For the first time in ADC Annual Awards history–which spans some 95 years–the top honor, the ADC Black Cube signifying Best in Show, went to a group of students. The young coterie of talent consists of Thadaeus Andreades, Marie Raoult, Nicholas Manfredi and Elizabeth Ku-Herrero, students from the School of Visual Arts Computer Art, Animation and Visual Effects curriculum. Under thesis advisor Joe Burrascano, these students created Taking the Plunge, an animated short about a marriage proposal gone wrong. And the Plunge in turn took the Black Cube.
”Taking the Plunge presents a confluence of extraordinary skill, thoughtfulness, story, heart and dedication brought to life at the very beginning of some young careers,” said Rama Allen, executive creative director, The Mill, who served as chair of the ADC 95th Annual Awards Motion jury. “We would have applauded the remarkable craftsmanship of this piece regardless of how much experience lay behind it, but we felt the rare early talent we saw deserved to be recognized with a commensurate honor. We congratulate the SVA team for some damn good filmmaking that made us laugh, exclaim and even feel a little bit jealous.”
Based on ADC Awards across all categories, other top ADC honors this year included: Leo Burnett Worldwide earning Network of the Year distinction; BBDO New York being named Ad Agency of the Year; R/GA, NY taking the Digital Agency of the Year mantle; Dentsu, Tokyo, being designated Design Agency of the Year; Australia’s Goodoil Films being tabbed Production Company of the Year; Loterias Y Apuestas Del Estado, Madrid, Spain, being selected Client of the Year; and of course given the Black Cube result, the School of Visual Arts, NY, being School of the Year.
Additional notable winners included Leo Burnett Madrid, Leo Burnett Melbourne, The Martin Agency and Venables Bell & Partners with two Golds each, and Goodby Silverstein & Partners with six ADC Cubes, including one Gold. This year’s ADC 95th Annual Awards winners represent 25 countries, reflecting the program’s global reach.
For a full rundown of the ADC 95th Annual Awards winners, click here.
