The Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) has announced that the late James “Yamus” Mudra, an editor who influenced many of the most memorable ad campaigns to come out of Chicago’s top agencies, will be inducted into its Hall of Fame during the 9th Annual AICE Awards Show scheduled for May 20 at The Field Museum in Chicago.
Naming Mudra to the AICE Hall of Fame was a unanimous choice of the group’s Chicago chapter, which is hosting this year’s AICE Awards presentation. Bob Carr, an editor at Red Car in Chicago, explained, “It was not just that his work helped define what advertising from Chicago was all about in the ’80s and ’90s, but also the role he played in our community that we’re acknowledging. Yamus was a mentor to so many young talents here, all of whom had the opportunity to both work with him and learn from him.”
Tim McGuire, founder of Chicago-based editorial company Cutters and past president of the Chicago chapter of AICE, said, “As a young editor, I studied his work and tried to emulate his style. Yamus was a quiet, unassuming talent with a great feel for storytelling. His work spoke for itself.”
Among the spots Mudra edited are numerous Clio winners from the 1980s and 1990s for such brands as Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch Beer, Michelob, McDonald’s, Hallmark and United–all mainstays of the Chicago agency scene, emanating from agencies such as Leo Burnett, DDB Needham and FCB.
Mudra was born in Oak Park, IL, in 1943. A graduate of Southern Illinois University, he taught in the Chicago public school system before embarking on a career in the film business, joining Fogel Edit in 1971, then Optimus in ’74. He stayed at Optimus for the next 19 years before leaving in ’93 to co-found NuWorld Edit with Joe Malecki, Mike LaBellarte and Carr. When NuWorld closed in ’00, Mudra retired from the postproduction industry. He passed away in September of ’05.
Among the most memorable ads from Mudra’s Optimus era are Budweiser Light’s “Downhill,” which won a Gold Clio for Best Editing in ’83, and “Heartland,” also for Bud Light, which was produced to support the ’84 Olympic games. The now legendary commercial features two farmers who take a break from working in the field to watch a runner pass by carrying the Olympic torch.
AICE Awards Show info and tickets are available online at the AICE web site, www.aice.org.
Kamala Harris Receives Chairman’s Prize At NAACP Image Awards
Former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped on the NAACP Image Awards stage Saturday night with a sobering message, calling the civil rights organization a pillar of the Black community and urging people to stay resilient and hold onto their faith during the tenure of President Donald Trump.
"While we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the oval office nor by the wealthiest among us," Harris said after receiving the NAACP's Chairman's Award. "The American story will be written by you. Written by us. By we the people."
The 56th annual Image Awards was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in the Los Angeles area.
Harris, defeated by Trump in last year's presidential election, was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. She had previously been a U.S. senator from California and the state's attorney general.
In her first major public appearance since leaving office, Harris did not reference her election loss or Trump's actions since entering the Oval Office, although Trump mocked her earlier in the day at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Harris spoke about eternal vigilance, the price of liberty, staying alert, seeking the truth and America's future.
"Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask 'What do we do now?'" Harris said. "But we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate. We advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path."
Other winners of the Chairman's prize have included former... Read More