Inside the Golden Globe Awards
How this Norwegian film journalist ended up voting at Hollywood's Party of the Year®
How this Norwegian film journalist ended up voting at Hollywood’s Party of the Year®
If you google “Awards Season” — and manage to avoid the Bon Iver song with the same title — you’ll come across the stretch from November to February when most of the major film and television awards are handed out.
It usually starts with the Governors Awards and the independent Gotham Awards in November, followed by the People’s Choice Awards and the Hollywood Film Awards. As the year creeps toward its end, the status and prestige of the ceremonies only grow. It all builds to a climax in late February and March, with the mighty Academy Awards — aka the Oscars — as the grand finale.
One of the biggest awards each year also happens to be one of the most controversial, depending on who you ask. It’s the Golden Globe Awards, aka “Hollywood’s Party of the Year®” (see, they even trademarked it). And, again, depending on who you ask, it’s second only to the Oscars in terms of prestige. The Golden Globe Awards — or “the Globes” to friends — takes place at the start of the year.
The Golden Globes stand apart from other major awards in several key ways. It’s — as far as I know — the only major awards ceremony that celebrates both film and television in one event. The voters — around 300 media journalists from around the world (the last time I checked, I hear the number has increased drastically)— could originally choose to vote in either film categories, television categories, or both.
In 2025, that changed, however, and now everyone votes for everything, including the newly added best podcast category. There were some grumbling from voters at this, but personally, I welcomed this change, as I had always chosen both anyway.
This is the story of how I became a voter in the Golden Globe Awards and what my experience has been like so far.
The Dream of Hollywood
The pandemic was in full swing. Despite that, I found myself in the spa city of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic, invited to cover the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The year before, I’d been there as a jury member for the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), of which I’m an active member (I run their Letterboxd HQ site).
This second visit was a bit different. In the middle of the festival, I came down with COVID. Isolated in a small hotel room with only my own thoughts for company, I grew restless. Then, an email arrived from FIPRESCI. The subject? The Golden Globes. More specifically, an invitation to apply as a new voter.
At the time, the Globes were owned and operated by the infamous Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) — or, as one particularly angry, LA-based Norwegian film journalist liked to call them, “the Hollywood Mafia” and other unflattering names. She’d spent years lobbing criticism at the organization. There’s plenty of drama wrapped up in all of that, but I’m not about to spend half this article unpacking it. I’ll leave that to people like Craig Greiwe, who wrote a thorough LinkedIn article about it back when everything was unfolding.
Instead, I focused on the email in front of me. Pushing aside my imposter syndrome for just a moment, I replied that I would absolutely be interested in becoming a voter for the Golden Globe Awards. “What’s the worst that could happen?” I asked myself. As a lifelong film enthusiast stuck in Norway, I’d dreamed of Hollywood since childhood. Sure, some of those dreams had mellowed with age, but they’d never fully disappeared. And this — perhaps fueled by a moment of childish enthusiasm — felt like an opportunity to be part of something bigger.
So, I applied. I filled out the forms, submitted samples of my journalistic work, and did everything they asked. Then I promptly forgot about it. I mean, come on — I’m me. Why would I be chosen to vote in what is (yes, yes, depending on who you ask) the second most prestigious award ceremony after the Oscars? What was the worst that could happen, anyway? It’s not like anyone would be mad at me for trying… right? Right??
A couple of months went by, and I’d almost forgotten about my application. But then it happened. It actually happened. I received an email that began like this:
Dear Eirik,
Thank you for your interest in becoming a Golden Globe voter.
Your application was considered by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Credential Committee, which examined the journalistic work you provided.
Their recommendation were forwarded to the HFPA’s Board of Directors for final approval, and I am pleased to inform you that you’ve been accepted as a part of our inaugural class of new voters for the upcoming 80th Golden Globe Awards. Congratulations!
