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Shonda Rhimes to receive WGA’s Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award

Shonda Rhimes is executive producer of "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal" and "How to Get Away With Murder" on ABC.
(Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
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Prolific writer-producer Shonda Rhimes will score another win in February when she takes home the Writers Guild of America West’s Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award.

Rhimes currently has three shows on the air that have been so successful that ABC’s Thursday night lineup of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder” is often referred to as “ShondaLand,” which is also the name of her production company.

Rhimes is being honored for her work in bringing more diversity to the prime-time television lineup both in front of and behind the camera.

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In a statement, WGAW President Chris Keyser said, “Her ability to create, consistently, television that is, at once, excellent, provocative and crowd-pleasing is almost the least of it. She is a breaker of barriers.”

This is not Rhimes’ first award. She’s previously received a WGA Award for “Grey’s Anatomy,” a Peabody, a Golden Globe, an AFI Award, an NAACP Image Award and more.

She also currently serves as the cochair of the WGAW’s Diversity Advisory Group.

The Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award is the WGAW’s highest honor, presented to those who have “advanced the literature of television.” Previous recipients include Steven Bochco, David Chase, Larry David and Diane English.

Rhimes will receive the award at the 2015 Writers Guild Awards on Feb. 14 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

Follow me on Twitter: @patrickkevinday

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