2023 Oscar Show Sets Its Production Team

The Oscars, airing March 12 on ABC, have the remainder of their key production team set. The group ranges from veteran lighting designer Robert Dickinson embarking on his 34th voyage on the show and co-executive producer Rob Paine on his 28th, to three new female producers getting their first shot with the venerable awards telecast.

Rickey Minor takes charge of the orchestra’s baton for the first time since 2020, while Dave Boone is coming back as a writer, his 13th Oscars in the last quarter century. Executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss (who is also directing the show for the 8th time) and Ricky Kirshner made the announcement.

Here are the players AMPAS announced today:

Rob Paine has worked on the Oscars telecast for over two decades and returns for his 28th year in a new role as co-executive producer. Paine has more than 200 credits to his name, spanning four decades. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for co-executive producing the Outstanding Variety Special Pre-Recorded, “Adele: One Night Only”, and is the recipient of 14 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, a Peabody Award and the Emerson College Distinguished Alumni Award. He specializes in live, large-scale television events such as Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, Super Bowl Halftime Shows, Primetime Emmy Awards and The Kennedy Center Honors.

Producer Sarah Levine Hall joins the Oscars telecast for the first time. She is an Emmy Award-nominated producer known for her work in live and variety television specials. Her credits include working with White Cherry Entertainment on the Tony Awards, The Kennedy Center Honors, Primetime Emmy Awards, The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back! and Celebrating America: An Inauguration Night Special.

Raj Kapoor has been associated with the Oscars telecast for six years and returns as a producer. He has earned four Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won a Primetime Emmy Award for executive producing the Outstanding Variety Special Pre-Recorded, Adele: One Night Only. Kapoor’s recent credits include Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter, Grammy Awards, Latin Grammys, several The Disney Family Singalong specials and Stand Up to Cancer.

Taryn Hurd rejoins the Oscars for the 10th consecutive year as talent producer. She also has served as talent producer on the past seven Governors Awards ceremonies along with numerous television variety specials and award shows.

Erin Irwin joins the Oscars production team as a producer. She is an executive producer on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and has worked alongside Kimmel for 25 years, beginning with The Man Show on Comedy Central. Irwin has proven herself to be a staple at Kimmel, producing the show for nearly 20 years, rising from supervising producer to co-executive producer, before being elevated to executive producer in 2021. Irwin’s other producing credits include The Emmy Awards, The Oscars, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show, Donny & Marie, Later and The Wayne Brady Show, for which she won a Daytime Emmy in 2003.

Jennifer Sharron joins the Oscars production team as a producer. She serves as an executive producer on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and has earned 11 Emmy nominations for her contributions to the show. Sharron joined the show at its debut in 2003 and has ascended from executive assistant to executive producer over the past 20 years. As a show producer, she was tasked with leading the field production team responsible for all pre-taped and live comedy segments for the show. Sharron has lent her producing skills to other industry tentpole events, serving as a producer on both the Primetime Emmy Awards and The Oscars.

Nefetari Spencer joins the Oscars production team as a writer. She began her career as a production coordinator and assistant to Bernie Mac. Her writing credits include material for Anthony Anderson, Deon Cole, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Taraji P. Henson, Leslie Jones, Niecy Nash, Craig Robinson and more. Spencer also wrote and performed in the one-woman show I Am Willa. Her past award show credits include Primetime Emmy Awards, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, Soul Train Awards, American Music Awards, BET Awards and more.

Agathe Panaretos returns as a writer for her third Oscars telecast. She was a writer-at-large for The Onion and has written for a variety of shows, including Netflix’s first late-night talk show, Chelsea, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023, 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards, 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, The Kennedy Center Honors and Crank Yankers. Her work has also been featured on E!, Funny or Die and Team Coco.

Dave Boone is a three-time Emmy and three-time Writers Guild of America Award-winning writer and producer. Returning for his 13th Oscars telecast, he began his Oscars journey as a member of Billy Crystal’s team on the 70th Academy Awards. Boone reunited with Crystal on the 72nd, 76th and 84th Oscars. He has also written for show hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Steve Martin, and served as head writer for Neil Patrick Harris on the 87th Oscars. The head writer of 18 consecutive Tony Awards telecasts, Boone’s other credits include Primetime Emmy Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, The Kennedy Center Honors and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. Boone is also a sought-after script doctor for Broadway.

Music director Rickey Minor returns to the Oscars, having last been the music director in 2020. He has received 14 Emmy Award nominations and won twice for Outstanding Music Direction. Minor’s numerous television credits include We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, American Idol, The Kennedy Center Honors, Grammy Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards. Minor has also worked with Adele, Jon Batiste, Beyoncé, John Legend, Ed Sheeran and many more.

Lighting designer Robert Dickinson returns for his 34th Oscars show. During his four-decades long career, he has won 18 Primetime Emmy Awards and has over 1,500 on-screen television credits. His credits include The Kennedy Center Honors, Grammy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, Tony Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Academy of Country Music Awards; Olympics ceremonies in Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Athens, Vancouver and Shanghai; Super Bowl Halftime Shows and Democratic National Conventions. Dickinson has also worked on numerous television music specials for Christina Aguilera, Cher, Celine Dion, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Elton John, Ricky Martin, NSYNC, Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Taylor Swift, James Taylor, Justin Timberlake and U2. Dickinson has been recognized with an honorary degree of doctor of fine arts from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama for his body of work and influence.