The email went on to list my next steps. I had to provide personal information, a bio, and a photo for my Golden Globes profile page . There were also rules to follow, including a Code of Conduct, a Gift Policy, Social Media Guidelines, and Conflict of Interest rules.
It was official. I was going to be a Golden Globe voter. And with that, the doors to Hollywood creaked open — not wide, but just enough to slip a foot inside. Just enough to see that distant light I had dreamed of when I was younger.
That light would at times be almost blinding in the best possible way, but that’s a story for another time.
Disbelief and joy hit me at once. I was one of the first 100 or so people chosen to expand the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 97-member voting body for the Golden Globes. It felt surreal, but I knew one thing for certain: I had to share it.
Celebration and Criticism
And share it, I did. The congratulations poured in from family and friends on Facebook—many of whom knew how much film meant to me and how, unlike some of my fellow Norwegian film critics and journalists, I had always embraced the Hollywood side of the industry. It felt like a moment of validation, a sign that maybe, just maybe, I was on the right path.
But not everyone was thrilled. Amid the flood of kind words, there were two or three voices that stood out—not to celebrate, but to criticize. They were angry. Apparently, the drama surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had crossed the Atlantic. In hindsight, it wasn’t that surprising. After all, one of the most vocal critics of the HFPA was the aforementioned Norwegian film journalist based in LA, someone many critics here in Norway had personal ties to.
I hardly knew these people. Still, their comments weren’t just criticisms of the HFPA in attempt to have some sort of discussion; they were attacks on me personally. Words like “opportunistic,” “egotistical,” and “unethical” were tossed my way, along with even less flattering jabs that told me more about their character, than of mine. The Norwegian journalist, whom I didn’t know personally, even reached out to me directly, messaging to ask, “Why would you associate yourself with an organization I’ve worked so hard to destroy?”
I wasn’t the only Norwegian film critic invited to vote in the Golden Globes that year. Interestingly, when I asked my two other Norwegian journalist colleagues who had been invited, they said they hadn’t faced any criticism, personal or otherwise. They had also shared their new status as Golden Globe voters, but for some reason, the criticism was aimed at me alone.
We can all agree to disagree, but personal insults? That, I won’t stand for. The two or three journalists who flung insults my way? Muted and blocked. I wanted to enjoy this moment and focus on what really mattered: getting to work as a voter in the Golden Globe Awards.
Going Forward
Time passed, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association continued its path of reform, expanding its voter body with an additional 100 voters from around the world, bringing the total to roughly 330. The HFPA itself was disbanded, and the Golden Globes now operates under the Golden Globe Foundation. But I won’t bog you down with the finer details of that transition.
Being a Golden Globe voter has a way of reshaping your role as a journalist. I know some voters who put it off until awards season officially kicks off, but then they’re stuck watching films and TV shows nearly 24/7 just to catch up, especially now that wer have films and TV to watch, along with podcasts and standup comedy, where Ricky Gervais seems unbeatable, having won twice in the three years since the category was added, even after his thorough roasting of the Hollywood elite!
For my part, I start as early as possible — right at the beginning of the year — keeping a watchlist of everything I believe could be relevant for the Globes. It’s not foolproof, but it makes the chaos a little more manageable.
A Year in the Life of a Golden Globe Voter
As I have mentioned, I recently received an email asking if I’m interested in being a voter for the upcoming year, in which I enthusiastically signed up and submitted the necessary articles showing I have been an active film journalist for the last 12 months. I’m not entirely sure, but after voting four times, it seems like a formality at this point, but one I’m happy to perform. This process ensures that no one is automatically enrolled as a voter for the new year.
Even before I receive the official confirmation, I’ll start mapping out every notable title set for release in the upcoming year. I’ve used a spreadsheet in the past, but after we started using the Golden Globes screener platform a couple of years ago, it all became much more manageable.
Then, as winter shifts into spring, distributors begin sending press releases, premiere updates, trailers, and invitations to watch screeners on the Golden Globes FYC Screeners website.
