The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS) has announced the winners of the 21st Annual Webby Awards, with BBDO New York taking home the top honor of “Webby Agency of the Year.” With six Webby Award and Webby People’s Voice Awards, including for Sandy Hook Promise’s “Evan,” GE’s “Unimpossible Films,” and Bacardi’s “Incognito Tickets,” BBDO New York earned more Webby Awards and nominations across all categories than any other agency this year.
The awards ceremony will be held on Monday, May 15, at Cipriani Wall Street, hosted by comedian/actor Joel McHale and celebrating the most innovative, inspiring and entertaining work on the Internet. The show will be available on demand at webbyawards.com the morning of Tuesday, May 16, featuring all the show highlights and hallmark 5-Word Speeches from the night’s big Winners.
Droga5 (5 Webby Awards and 4 Webby Nominations), McCann New York (5 Webby Awards and 4 Webby Nominations), R/GA (3 Webby Awards and 4 Webby Nominations), and Wieden+Kennedy (2 Webby Awards and 7 Webby Nominations) were all in close contention for Webby Agency of the Year.
“Whether through humorous, inspiring, or sobering messages and imagery, this year’s winning campaigns and branded content captivated Internet fans around the world,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards. “We’re honored to recognize the Webby Award-winning creative work this year that broke the mold by elevating controversial issues, asking provocative questions, and entertaining and inspiring the Internet community.”
IADAS members including Barton F. Graf’s Gerry Graf, Facebook’s Jill Applebaum, 72andSunny’s Glen Cole, Under Armour’s Attica Jaques, and Google’s Anna Patterson selected this year’s Webby Award Winners, while more than 3.5 million votes were cast by Internet fans in 235 countries and territories around the world to choose the Winners of the Webby People’s Voice Awards.
Highlights from this year’s winning campaigns include:
- “Meet Graham” by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne: Integrated Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
- Serena Williams’ “Match Point” by TBWAChiatDay LA: Mobile Advertising (Advertising, Media & PR), Best Use of Native Advertising (Advertising, Media & PR
- “Girls of Paradise” by McCann Paris: Best Cause-Related Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR), Public Service & Activist Websites (Advertising, Media & PR)
- “Adios Amigo” by Havas New York: Launch – PR (Advertising, Media & PR), Brand Strategy (Advertising, Media & PR)
- “25m2 Syria” by POL: Best Cause Related Campaign – PR (Advertising, Media & PR)
- “Deadpool Gets All the Likes” by FOX Home Entertainment: Social Media Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
- “Dove: Dear Media” by Razorfish: Corporate Social Responsibility (Advertising, Media & PR)
- “Don’t Smell Yourself Short” by Wieden+Kennedy: Best Video Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
- “We are America” by R/GA: Best Influencer Endorsement (Advertising, Media & PR)
Highlights from this year’s winning Branded Content include:
- Under Armour “Michael Phelps” by Droga5: Viral (Branded)
- Sandy Hook Promise “Evan” by BBDO New York: Viral Marketing (Advertising, Media & PR), Short Form – Branded (Film & Video)
- Lockheed Martin, “The Field Trip to Mars” by McCann New York: VR, Gaming, Interactive, or Real-Time – Branded (Film & Video)
- “The Lady Gaga + Intel Performance” by Intel: Live Experiences – Branded (Film & Video)
- Nike “Margot + Lily” by RSA Films: Scripted – Branded (Film & Video)
- “Greenpeace: A Journey to the Arctic” by MediaMonks: VR: Cinematic or Pre-Rendered – Branded (Film & Video)
- “GIPHY Keys to Success” by GIPHY: Comedy – Branded (Film & Video)
- GE “Unimpossible Films” by BBDO New York: Series – Branded (Film & Video)
To view the full list of Advertising, Media and PR Winners, click here.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More