There are few awards shows that celebrate the business of entertainment marketing as openly and joyously as the Golden Trailer Awards. On a breezy May 28th at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, the 26th Annual Golden Trailer Awards (GTA) once again shone a spotlight on a vast pool of unsung creative talent behind the industry’s most powerful marketing weapon: the movie trailer.
The GTAs, a.k.a. “The Oscars of Movie Marketing,” beam a vivid, incandescent light on the creatives: editors, writers, producers, designers, composers and specialized audio houses who master the art of the tease and bait. More than 1,000 creatives packed the theater to honor their peers — the master storytellers who convince moviegoers and streamers alike to invest their precious time and hard-earned money on stories yet unseen.
The master of ceremonies for the night was the inimitable entertainer and internet phenom Morgan Jay. Bringing his unique style of musical, rap-infused comedy and sharp crowd work, Jay immediately broke the ice. He pulled audience members onstage to pitch themselves as their own "trailers" to roars of laughter. He then moved the evening along with a quick, self-aware pace: “This ain’t the Oscars,” Jay quipped. “We’re gonna do it all under a buck-forty,” referencing the tight, fast running time of the show.
This year’s ceremony carried a unique significance for an industry navigating a massive digital transition. Streaming platforms continue to fiercely compete with major theatrical releases, and audiences devour promotional content across an interconnected ecosystem of phones, tablets, television screens and social media feeds.
Yet, it was a dazzling night where the crème of premium marketing execution triumphed. The evening’s highest honor, "Best of Show," went for a touchdown to Project Hail Mary for the spectacular trailer entitled “Chance.” Created for Amazon MGM Studios by the prodigious trailer house Wild Card Creative Group, the campaign also captured accolades for “Best Drama” and “Best Music,” cementing it as the night’s undisputed heavyweight. The campaign demonstrated exactly what separates a good trailer from a great one: a profound emotional hook, kinetic cinematic editing and an innate understanding of audience psychology.
The biggest titan of the night was AV Squad, which walked away with an astonishing 14 wins. They also secured the night's most prestigious corporate honor: “Agency of the Year,” marking a consecutive three-in-a-row trifecta. As an enterprising, family-oriented company where employees hold a literal piece of the action, their expansive victories knew no bounds. AV Squad's haul included “Best Independent Trailer” for Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, “Best Horror TV Spot” for Weapons, and “Best Sound Editing in a TV Spot” for the highly anticipated biographical feature Michael, alongside several digital and international campaign awards.
Other major creative houses made dominant showings in the winner's circle. Requiem stood exceptionally tall with 10 wins, including “Best Comedy” for their work on the wildly entertaining Anaconda campaign. GrandSon Creative fared strongly with five wins, taking home “Best Comedy TrailerByte” for the feature film Good Fortune. Elite agencies like Zealot, Aspect, Tiny Hero, Mocean and Buddha Jones also crowded the elite scoreboard, showcasing the absolute pinnacle of theatrical and entertainment marketing.
A major takeaway from the night was the sophisticated rise of streaming campaigns. Giants like Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV+ and FX were heavily decorated. Premium projects like Wednesday Season 2, The Pitt Season 2, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, Fallout and Alien: Earth proved that the streamers are deploying major-studio budgets to generate event-level anticipation for their entrenched audiences.
Concurrently, traditional theatrical marketing remains vibrant and fierce. Blockbusters like The Running Man, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Wicked: For Good and One Battle After Another commanded massive attention. Far from being displaced by the so-called couch, these theatrical campaigns are actively evolving alongside home platforms, creating a reciprocal relationship between the big screen and the living room.
However, even though the visual style of the trailer continues to shift, the big boon era of the classic, booming voiceover narrator that the ‘Don of movie trailers’ Don LaFontaine created has largely subsided to a more modern, realistic approach. Today's campaigns rely on music-driven storytelling, deep atmospheric tone and a lingering rhythm, with highly cinematic editing designed to create an instant emotional connection. That’s the ticket.
Now, 26 years after its founding, executive directors Monica and Evelyn Brady stand proud. The Golden Trailer Awards remain uniquely positioned to honor the creative professionals who shape our very first impressions of cinema. Even with artificial intelligence looming on the horizon, the Brady sisters frame the future simply: as long as there are great stories to tell, there will be an audience hungry enough to watch them.