No ‘Office’ politics

Lynn Smith’s article on the Golden Globe Awards success of “The Office” (“The People Make This ‘Office’ Work”, Jan. 27) stated: “Even the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. was apparently taken off guard -- the table for ‘The Office’ was on the ballroom’s second tier, so far from the cameras that it proved difficult to even get a reaction shot of [Ricky] Gervais each time his name was announced.” It said the table was in “the hinterlands.”

The implications are that the HFPA somehow treated Gervais and the costars and producers of “The Office” as second-class citizens and disregarded the professional needs of the Golden Globes broadcast director, Chris Donovan. In fact, this table placement was made with great care, and in consultation with BBC America, to allow for the special needs of the producer of “The Office,” Ash Atalla, who is wheelchair-bound.

Our challenges were to (a) best facilitate Atalla’s most convenient access to a room containing 106 tables and 1,272 chairs; and (b) to ensure Atalla easy access to the stage in the event “The Office” won. We achieved both objectives to the satisfaction of all concerned.

Lawrie Masterson

West Hollywood

Lawrie Masterson is vice president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.