Calgary producer Murray Ord is to receive the 25th annual David Billington Award from The Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA).

The award, to be presented on Oct. 26 during a luncheon at the Delta Bow Valley Hotel in Calgary, is given to an Albertan who has made an invaluable contribution to the province’s production community.

Ord’s career spans 35 years in the film and TV industry. He is a partner in film and TV prodco Alberta Film Entertainment, with coproduction credits including Focus Features’ Brokeback Mountain, Warner Brothers’ The Assassination of Jesse James, and ABC Family’s Santa Baby I and II.

He served as the president of the Alberta Film Commission from 1996 to 2001, during which time he brought high-profile projects like Shanghai Noon, Mystery Alaska and The Edge to Alberta.

Ord currently also serves as board director for the Calgary International Film Festival, creative executive producer for singing group REVV 52, and an executive member of Save Our Fine Arts, a program that promotes excellence in fine arts programs in Alberta schools. He is also a member of the DGC, ACTRA and AMPIA.

Photo credit: Russell Moore Images