Author Byron Burton

Byron Burton

Founder, Awards Editor

Byron Burton is the Awards Editor and Chief Critic at Awards Focus and a National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Award winning journalist for his work at The Hollywood Reporter.

Byron is a voting member of the Television Academy, Critics Choice Association, and the Society of Composers & Lyricists (the SCL) for his work on Marvel's X-Men Apocalypse (2016). Working as a journalist and moderator, Byron hosts Emmy and Oscar panels for the major studios, featuring their Below The Line and Above The Line nominees (in partnership with their respective guilds).

Moderating highlights include Ingle Dodd's "Behind the Slate" Screening Series and their "Spotlight Live" event at the American Legion in Hollywood. Byron covered the six person panel for Universal's "NOPE" as well as panels for Hulu's "Pam & Tommy Lee" and "Welcome to Chippendales" and HBO Max's "Barry" and "Euphoria."

For songwriters and composers, Byron is a frequent moderator for panels with the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) as well as The ArcLight's Hitting the High Note Oscar series.

Byron's panels range from FX's Fargo to Netflix's The Crown, The Queen's Gambit, The Witcher & Bridgerton; HBO Max's The Flight Attendant, Hacks, Succession, Insecure, & Lovecraft Country; Amazon Studios' The Legend of Vox Machina, Wild Cat, & Annette; and Apple TV+s Ted Lasso, Bad Sisters, and 5 Days at Memorial.

In February of 2020, Byron organized and hosted the Aiding Australia Initiative; launched to assist in the restoration and rehabilitation of Australia's wildlife (an estimated 3 billion animals killed or maimed and a landmass the size of Syria decimated).

Participating talent for Aiding Australia includes Robert Downey Jr., Michael Keaton, Jeremy Renner, Harrison Ford, Jim Carrey, Josh Brolin, Bryan Cranston, Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, JK Simmons, Tobey Maguire, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Danny Elfman, Tim Burton, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Tim Allen, Colin Hay, Drew Struzan, and Michael Rosenbaum.

Film Review: Inside Out 2

Few directorial debuts have the high stakes surrounding Pixar's latest outing, Inside Out 2. After a string of less than stellar box office outings, Pixar is returning to the groundbreaking world that it launc... Read More...

Film Review: Young Woman and the Sea

Director Joachim Rønning puts Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley in her best role to date, although the mechanics of Jeff Nathanson's script fail to enthrall audiences until far too late in the film. Based on ... Read More...

Film Review: Furiosa

Director George Miller (Mad Max, Happy Feet) blew audiences and critics away with his return to his gritty, Australian set Mad Max franchise with the 2015 reboot, Mad Max: Fury Road. That film once again fo... Read More...

Film Review: Challengers

Director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) deliver his latest sexually charged drama with Challengers, a film that shifts through time as a love triangle in explored between high level athletes; specifica... Read More...

Conan O’Brien Delivers Laughs With Nick Offerman At The World Premiere Of “Conan O’Brien Must Go”

On Tuesday night, Conan O’Brien took over the Avalon Hollywood theater to premiere his new travel series, "Conan O’Brien Must Go." The Max series premiere drew critics, TV Academy members, and almost the entir... Read More...

Film Review: Civil War

Alex Garland is one of the most inventive creatives to emerge in the 21st Century, following the tremendous genius of 2015's Ex Machina. Having failed to reach the same level of critical praise, he's continual... Read More...

Film Review: Ghostbusters Frozen Empire

Director Jason Reitman delivered one of the most engaging and heartfelt reboots of the past decade with 2021's Ghostbusters Afterlife. Unlike the underwhelming Star Wars sequels, Reitman perfectly merged the ... Read More...

Costume Designer Olga Mill on her collaborations with filmmakers William Oldroyd on “Eileen” & Rose Glass on A24’s “Love Lies Bleeding”

Costume Designer Olga Mill has worked on some of the most exciting independent films of the 21st century. Her credits include Ari Aster’s Hereditary, Paul Schrader’s First Reformed, and Eliza Hittman’s Never R... Read More...

Film Review: Love Lies Bleeding

Kristen Stewart returns to her indie stomping grounds as a gym manager named Lou, showcasing a very lackluster life servicing a clogged toilet in our unvarnished introduction to her latest character. Director ... Read More...

Film Review: Dune Part 2

Director Denis Villeneuve returns to Arrakis to direct Dune Part 2 from a screenplay that he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts. Adapted from Frank Herbert’s acclaimed novel, the story is acutely accurate to the novel ... Read More...