Friday, 13 March, 2026
Hollywood In Pixels returns to London this spring for the second annual Silver Pixel Awards International – EMEA, celebrating the leaders shaping the future of digital and data-driven marketing for film and entertainment.
Over the past decade, Hollywood In Pixels has become a cornerstone of the digital Hollywood community in Los Angeles, and with our International edition, HIP is proud to extend the celebration to recognize the exceptional work happening outside of the U.S. The event will be held on April 23, 2026 at the Vue Cinema London – West End to celebrate the achievements of four outstanding international theatrical marketing leaders.
The Silver Pixel, the marquee award of the evening, honors outstanding industry contributions by a senior executive overseeing digital marketing and innovation at a studio or streaming service, and will be presented to Joshua Heaton-Armstrong. Joshua is the Director of Digital Marketing at Sony Pictures Releasing UK, where he leads digital strategy across the studio’s theatrical slate in the UK & Ireland. With 19 years at the studio, he oversees end-to-end digital campaign development spanning paid media, digital publicity, and creator partnerships, contributing to the success of Sony’s major global releases.
Joshua has played a central role in shaping Sony’s digital theatrical presence in the region, guiding campaigns across major franchises and tentpoles while continuously evolving strategy to meet shifting audience behaviors. He has led UK digital efforts on recent releases including Venom: The Last Dance and 28 Years Later, alongside earlier releases in the James Bond and Spider-Man™ franchises during his tenure with the studio.
Before joining Sony, Joshua held senior agency roles at MG OMD and PHD Media, where he helped pioneer early digital advertising strategies for leading entertainment and consumer brands during the formative years of online media. Today, he is recognized as a key voice in theatrical digital marketing, respected for his contributions to innovations driving the future of cinema marketing in a connected world.
The Vanguard Pixel celebrates a senior marketing executive who has played a trailblazing role in advancing digital marketing innovation, and Kezia Williams is this year’s honoree. Kezia is Managing Director of Universal Pictures UK & Ireland, where she leads theatrical distribution, marketing, publicity, sales and strategy for the UK’s leading film distributor.
She has over 20 years’ experience in the film and entertainment industry, having begun her career in advertising before moving into senior leadership roles at Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. and eOne. Her work spans global franchise launches, independent and specialty releases, and award-winning campaigns.
Alongside her studio role, Kezia is a co-founder of Kazoo Films, a UK-based distribution company focused on bringing the very best animated family films to UK & Irish audiences.
She is also Chair of MediCinema, the UK charity that builds and operates cinemas in hospitals, using the power of film to support wellbeing for patients, families and NHS staff.
The Prestige Pixel is bestowed upon an individual or organization with extraordinary foundational contributions to Hollywood digital marketing. This year’s honoree is Col Needham, Founder & Executive Chair of IMDb, the world’s most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows, and celebrities. Col provides strategic guidance, consults on key initiatives, and serves as a global ambassador for IMDb. Col founded IMDb in 1990 and served as CEO for 35 years, during which he built IMDb into the world’s leading source of entertainment information.
IMDb grew out of a personal database of movie information which Col created as a teenager, combined with similar data collected on the internet in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Col published the first version of IMDb online in October 1990 and coordinated IMDb as a worldwide volunteer effort from 1990-1996. IMDb incorporated in January 1996 with the volunteers as shareholders and IMDb became a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon in April 1998. IMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment professionals, launched in 2002 to empower members to launch and grow their careers.
Col is a board member of Into Film and Film Independent and serves as Global Brand Ambassador for the British Board of Film Classification. He received a 2014 Creative Coalition Independent Spotlight award for his work to support independent filmmaking and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Bristol in 2018. Col has been a jury member for leading film festivals around the world, including the Mumbai Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, and the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Rising Pixel honors a mid-career executive already making exemplary contributions to the craft of digital marketing. This year’s honoree is Gaia Porcu, Digital Manager at Paramount Pictures.
Gaia manages all digital and social campaigns for Paramount Pictures in the UK. Adapting global strategy, shaping it for the UK market, on campaigns including Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Dead Reckoning, Bob Marley: One Love, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, Smile, and Gladiator II, as well as originating digital strategy on UK-led productions such as Blue Story, and Sumotherhood, bringing movies to audiences through unmissable digital moments and mass-reaching social campaigns.
Bettina Sherick, Founder and President of Hollywood In Pixels, reflected: “When we launched HIP in Los Angeles ten years ago, our goal was simple: to archive the work and celebrate the people behind the pixels. Seeing this celebration take root internationally, and honoring leaders in London, is both meaningful and energizing for me personally as an early international digital executive, as well as our entire connected community of digital innovators.”
Tickets available for purchase HERE.
For sponsorship opportunity inquiries, please email sponsorships@hollywoodinpixels.org
The 8th Silver Pixel Awards - SILVER PIXEL HONOREE: Cameron Curtis, EVP, Global Digital Marketing, Warner Bros.
