Nominations for Elevation to Fellow Membership

A Fellow of the Society is defined as "an individual who has, by proficiency and contributions, attained an outstanding rank among engineers or executives in the motion-picture, television or related industries."

Fellow Membership Nominations Committee

All Section Chairs are part of the Fellow Membership Nominations Committee, which is responsible for submitting nominations for elevation to Fellow membership.  Other members of this committee include the Board of Governors and the Engineering Technology Committee Chairs.  The Fellow Membership Committee is chaired by the Past-President of the Society.

Submitting a Nomination

Simply download the Fellow Nomination Form here and submit by the deadline noted (This deadline will typically be in April).  Please remember that the entire nomination process is confidential, so do not let the nominee know that they have been submitted for consideration.  All nominees MUST be current SMPTE Members (Active or above member grade) in good standing.

Please note**
There are two places for signatures on the form.  The first signature is for the "Nominator."  This person MUST be a member of the Fellow Membership Committee (see above).  The next signature spot is for the "Sponsor" or "Sponsors."  Every nomination form must be supported and signed by TWO SMPTE Fellows.  If the "Nominator" is a Fellow, then only one person (also a SMPTE Fellow) needs to sign as the "Sponsor."  If the "Nominator" is NOT a Fellow, then TWO Fellows must sign as "Sponsors."

The Nominators and Sponsors are also kept confidential during this process.  These details are removed from the nomination form before it is passed on to the Fellow Qualifications Committee for consideration.

Fellow Qualifications Committee

Once Fellow Nomination Forms are received by Headquarters, they are forwarded on to the appointed Directors for preliminary rating.  Their rating sheets are then forwarded, along with the nomination forms, to the Fellow Qualifications Committee, which is ultimately responsible for recommending which nominees will be elevated to the grade of Fellow.

The Fellow Qualifications Committee consists of nine members:

• Past President as Chair
• Standards Vice-President
• Membership Vice-President
• Education Vice-President
• Finance Vice President
• Four Appointed Governors

Through a series of meetings and secret ballots, the Fellows Qualifications Committee votes to determine which nominees will be recommended for Fellow status.  Any nomination receiving a 2/3 affirmative vote is then passed on to the Board of Governors at the June meeting for approval.  Once approved, all new Fellows are notified by SMPTE Headquarters and honored at the Fellows Luncheon and Awards Gala during the Annual Conference.