Shonda Rhimes to Receive Inaugural Edinburgh TV Festival Fellowship

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Edinburgh TV Festival, and they are bestowing their first-ever Edinburgh Fellowship upon Shonda Rhimes. The Edinburgh TV Festival is recognizing her in this special way.

At the annual event hosted by Screen Scotland for the television industry, the esteemed writer, producer, and author who is renowned worldwide and has won numerous awards, including for creating hit shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Private Practice, Inventing Anna, Queen Charlotte, and serving as executive producer of Bridgerton, How to Get Away with Murder, and The Residence, has been invited as the guest of honor for the 2025 edition.

The festival announced on Monday that they are introducing a new honor called the ‘Edinburgh Fellowship’ to celebrate those who have made a significant impact on culture and creativity. This award recognizes individuals who have shaped both the global entertainment industry and television as an art form. Shonda Rhimes has been chosen as the first recipient of this prestigious fellowship, in recognition of her long-standing, innovative, and hugely influential work within the TV industry.

She’ll join a discussion panel during the festival, focusing on her 30-year journey in the industry and where it might be headed amidst its current cultural, economic, and creative upheaval, as stated by the Edinburgh organizers.

As a devoted admirer, I can’t help but marvel at the incredible accomplishments of Shonda Rhimes. She’s not just a TV creator and producer, but also an author and the CEO of her own media company, Shondaland, which is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary! What makes her even more extraordinary is that she’s the first woman to have created three television dramas – Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal – that have reached the impressive milestone of 100 episodes. In 2017, she made waves by leaving network television to focus on producing content exclusively for Netflix.

Rowan Woods, the creative director of the Edinburgh TV Festival, stated: “This year, our festival is commemorating a fantastic 50 years of groundbreaking thought leadership within the global television industry. We’re thrilled to honor this milestone by establishing the Edinburgh Fellowship, which acknowledges exceptional creative and cultural accomplishments in television. There couldn’t be a more suitable recipient for this first-ever award than Shonda Rhimes, a highly respected figure in the international industry known for her immense creative power. Her global cultural influence cannot be overlooked. As we celebrate our past achievements and look forward to the future, Shonda continues to serve as an inspiring role model and a beacon of guidance for us all.

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2025-06-23 15:25