Held in the historic Hollywood Legion Theater on Thursday night (11/18), the 2021 HPA Awards celebrated exceptional work in color grading, sound, editing, and visual effects in commercial, episodic, and feature projects.
Among the winners were colorists for the feature “Jungle Cruise,” streaming series “WandaVision,” and the Tarsem-directed Toyota Super Bowl spot “Upstream; editors on “Sound of Metal” and streaming series “Hacks”; sound artisans for “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and the TV show “Snowpiercer”; and VFX teams on “Black Widow” and streaming series “The Mandalorian.”
Returning to a sold-out gala after a virtual event in 2020, this year’s HPA Awards brought Hollywood golden era flavor to 2021. Presenters for the evening included Barry Meyer, Karol Urban, Anna Behlmer, Brooke Breton, Sabrina Plisco, and Patricia Riggen.
The winners of the 2021 HPA Awards Creative Categories are:
Outstanding Color Grading – Theatrical Feature
“Jungle Cruise”
Mitch Paulson // Company 3
Outstanding Color Grading – Episodic or Non-Theatrical Feature
“WandaVision – Previously On”
Matt Watson // Marvel Studios Finishing
Outstanding Color Grading – Commercial
Toyota – “Jessica Long’s Story: Upstream”
Jill Bogdanowicz // Company 3
Outstanding Editing – Theatrical Feature
“Sound of Metal”
Mikkel E. G. Nielsen, ACE
Outstanding Editing – Episodic or Non-Theatrical Feature (30 Minutes and Under)
“Hacks – Falling”
Susan Vaill, ACE
Outstanding Editing – Episodic or Non-Theatrical Feature (Over 30 Minutes)
“A Perfect Planet: The Sun”
Nigel Buck
Outstanding Sound – Theatrical Feature
“Space Jam: A New Legacy”
Tim LeBlanc, Michael Keller // Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services
Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Malte Bieler // E Squared
Outstanding Sound – Episodic or Non-Theatrical Feature
“Snowpiercer – Many Miles from Snowpiercer”
Sandra Portman, Kelly Cole, Bill Mellow, James Fonnyadt, Eric Mouawad, Gregorio Gomez // Sharpe Sound Studios
Outstanding Visual Effects – Theatrical Feature
“Black Widow”
David Hodgins, Hanzhi Tang, Ryan Duhaime, James Reid, Edmond Smith III // Digital Domain
Outstanding Visual Effects – Episodic (Under 13 Episodes) or Non-theatrical Feature
“The Mandalorian – Chapter 9: The Marshal”
Joe Bauer, Richard Bluff, Abbigail Keller, Hal Hickel, Jeff Capogreco // Industrial Light & Magic
Outstanding Visual Effects – Episodic (Over 13 Episodes)
“9-1-1 – The New Abnormal”
Jon Massey, Tony Pirzadeh, Timothy Cairns, Bryant Reif, Josephine Noh // FuseFX
Special honors
The Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation, a juried honor, was awarded to the acclaimed documentary “Welcome to Chechnya” and to its director, David France, and visual effects supervisor, Ryan Laney. Industry veteran Darcy Antonellis received The HPA Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to her by former Warner Bros. Chairman Barry Meyer.
Winners of the coveted Engineering Excellence Award, announced previously, include the Arch Platform by Arch Platform Technologies, OpenColorIO v.2 by Autodesk, Nuke by Foundry, and NearTime by Mo-Sys Engineering.
The Many Hires Jeremiah Wassom As Group Creative Director
Independent agency The Many has added Jeremiah Wassom as group creative director.
Wassom most recently worked a decade at Deutsch LA where, as SVP/creative director, he led the Taco Bell account and won new business for the agency. His agency past also includes AKQA and TBWAChiatDay. His creative work has touched the QSR, video games, automotive, fashion, and culture brand sectors. He also served eight years with the United States Marine Corps.
“Throughout his career, Jeremiah has helmed work that has not only made me personally jealous but has consistently pushed brands to show up in memorable and innovative ways,” said Josh Paialii, head of creative at The Many. “One look at his body of work and you will see his passion for storytelling and craft has raised the bar for entire categories, driving participation with many brands’ most loyal fans. Beyond being a world-class creative director and maker, Wassom is a proven team player and strategic thought leader. He’ll be a great addition to the leadership team at The Many working across all accounts. His role will be immediately felt as he guides and supports each of the creative leads in the department.”
A 20-year creative with agency, brand, and freelance experience, Wassom has forged a creative approach which focuses on crafting engaging connections rather than simply make ads. He sees the need for advertising to mean more, not simply do more.
The Many believes that true business growth is made possible by harnessing the power of participation and partners with brands to forge deeper connections with consumers, cultivate trust and loyalty, and maximize marketing spend and execution. The agency is built around a flexible model that offers a suite of capabilities, including... Read More