Cinema/Chicago Television Awards
2015 Award Winners
TELEVISION COMMERCIALS
WTTW Audience Choice Award
Firestone – Pickup
Leo Burnett/Whitehouse Post
Acting
Certificate of Merit
#SortaRx
Leo Burnett
Animation
Certificate of Merit
Social Faux Pas
Flavor
Automotive
Gold Hugo
The Fiat Blue Pill
Richards Group
Silver Plaque
Rocketship
Beast Editorial
Banking/Financial
Certificate of Merit
Re-Employment
Leo Burnett
Beverages (Alcoholic)
Gold Plauqe
Yacht
Leo Burnett
Cinematography
Silver Plaque
Changes
Leo Burnett
Commercial Campaign
Gold Plaque
Trusted Advisor: Off Day, King of the Castle, Swingset
Leo Burnett
Gold Plaque
I Am Rich: Social Circle, Yacht, Parlor Games
Leo Burnett
Silver Plaque
All Drive. No Drama. (First Date, Try Something New)
Mcgarrybowen Chicago
Certificate of Merit
Make Room For a Little Fun: Carriage, Vikings, Cattle Drive, Yukon)
Mcgarrybowen Chicago
Direction
Silver Hugo
Pick Up
Leo Burnett
Gold Plaque
One Show
Dictionary Films
Editing
Silver Hugo
Team Gol
Whitehouse Post
Silver Hugo
Pick Up
Whitehouse Post
Silver Plaque
With Dad
Whitehouse Post
Certificate of Merit
One Good Reason – Russell
Cutters
Certificate of Merit
Mom’s First Birthday
Cutters
Food Products
Gold Plaque
Bring Them Back
OnionLabs
Gold Plaque
Family Meeting
OnionLabs
Silver Plaque
Revere
Mcgarrybowen Chicago
Silver Plaque
Vacuum
Beast Editorial
Certificate of Merit
Sampling Station
Mcgarrybowen Chicago
Health Care
Gold Plaque
Live Fearless Campaign (Rollover)
Leo Burnett
Institutional/Corporate Identity
Silver Hugo
Lisztery
Liszt Academy – Communications Directorate
Insurance
Gold Plaque
Shirlee: Candy Crush
Leo Burnett
Silver Plaque
Escape
Leo Burnett
Certificate of Merit
#SortaRX
Leo Burnett
Music Liscenced/Adapted
Silver Plaque
Signs
Leo Burnett
Online Campaign
Gold Hugo
Heart to Paper
Leo Burnett
Online Spot
Silver Hugo
Signs
Leo Burnett
Silver Plaque
Hustle
Leo Burnett
Certificate of Merit
Holiday Hits
Mcgarrybowen Chicago
Public Service Announcement
Silver Plaque
I’m Not Ready
Beast Editorial
Restaurant
Silver Hugo
Lovin’ Pays
Leo Burnett
Retail
Silver Hugo
Can’t Sleep
Leo Burnett
Travel/Tourism
Silver Plaque
Infinity
Mcgarrybowen Chicago
TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS
Animated Series
Gold Plaque
Ronja, The Robber’s Daughter
NHK
Certificate of Merit
Lily’s Driftwood Bay
Sixteen South
Documentary: History/Biography
Silver Hugo
Endrju
TVN
Silver Plaque
Valmeyer, IL the Documentary
ARCOM Productions, Inc.
Certificate of Merit
A Taste for the Past: Pier Carlo Bontempi
WTTW
Documentary: Science/Nature
Silver Plaque
Africa’s Fishing Leopards
BBCTWO
Documentary: Social/Political
Silver Plaque
On the Spot: World Cup in the Amazon
MTVA
Certificate of Merit
Purely Personal Documentaries: Real Japan – Finding Independence at 38
NHK
Certificate of Merit
Hong Kong Connection: Baptism of Fire
Radio Television Hong Kong
Certificate of Merit
Out of Mind, Out of Sight
National Film Board of Canada
Dramatic Program
Gold Hugo
Chicago Fire: A Dark Day
NBC
Silver Hugo
Chicago PD: Prison Ball
NBC
Educational Program: Adult Audience
Certificate of Merit
Euromaxx Special Edition: 25th Anniversary Fall of the Berlin Wall
Educational Documentary Series
Gold Hugo
American Masters
PBS
Silver Hugo
Life Links: What Holds You Back; What Keeps You Going – Deutsche Welle
Investigative Reporting/News Documentary
Gold Plaque
Everest Avalanche Tragedy
Discovery Channel
Certificate of Merit
Arsenic Contamination in Shimen
Phoenix Satellite Television Company Limited
Miniseries
Gold Hugo
Roots Old and New: Stories of Chinese Emigrants
Radio Television Hong Kong
Online Television Program
Certificate of Merit
Charlie Trotter Remembered by Celebrity Chefs
Candid Candace Chicago
Public Access Program
Certificate of Merit
Chicago Newsroom
Chicago Access Network
Public Affairs/Video News Release
Certificate of Merit
Falling Down, Standing Up
Radio Television Hong Kong
Reality Competition Series
Certificate of Merit
The Amazing Race Canada
Bell Media
Special Achievement: Animation
Certificate of Merit
The Gift of the Game
CSN Chicago
Special Achievement: Cinematography
Certificate of Merit
Africa’s Fishing Leopards
BBCTWO
Special Achievement: Direction
Gold Hugo
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
Florentine Films
Special Achievement: Visual Effects
Certificate of Merit
Phoenix Focal point
Phoenix Satellite Television Company Limited
Special Performance/Event
Silver Hugo
Skyscraper Life: Nik Wallenda
Discovery Channel
Student Produced Program
Certificate of Merit
The Free Man
Public Television Service Foundation
2015 Honorees
Jay Levine
Commitment to Excellence in Investigative Journalism
Jay Levine is the chief correspondent for CBS 2 Chicago. He joined CBS 2 Chicago as weekend anchor and reporter in 1990 before being named chief correspondent in 1991. He later anchored the station’s early morning news with his wife, Mary Ann Childers, before returning to his role as chief correspondent.
