AVA logo graphicAVA Awards Reinvented

AVA Awards Reinvented

Since 1994, AMCP has sponsored video competitions to recognize outstanding work in the video production field.  In our early days, most of the entries were submitted on VHS tape… some were on Beta, BetaSP or 3/4 in. tape.

Most of the entries were 30-second commercials, 30-minute documentaries, 15-minute company overviews or hour-long training sessions. Projects tended to be single purpose with a well-defined audience. There was not much integration with print materials and back then, the web was little more than a handful of computers connecting a few mad technologists.

In the mid 90s, as Avid’s non-linear editing became popular, the ability to quickly change or copy a shot or segment and to do so without compromising quality, opened up a whole new world for video applications. Digital eventually replaced tape and found itself  in other mediums like audio, photography and electronic text. Finally, the web provided a way for multiple media to work together to enhance the speed and flow of information. Now the creative convergence of digital arts, technology and information is changing the way we market, communicate and socially interact.

It has been interesting to watch many of our early entrants reinvent themselves. Many quickly embraced new technology, the internet and the interactivity of various media. I know a number of video producers and cameramen that were at the forefront of web development and social media.

The lines are now blurred between video, print and audio.  Most magazines and newspapers have online editions that feature video and animation. Websites, twitter and other social media are important communication tools for television stations.  Most professional communicators are expected to be proficient in all forms of media and communication.

New AVA Categories, New Logo, New Statuette

Ava Awards began as a celebration of the audio-visual arts.  Today, it also recognizes the evolving role that digital is playing in the transfer of information through text, graphics, animation, video, audio, etc. Our categories now include audio and video production; websites that present interactive components such as video, animation, blogs, and podcasts; and interactive social media sites and other forms of user-generated communication.

In addition, we changed our logo to reflect the evolution of digital in the communication world. The old reel that represented film and tape, now morphs into an array of cubes representing digital interactivity. Winners of our web categories will be eligible for a new award that features this new design.

 

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New website for AVA Awards!

The all-new AVA Awards wesbite is up and running! The AVA Awards honors excellence in the latest digital media evolution, including videos, social media, websites, and more. Click here to learn more about how you can distinguish yourself or your company as an award winning marketer.

 

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We Are Proud to Salute 2010 Communitas Award Winner Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey (Hackensack, NJ)

We are proud to salute 2010 Communitas Award Winner Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey (Hackensack, NJ), which prides itself on providing comfort for cancer survivors as well as being environmentally responsible. Created in honor of former Saturday Night Live performer Gilda Radner, who succumbed to cancer in 1989, the club provides free support for persons living with cancer, as well as their families and friends. With encouragement from The Marcus Group (TMG), a communications firm based in Little Falls, NJ, Club President Ruth Dugan used approximately $500,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources to renovate the club’s facilities according to “green” principals. In just three months, the clubhouse was transformed into a chemical-free structure furnished entirely with environmentally friendly materials. The refurbishment was critical for visiting cancer patients, whose immune systems are frequently compromised by chemotherapy and related medications and treatments. The Greening of Gilda’s Club transcended the renovations to include the usage of “Greening the Cleaning” products, a line of chemical-free household cleaners created by project consultant Deirdre Imus, wife of radio personality and prostate cancer survivor Don Imus. AMCP judges were so impressed with Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey’s commitment to and love for its cancer patients and their families and friends that they bestowed a Communitas Leadership Award for Green Initiatives. Please be sure to visit www.communitasawards.com for a complete list of winners from the recent Communitas Awards competition.

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We Are Proud to Salute 2010 Communitas Award Winner Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (Detroit, MI)

We are proud to salute 2010 Communitas Award Winner Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (Detroit, MI), which is championing faith-based health and wellness challenges in the African-American church communities throughout the state. Nominated for its Body & Soul Blue initiative in the Grand Rapids and greater Flint African-American communities, the insurance provider is prescribing incentives that may eventually improve health, reduce healthcare costs, and change behaviors in high-risk racially diverse populations. BCBSM is effectively impacting the community by working with organizations that are already involved and recognized as leaders and decisions makers in those areas. In Grand Rapids, the Body & Soul program goal is to encourage church members to eat more fruits and vegetables, and to incorporate more physical activities into their daily lives. BCBSM’s online Walking Works program that is offered to participating churches encourages each organization to form a walking team that logs its walking mileage and competes against each of the other local churches in a three-month fitness challenge. AMCP judges were so impressed with BCBSM’s commitment to keeping these communities healthy and fit that they bestowed a Communitas Award for Corporate Social Responsibility/New Category. Please be sure to visit www.communitasawards.com for a complete list of winners from the recent Communitas Awards competition.

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Visit AMCP Board Member Gregg Ellman’s endlessyears.com Blog for the Latest Information on Consumer Product Technology

Now you can access the latest information on the devices that fuel your technology-driven lifestyle. Serious technophiles and casual high tech consumers should bookmark and visit endlessyears.com, a timely blog penned by AMCP (Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals) Advisory Board Member Gregg Ellman. Gregg’s blog focuses on technology and specific devices that can make our lives easier. For example, his most recent installments analyze items that college students might utilize as the school year commences. Included are a USB portable charger that uses the sun to power up portable gadgets, including cell phones, PDA’s, digital cameras, iPods, iPhones, and gaming devices. Gregg also tells time by looking at an alarm clock with a vibrating bed shaker that is placed underneath a pillow, as well as a wireless mouse, and a webcam. Mr. Ellman is a nationally syndicated columnist, media technophile, photographer and writer who can help us understand and even implement the latest tools of technology. He has shared his knowledge of gadgets, cameras and media technology since 2005. Gregg and his wife Sharon also have a photography business in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (www.ellmanphotography.com).

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We Are Proud to Salute 2010 Communitas Leadership Award Winner Xango LLC (Lehi, UT)

2010 Communitas Leadership Award Winner Xango, LLC (Lehi, UT) is heavily committed to fostering the health and wellness of its customers, which includes local and international communities. To better serve those communities, the recognized leader in health and wellness juices, skin toner and related products has embarked on a Season of Smiles from April through August 2010. The initiative inspired more than 150 company executives, employees, distributors and families to volunteer for trips to Tlaxcala and Guadalajara, Mexico, Chonburi, Thailand, and Ulan Ude, Russia. These Operation Smiles missions provided more than 450 children with free, life-changing surgeries to fix various facial deformities. In addition to improving the youngsters’ smiles, the program is altering destinies by enabling these children to eat and breathe well, attend school and become active participants in their own communities. AMCP judges selected the Season of Smiles program for a Leadership in Community Service Communitas Leadership Award, citing the initiative as “a real example of a company doing far more than just writing a check. Through its extensive volunteer efforts, XanGo truly epitomizes the spirit of Communitas — people working together for the betterment of the world community.” In addition to Season of Smiles, Xango also has an ongoing partnership with Operation Smile, and the firm distributes its Meal Packs to the world’s undernourished communities. We are proud to salute 2010 Communitas Leadership Award winner Xango LLC, and invite you to visit www.communitasawards.com to see a list of winners from this recent competition.

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We Are Proud to Salute 2010 Communitas Award Winner Brunet-Garcia Advertising (Jacksonville, FL)

2010 Communitas Award Winner Brunet-Garcia Advertising (Jacksonville, FL) is literally changing the face of the nonprofit community in northeastern Florida. In addition to donating to various nonprofit agencies and launching three websites devoted to civic involvement, the full service advertising-public relations provider has instituted a formal corporate policy of offering five monthly hours of company time to any employee wishing to volunteer their time and talent. The AMCP judges were impressed with Brunet-Garcia Advertising’s quantity and quality of pro bono work, citing the firm as a great example of a company using its unique skills — in this case advertising and marketing creativity — to help nonprofits in their quest to serve the less fortunate in their community. Judges who determined Brunet-Garcia Advertising’s Communitas Award for Pro Bono Excellence in Community Service noted that the firm created its Block x Block community initiative in response to increasing litter and refuse on neighboring streets. The campaign actually inspired nearby businesses to join the agency’s employees and clean their street, and then recycle the refuse through a private collector. By working together to take a stand against litter, employees have provided the area with noticeably cleaner thoroughfares. In addition, the Brunet-Garcia led campaign has inspired others to clean up their own neighborhood areas. Please visit www.communitasawards.com to see a list of winners from this recent competition.

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We Are Proud to Salute 2010 Communitas Leadership Award Winner Farm Credit Canada (Regina, Saskatchewan)

2010 Communitas Leadership Award Winner Farm Credit Canada (Regina, Saskatchewan) has taken a strong leadership role in its continued effort to fight hunger throughout Canada. The nation’s leading agricultural lender, FCC initiated its 2009 Drive Away Hunger (DAH) program to raise awareness about this critical cause for the national media and the general public. The DAH initiative enabled the media to report on a community project that unites businesses, youth and food banks by generating public awareness and providing timely and accurate information. AMCP judges, who bestowed a Communitas Leadership Award in the category of Leadership in Organization’s Community Service, credited the program with exhibiting strong leadership in creating awareness about fighting hunger. They noted that FCC truly epitomizes the spirit of Communitas – people working together for the betterment of the community. Please visit www.communitasawards.com to see a complete list of winners from this recent competition.

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We Are Proud to Salute 2010 Communitas Award Winner Blaine Anthony (Benton, MA)

2010 Communitas Award Winner Blaine Anthony (Benton, MA) has a soft spot in his heart for children who are battling a disease. The owner of North American Safari, a hunting and fishing video production company, he frequently takes these youngsters on hunting and fishing expeditions to buoy their spirits, and their resolve to keep fighting. He produces the excursions for television, and he also tirelessly promotes the need for donations to various organizations. His nominator submitted a DVD entitled Hunting for a Cure that features St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Mr. Anthony has established a nonprofit organization, Hunting for a Dream, that enables volunteers to take terminally ill children on hunting and fishing trips to fulfill their last wishes. He has earned his Communitas Award for Excellence in Community Service. Please visit www.communitasawards.com to see which companies and individuals have earned 2010 Communitas Awards.

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