Speakeasy 2020: The ADDYs Go Underground
We continue to crank out exceptional advertising here in the Western New York area. To celebrate all that you do, this year’s American Advertising Awards brought some 1920s flair to 2020 with a speakeasy themed show that honored our industry and our local talent.
Our AAF Buffalo board of directors partnered with FARM for this year’s creative with fearless direction from president Josh Gumulak, co-chairs Lauren Carmer and Maura Noonan, and FARM’s Matt Cascarino, as well as major support and contributions from chair-elect, Katie Hazel, and special volunteer, Shannon Silva.
In our largest show to date, 455 attendees rocked out at Town Ballroom. Creatives came together to enjoy a preview of the winning work during cocktail hour and a presentation on the main stage. If you missed any the good stuff, check out the 2020 ADDY Awards YouTube playlist here.
Now, let’s get into the top dogs, the big cheeses, and the cat’s pajamas. Take a look at the night’s big winners.
Professional Winners
Judges from Baltimore, Nashville, Kansas City, and Boston came to Buffalo in January to score more than 460 professional entries.
Among many extraordinary advertising pieces, Crowley Webb brought home a total of 34 awards (12 gold, 22 silver); The Martin Group received a total of 29 awards (12 gold, 16 silver, 1 local award); White Bicycle took away 14 awards (5 gold, 8 silver, 1 local award); Mr. Smith Agency was honored with 7 awards (2 gold, 4 silver, 1 local award); and dPost rounded out the top five with 6 awards (2 gold, 4 silver). A total of 25 companies took home at least one gold or silver award.
Best of Show
The big winner of the night was dPost, picking up the Best of Show Award for their “Bring Home the Dome” computer-generated imagery.
Special Awards
In addition to each company’s entries, we recognize three outstanding individuals for their contributions and accomplishments in the Buffalo creative community. The 2020 special award recipients were:
The Levy-Osborn Award for Excellence in Communications went to Julie Zack of Villa Maria College.
The Joe Crowley Award for Service went to Dan Nesselbush, former vice president of AAF Buffalo.
The Future Star Award went to AAF Buffalo board member and Invest Buffalo Niagara’s Greg Pokriki.
Local Awards
White Bicycle took home The Creative Use of Paper Award for their 2019 Art Auction & Gala Invitation.
The CommUNITY Award for Inclusive Advertising recognizes advertising that addresses issues experienced by under-represented communities and gives voice to groups that have been stereotyped or ignored in media and by society, increasing perceptions and understanding of multicultural communities. This year’s award went to The Martin Group for their ADDYs Saints & Sinners Poster Campaign.
Mr. Smith was also recognized for the Best Show Book Ad Award.
Student Winners
Our own local judges, Matt Low, Tim Staszak, and April Brown, judged more than 60 entries from our area’s college students in January.
A total of 20 awards went to undergraduates from Daemen College, Villa Maria College and Buffalo State College. Francesca Bubb from Villa Maria College took home the Student Best of Show Award for her Calle Rica Food Truck.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Our sponsors are the bee’s knees. Thank you to presenting sponsor, FARM, as well as our other ADDYs sponsors: dPost, HMN Resources, Evans Bank, Dixon Schwabl, and VSP Graphic Group.
A special thank you to sponsor Oxford Pennant for this year’s high-quality pennant awards.
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! And cheers to all of the bims and birds who entered work and attended the ADDYs Speakeasy 2020 show. For one last creative fix, flip through the digital show book.
The gold and silver winners in both professional and student categories will have the opportunity to compete in the AAF District 2 American Advertising Awards. Check back on our blog to see those results, coming soon.