Just what the industry needs—another awards show! But that thinly veiled, oft-warranted sarcasm doesn’t even remotely apply in the case of the commercial awards competition (see page one story) being launched by the Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE).
Indeed, there is a place—and a need—for an awards show that recognizes the creative contributions of the editor to spotmaking. Relegated to a single category in most other industry shows, excellence in editing deserves recognition, particularly when that recognition comes from one’s peers.
"Editors see elements that perhaps many others in the industry don’t notice when they watch a commercial," related AICE president Jeanne Bonansinga, editor/principal at Chicago-based Edit Sweet. "Having editors judge other editors’ contributions in an awards show dedicated exclusively to editing should help bring more of our community’s best work to the forefront."
When the Directors Guild of America finally decided to recognize commercial directors some 20 years ago, the peer aspect is what made the DGA spot-director-of-the-year award among the most coveted honors for an ad helmer. In fact, a DGA nomination in and of itself is regarded as high industry praise.
Yet while peer power is a major part of the AICE Editorial Awards, the judging isn’t insular. While editors from the AICE’s seven chapters will screen and numerically grade the entries, a blue-ribbon panel of judges—which includes directors and ad agency creatives—will then assign point totals to the ad finalists. The results will be tallied, with the 10 highest-scoring spots receiving AICE Editorial Awards.
The honored commercials will not be ranked, and will not be cubby-holed into product categories (e.g., best-edited car commercial, best-edited packaged goods, etc.). Instead, the 10 winning entries will represent the body of best-edited commercials in a given year.
There’s significant precedent for a trade association forming an awards show that has gone on to make invaluable contributions to the industry—the prime example being the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Show, which is now entering its 10th year. The annual compilation tape of AICP Show honorees has come to be known simply as "America’s Reel," serving in a sense as a global ambassador for the art and technique of U.S. commercialmaking. (And to its credit, the AICP Show recognizes as many as three honorees in a category, including that of editorial excellence.)
"We [at the AICE] just felt it was time for our own show—for us to honor our own, and in doing so help to gain recognition for the art and craft of editing," explained Arthur Williams, chairman of the board at New York-headquartered Editing Concepts, Inc. Williams has been named chairman of the AICE Editorial Awards.
Williams recalled that the AICE began discussing the possibility of developing an awards show around the time the New York chapter launched its Editors Hall of Fame gala, honoring editors who have been industry luminaries. The sixth annual gala was held last year, with editors David Dee and Jeff Dell inducted into the Hall of Fame.
According to Williams, the Hall of Fame gala will be tabled in 2001 so that the AICE can devote its full event-organizing energies to the Editorial Awards. And in 2002, Williams envisions an event combining the AICE Editorial Awards and the Hall of Fame ceremony.
The Editorial Awards, related AICE national executive director John Held, will help to advance a key priority on the association agenda—namely to raise awareness of the editor’s importance in the creative commercialmaking process.
