to be both at the academy and also in the television business.”

Emmy nominees, winners and television icons crammed the unveiling’s red carpet, with “Glee” and “Scream Queens” actress Lea Michele adding fashionista flair. Icons included Emmy winner Bob Newhart (“The Bob Newhart Show,” “Newhart,” “The Big Bang Theory”), as well as cast members of “The Brady Bunch” and “The Love Boat.”

“It’s amazing to see all these people here that I’ve been fans of, that I’ve worked with, most of them, all at the same event,” noted actor David Hasselhoff (“Baywatch”). “It’s just a tribute to the television. In fact, it’s almost intimidating, a little bit, because there are so many people here that I’ve worked with. I’m banging my brains.”

The press will be back to the Academy campus, albeit in the wee hours, on 14 July for the Emmy nominations.

This year’s Primetime Emmy Awards are set for 18 September at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles.