"I couldn't sleep. Newly hired as the Executive Director of the Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles, the Board of Directors tasked me with three tall orders. This wasn't just any Board either. A mix of rising stars and established lions of economic industry, major film studios, community collaboratives, faith-based organizations, and various government leaders hired me as a final attempt at turning around a nonprofit under mounting financial pressure. "The first task required immediate action: relocation. Find office space that includes a conference room in or near Downtown Los Angeles where the organization can replant, grow, and, by the way, it has to be accomplished within two months and rent-free. How that succeeded is a story for another time but the short of it was that I managed to bring us to 1 Times Mirror Square as the only nonprofit service organization housed by the Los Angeles Times. "The second task had a longer and less concrete goal: add more board members, ones with diverse perspectives from fields not already represented. Toward that end, I brought in a few board members and several advisors spanning the arenas of media, medicine, and education. "The third task they assigned was a signature event -- something that will catapult our quiet organization into the limelight. "It was around 3am when the idea came. There we were in the city built by the most powerful voice in the world: the media. I had already forged partnerships between the media and literacy events in past jobs and gained connections. I also well knew how 'the industry,' as it was known, thrived on awards. In that wee hour moment, it clicked -- an event to honor the entertainment industry for excellence in depictions of the importance of literacy. "Over the next few days, I searched everywhere I could think to find where this idea had already been implemented. Strangely enough, I couldn't find anything exactly like the idea of honoring the entertainment industry for literacy depictions. "Little did I know that a mentor up at the California State Library in Sacramento had just been contacted by the Writers Guild of America West, asking how they could engage with the literacy issue in Los Angeles in a way that would make sense for screenwriters. "He said, 'Call Patricia Smart. She heads up a big network of literacy providers in LA that's based at the LA Times and she's worked with the entertainment industry.' He stepped out of his own government arena to do this for our nonprofit, knowing I'd read it as a sacrifice that deserved my best effort. Thank you, Al Bennett. "So the WGA West calls and I explain my idea. They jumped on it enthusiastically and became more than a partner, advising on every question, recommending high-profile WGA officials and members to serve as judges, and lifting awareness to some of the highest stature production leaders in town. "That's how the Literacy in Media Awards event was born. It ran for about eight years beginning in 1999 and created a legacy of many impactful achievements and poignant Hollywood moments." Patricia Smart, Founder