It starts as a trickle but steadily builds into a full-blown flood by October. The trick here is to start watching as soon as you can. This is not a task for people with a lukewarm feeling for films and TV. You need to love it!
I mentioned the screener site, first introduced a few years ago, which makes the process far more efficient. I can log in, select a film or TV series, and stream it directly to my home theater using my Fire TV stick — a welcome upgrade from the days of juggling individual screener links from multiple distributors.
That said, there’s still something special about physical media. During awards season, distributors often send Blu-ray discs, soundtracks on vinyl, screenplays, and even books filled with concept art — like the stunning art book that accompanied Transformers One a couple of years ago. As a collector of all things film-related, these are very welcome.
Then, in late October, the press conferences begin in earnest. And there are... so many. Some years, there are weeks in November when I attended two or three press conferences every evening (thanks to the CET time zone), and I still had to skip some because they overlapped with others.
These press conferences come in different forms. Some are traditional moderated sessions with actors and filmmakers in LA or London, with journalists both physically present and tuning in via Zoom from around the world. Others are more intimate roundtable interviews or smaller Zoom calls where filmmakers, actors, producers, or composers discuss their latest projects, again, often moderated (shoutout to Joe Utichi for taking a lot of my pre-submitted questions!)
These sessions are a goldmine for articles, like my hilarious piece with Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Shawn Levy talking about Deadpool & Wolverine, or my deep dive with the cast and creators of Dune: Prophecy. And in 2025, Universal Studios even invited European voters to London, where we attended the Wicked: For Good premiere, met the cast, director and producer, and had a generally great time.
Learning to Vote
I’m often asked how the voting actually works, and while the intricate details are part of the Golden Globes’ internal process and thus confidential, to quote a certain wizard, let me risk a little more light.
Throughout the year, producers and distributors can submit their work for consideration. While I’m not directly involved in this step—I’m neither a distributor nor a producer, if asked, I occasionally point people in the film industry in the right direction, even though I can’t do anything beyond that.
For those curious, the Golden Globe Awards website outlines eligibility and submission requirements. Yes, submissions are open to everyone, though, as of now, there is no category for documentary films, and for podcasts, I understand there is another US based media company that sifts out everything and makes a shortlist for us to consider.
Once submitted and approved, eligible productions are made available to voters through the screening site I mentioned. This site collects all the titles for viewing, allowing us to prepare for the nomination process. It’s certainly easier to space screenings out over the year, as trying to cram too many titles into the final months and weeks can be a little daunting. Voters always nag the people running the Globes to get screeners earlier, and I assume they in turn nag the distributors to make it possible—which it often isn’t.
The voting itself is conducted digitally through a secure and efficient system. Voters rank their choices in each category, with safeguards in place to ensure accuracy and fairness. The process, which once involved physical ballots, has fully embraced digital technology, reflecting the Golden Globes’ commitment to evolving not just in technology but also in its diverse voter body, allowing people from across the world to vote at the speed of data instead of snail mail.
From the nomination’s announcement to the awards show, the timeline for voting and screenings is carefully coordinated, though specific dates shift from year to year. As voters, our responsibility is to watch, reflect, and cast our ballots thoughtfully. By the time the awards are presented, every decision has been made with care, resulting in a celebration of the year’s best stories and performances.
Why I Vote
And that’s how it goes. As a voter in the Golden Globes, I have access to film and television titles, often well before they hit cinemas or streaming services. Along with that access comes responsibility—I’m bound by strict rules on conduct, conflicts of interest, and accepting gifts from people in the film and television industry.
But as a film and TV enthusiast, being a Golden Globes voter is a joy. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but when the work overlaps with your passion, it hardly feels like a burden. And while it hasn’t exactly opened the path to Hollywood I dreamed of as a kid (yet!), it’s brought me face-to-digital-face with some of the people in this industry I admire the most.
So yes, I’ll keep voting for as long as they let me.