Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers FoundationThe complete Pioneer of the Year Tribute Journal is available for download on our website, www.wrpioneers.org/2026dinner. Thank you to all our sponsors.The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation proudly bestows its highest honor on Kevin Feige 2026 Pioneer of the Year In recognition of his distinguished leadership of humanitarian causes and philanthropic endeavors, and in recognition of the eminence he achieved in the entertainment industry and community at large. Heather Morgan Chairman of the Board Lisa Bunnell President 2026 Pioneer of the YearPIONEERING SPIRIT KEVIN FEIGE 2026 Pioneer of the Year Kevin Feige is one of the most accomplished and acclaimed producers in the film industry. As producer and president of Marvel Studios, Feige is the driving creative force behind dozens of blockbuster feature films and series and the chief architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. He is also chief creative officer of Marvel, responsible for the entertainment giant’s storytelling across film, television, publishing, and licensing, building on an unparalleled library of iconic characters and stories that have shaped pop culture for more than 85 years, from the Avengers and X-Men to Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and more. Feige is a hands-on producer who has overseen all of Marvel Studios’ feature film productions. All 38 films have opened No. 1 at the box office, and they’ve collectively grossed $35 billion globally, with 12 of the films grossing more than $1 billion worldwide. Three of those films – Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War – surpassed the $2 billion mark. In 2018, Black Panther became the first film featuring a super hero to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture. Feige’s first MCU film, Iron Man, released in 2008, shattered expectations among fans and critics and instantly hit the cultural zeitgeist. The film paved the way for Marvel’s first phase of films, culminating in Marvel’s The Avengers, which was the first film in history to post a $200 million opening weekend domestically, and showed the storytelling possibilities of the MCU’s interconnected universe. The Avengers became the highest-grossing film of 2012 worldwide and a herald for Marvel’s future box office hits, including Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and many more. In 2022, Iron Man was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for its cultural significance. Beyond the success of his films, Feige has spearheaded a host of television shows for Disney+, including the Emmy® Award-winning WandaVision and critically acclaimed series Loki. Feige is an Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award nominee and was honored with the 2019 David O. Selznick Achievement Award from the Producers Guild of America, as well as the Albert R. Broccoli Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Entertainment from the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA). He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2024. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and currently sits on the school’s Board of Councilors.“People are marvelous in their generosity if they just know the cause is there.” —Will Rogers2026 Pioneer of the Year Willy Avellaneda Chadd Barksdale Lylle Breier Kelly Camunez Susie Cotliar Andrew Cripps Amy Crismer Kyle Davies Chris DeFranco Jeff Forman Dean Gordon Julie Gutknecht Laura Lee Hartung John Hsu Matt Kalavsky WORKING DINNER COMMITTEE Mike Kern Troy Knutson Katie Kornfield Tori Lyon Michelle Mullan Jim Orr Lauren Perez Nick Rush David Sieden Randy Sinner Steve Schoenburg Angela Shaw Laurie Tsai Rob Westerling Chair, Lisa BunnellNext >