Lynette Howell Taylor knows how to get things done.
She’s produced everything from action movies (“The Accountant”) to indies (“Half Nelson”) to Lady Gaga’s big-screen debut (“A Star Is Born”), all while dealing with movie-star egos, unforgiving budgets and punishing shooting schedules. Now, Howell Taylor, 46, will need to draw on all those skills as she faces her most daunting challenge yet. As the newly elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Howell Taylor will have to find a way to keep the Oscars relevant even as the movie business that it celebrates has declined in popularity.
Fortunately, Howell Taylor won’t need much on-the-job training. She produced the 2020 Oscars telecast (landing an Emmy nomination in the process), served on various Academy committees and was head of the board of governors branch, which represents producers.
In her first interview since being unanimously named president last summer, Howell Taylor notes that the ratings for last year’s show were up (slightly) and says she’s excited that Conan O’Brien will return to host the 98th Oscars after emceeing a well-received 2025 telecast. But even Howell Taylor acknowledges that the ceremony, which airs on ABC, will need to change the way it reaches fans who have fled broadcast television for streaming.
“It’s a brave new world in terms of how people are consuming the show,” she says. “That’s going to continue to evolve.”
Howell Taylor talks about her vision for how to reinvigorate the Oscars, the organization’s commitment to supporting the theatrical experience and the expanded membership that’s given the Academy a more global perspective.
As someone who produced the Oscars telecast in 2020, how much of your focus as Academy president will be on the show?
It’s a big part of the presidency, and it’s a role I’m already familiar with. I’m bringing a lot of lessons from my time producing the show. During the time I spent with the Academy president [David Rubin] and CEO [Dawn Hudson], I felt like there was a missed opportunity to engage the board members on what the show looked like. There’s so much unbelievable creativity on the board and in the membership, so I created these brainstorming sessions. We listened to their ideas and mined the incredible talent that exists there. I think you’ve seen the impact on the past three years of the broadcast. The Oscars won an Emmy for the first time in 35 years.
How hard is it to choose a host for the Oscars? For a while it seemed like no one wanted the gig, and there were all those years without a host.
We were very lucky to have Jimmy Kimmel for two years, and then Conan O’Brien. They came with incredible enthusiasm. Today, it’s a gig that people are excited to take. We’re not in a period where people don’t want to do this. Our focus is celebrating movies, and Conan is coming back to celebrate an incredible year in cinema. And the ratings are up.
They are up. Do you think we’ll ever get back to a place where the Oscars are netting 40 million viewers?
There’ll always be a linear aspect of television, but the amount of engagement the show and the movies and our nominees get [on social platforms] — we’ll continue to explore that. I don’t look at ratings anymore, because it’s about engagement.
The Academy is approaching the 100th Oscars ceremony. What are the conversations you’re having about celebrating that milestone?
Still early stages. We’re focusing on the task at hand, which is this year’s show. We want to make sure the next two are great. It’s a bit like making sequels to a movie. You don’t want to save all your good ideas for No. 3. The second one must work as well, and it’s been a great year already with some of the blockbusters and horror films we’ve seen. For the 100th, we have an incredible opportunity to celebrate the history and impact of cinema and our global membership.
The Oscars will add a new category this year — achievement in casting. Best stunt performance is coming to the live show soon. People complain the Oscars are too long as it is. How will you address this?
The achievement in casting and the stunt awards are overdue. They are! This was the right timing. Audiences are going to be so excited about those two awards. These will be magical moments on the show.
You mentioned global membership. The narrative around Oscar voting over the past few years is that the international bloc, which has increased in size, is becoming a stealth force in determining winners. Is that true?
Well, 21% of Academy members are from countries or territories outside of the U.S. We are intentionally becoming a global organization, and that’s going to be reflected in the way that the organization votes.
How do you hope to leave your stamp on the Academy?
I had a thought yesterday while visiting the Academy Museum. I lost my house in the Palisades fire. I had film memorabilia from 25 years of making movies. The original ukulele [that Ryan Gosling plays] in “Blue Valentine” was on my bookshelf. I had a Margaret Keane painting from Tim Burton’s “Big Eyes,” signed sheet music from “A Star Is Born,” one-of-a-kind film artifacts that I’m never going to get back. It was my own museum. But how great would it have been if I’d donated it to the Academy Museum in the first place?
Given what I’ve gone through this year, I would love to encourage people to donate their artifacts. They can still come look at them or borrow them, but they’ll know they’re somewhere safe. Also, supporting the theatrical experience is something we’ve been actively discussing — thinking about how we use our brand and our platform to enhance the cinematic experience for movie lovers around the world.
We reported in May that a significant number of movie theater owners are pushing to become Academy members. Is that something you support?
That’s a really important conversation. We have to engage with the exhibitors and see how we can evolve together. This will come down to the board and the membership, because we have to abide by a democratic process. But that work is essential to find new paths forward.
How has the Academy changed your career and perspective on filmmaking?
It’s a central hub for all disciplines of moviemaking. The access to so many different artists and executives has been remarkable. The Academy has always been great at member engagement and continues to get stronger. Just connecting with other producers in my branch has been great, because producers tend to be siloed. Joining the Academy was my first experience with a group of producers talking about our profession and what it is that we do and how the Academy can support that. It’s allowed me to expand my mind and hear different perspectives. It’s been a most wonderful sidetrack to my day job.
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