The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) has unveiled the full list of nominees for the 2020 Rockie Awards International Program Competition, recognizing excellence in television and digital media from around the world. The Rockies Program Competition ceremony will stream live on Monday, June 15.
The Rockie Awards International Program Competition is one of the largest awards programs of its kind, juried by a panel of 150 international industry professionals and covering all major genres. The Rockie Awards Grand Jury chooses the coveted Grand Jury Prize, selected from the top-scoring programs across the entire field of nominees. This year’s Grand Jury includes: Kathleen Finch, chief lifestyle brands officer, Discovery, Inc., Lisa Godfrey, VP, original content, Corus Entertainment Inc., Devin Griffin, general manager, BET+, BET Networks, Paul Mortimer, head of digital channels and acquisitions, ITV, Jill Offman, managing director, Viacom International Studios UK and EVP Comedy Central & Paramount Network International, and Linda Simensky, head of PBS KIDS Content, PBS KIDS.
This year’s in-person Banff World Media Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 health crisis; however, in addition to the Rockie Awards virtual program, the festival team is working on new ways to connect, inform, inspire and serve the global media industry.
“Although we are not able to gather in-person, this year’s virtual Rockie Awards will, as ever, be a place to honor outstanding creative work,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, executive director of the Banff World Media Festival, adding, “We will also take this opportunity to recognize the challenges that are being experienced within our sector and the role that our industry continues to play by uniting global audiences, informing, entertaining and giving comfort during extraordinarily difficult times.”
In addition to the $25,000 Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content, awarded to the top Canadian production, 26 awards are bestowed in the category streams of Documentary & Factual, Arts & Entertainment, Children & Youth, Scripted and new this year, Podcast.
Leading nominations by company are:
- British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – 27 nominations
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) –12 nominations
- Sky – 8 nominations
- National Geographic – 6 nominations
- HBO – 5 nominations
- ARTE France and Yle – 4 nominations each
Leading nominations by country are:
- The UK – 44 nominations
- USA – 43 nominations
- Canada – 37 nominations
- Belgium – 7 nominations
- France – 6 nominations
- Germany – 6 nominations
- Japan – 5 nominations
For the full list of nominees, click here.
Mike Pierantozzi joins Movers+Shakers as exec creative director
Creative agency Movers+Shakers has appointed Mike Pierantozzi as executive creative director. In this new role, he will help guide the creative direction of Movers+Shakers’ socially-native campaigns. Pierantozzi will report to co-founder and chief creative officer Geoffrey Goldberg.
With nearly two decades of experience as a copywriter, creative director, and multi-platform storyteller, Pierantozzi brings a wealth of knowledge from his work with major brands including Kraft, Unilever, IBM, and Walmart. He has led the creation of award-winning campaigns for agencies like Red Tettemer, Ogilvy, The Brooklyn Brothers, TAXI, Saatchi & Saatchi, and most recently, Vayner, where he spearheaded culturally iconic work for Planters including “Death of Mr. Peanut.” He led the National Down Syndrome Society and Luvs account, whose “First Kid. Second Kid” campaign was awarded by the Effies, ADC, Clios and LIAs.
Outside of the office, Pierantozzi practices what he teaches brands. He’s gone viral multiple times on his own TikTok account, featuring comedic interactions with his son and a trombone. He’s accumulated 15K followers on TikTok.
“Mike brings a rare and awesome combination of deep social and platform experience, a keen eye for excellent storytelling, and a humble and kind approach to leadership,” said Goldberg. “Mike’s got a knack for turning brand stories into cultural movements, making him the perfect fit for Movers+Shakers. He’s got the kind of bold vision and attention to culture that fits perfectly with our mission to push creative boundaries and drive industry firsts. Plus, as a creator himself he has the innate ability to make people stop, laugh, and share--which is exactly what we’re about.”
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