2010 AAF METRO Phoenix ADDY Awards!

Sorry this post is so late, but I’m still trying to work out some kinks with the photos from the event so I can share them with you all! I am super excited to announce to you that I have won five awards! Now when they first notified me of my winnings, they didn’t tell me what I won whether it be gold, silver or bronze. But let me just say, it was a pleasant surprise.

I, along with some of the other current and past students of the Art institute of Phoenix helped set up the event by arranging and organizing the awards, hanging up the pieces, and a lot more. Big thumbs up to all the volunteers that helped set everything up! There was a lot of organizing going down the list and checking it twice to ensure a smooth night.

Drinks and appetizers were served at the viewing room where the winning pieces were hung and placed for all to see. It gave everybody a great opportunity to mingle, schmooze, and catch up. After a while the walls were folded back to reveal the seating and stage area, high-energy music was pumped through the speakers and everybody took their seats. This year’s theme was “Can you bag the beast?”, featuring an honry Sasquatch. View opening video by Jusin Katz from Flock of Pixels below:

The night proceeded with a great list of deserving winners. It never ceases to amaze me the fresh, fun, and creative ideas some of these professionals come up with. When I first started at the Art institute of Phoenix I used to wonder if there can be an end to creativity. We’ve all heard the phrase, “it’s been done before”. I learned throughout the past years that there is no end to creativity, and when I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Milton Glaser from my trip to NY with the RAD club he only confirmed that. Every company/client is unique in their own way, and that’s what gives creatives the opportunity to flex and build their muscles.

OK so I got sidetracked, back to the story. So the student entries came last, and my stomach was in knots. I was so nervous and excited at the same time. When I saw my piece projected on the big screens with my name, I said to myself, ‘here we go!’. Getting up, walking toward the front where the spotlights were, having my colleagues hand my awards and hearing all of the professionals clap and root for me was a complete surreal experience. Imagine me, just a kid not even out of school yet getting support from award-winning agencies. It was humbling and moving. And yes, I did that five times. The awards I received were:

Gold: Khaldi Coffee Packaging [view here]
Silver: Evan Wood Hair Colour Packaging [view here]
Bronze: Photography for Altitude cologne [view here]
Bronze: Khaldi logo [view here]
Bronze: Terrazzo del Sol logo [view here]