In 1991, he became the first Chicago reporter to broadcast live from Saudi Arabia, the day before the Gulf War began. He was the only Chicago TV reporter in Saudi Arabia from the time the first shots were fired until after the cease-fire was signed. During that two-month period, Levine filed 260 live reports for CBS 2 Chicago and CBS stations around the country.
In 2003, he was the only Chicago television reporter embedded with U.S. troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom, covering the 101st Airborne, and its Chicago-area soldiers from the deserts of Kuwait to Saddam’s palaces in Baghdad. He has traveled the globe covering politics, international affairs and uncovering scandals. Levine’s reports range from interviewing the Pope, to dodging bullets in Beirut, to chasing drug runners in the Andes. In 1996, his coverage of Cardinal Bernardin’s death was widely acclaimed by both his peers and the public. He covered Hurricanes Katrina and Rita extensively and their aftermath along the Gulf Coast.
Tom Skilling
Chicago Award
Tom Skilling, WGN-TV chief meteorologist, appears weekdays on WGN Midday News, WGN Evening News and WGN News at Nine. He celebrated his 35th anniversary with WGN-TV in August 2013.
Tom joined WGN-TV on August 13, 1978. Since then, he has established himself as a respected meteorologist both locally and nationally, known for his in-depth reports, enthusiasm, and use of state-of-the-art technology.
In early 2004, Tom helped coordinate the Tribune Weather Center, which combines the meteorology resources and expertise of WGN-TV, CLTV and The Chicago Tribune in one location. The weather center includes the installation of a state-of-the-art computer graphics system that enables Tom and his team to track details of weather across Chicagoland. He has also received an immense response for his WGNtv.com weather blog.
In early 2004, Tom helped coordinate the Tribune Weather Center, which combines the meteorology resources and expertise of WGN-TV, CLTV and The Chicago Tribune in one location. The weather center includes the installation of a state-of-the-art computer graphics system that enables Tom and his team to track details of weather across Chicagoland. He has also received an immense response for his WGNtv.com weather blog.
Tom Burrell
Chicago Legend in Advertising Award
Tom Burrell established Burrell Communications in 1971 and led the company through 2004. Burrell, known as leading marketing communications firm, is noted for its expertise in reaching African American and urban youth markets. By recognizing the unique qualities of the American-American consumer market, Burrell spearheaded some of the most memorable campaigns in advertising history. A reel of Burrell’s advertisements for Coca-Cola is currently archived at the Library of Congress for its historical significance.
Burrell has garnered numerous prestigious awards and accolades, including Advertising Person of the Year, the coveted Albert Lasker award for Lifetime Achievement in Advertising, DuSable Museum’s HistoryMaker Award, and the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism. Advertising Age named Burrell one of “50 Who Made A Difference” in its special issue “50 Years of TV Advertising.” The magazine also designated him among the “Top 100 Advertising People” who have shaped the course of the advertising industry in their special issue “The Advertising Century.”
Whitehouse Post
Commitment to Excellence in Television Commercials
Whitehouse Post has been one of the leading international creative editorial companies across the world since 1990, with post-production facilities in London, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Amsterdam. Their Chicago office has served the advertising community here for two decades, editing high profile campaigns both locally and beyond. They believe in fostering editorial storytelling in a creative and supportive environment. Central to this philosophy is an emphasis on molding the best young talent into excellent film editors who recognize the collaborative power of visuals, music, and sound.
Their deep reel of notable spots for brands such as Allstate, McDonald’s, Nike and Google has won over 50 AICP awards, 93 D&AD Awards, 65 Cannes Lions, 100 British Arrows, and 113 Clios. They are also credited on three Grand Prixes at Cannes for Budweiser’s Whassup, Nike’s Tag, and Levi’s Drugstore. In addition to their contributions in television advertising, Whitehouse editors have been responsible for editing numerous feature films, including the Oscar® winning Leaving Las Vegas, the Emmy winning The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Seven Psychopaths, Fifty Shades of Grey and Spring Breakers, to name a few. Production and finishing partnerships with sister companies Cap Gun Collective and Carbon VFX, as well as with design-driven production company Gentleman Scholar, further cement Whitehouse Post as an invaluable creative resource for their clients.
The Onion
Commitment to Excellence in New Media
The Onion, under the Onion, Inc., was founded in 1988. As early as the mid-’90s, it became a well-known print publication that started to live online. Today the Onion reaches millions of visitors each month, while delivering high quality video and editorial content to its ever expanding digital audience. Through their success and notoriety, Onion Labs came to be as a full-service agency that can deliver directly to the Onion’s audience. By way of comedy, Onion Labs perfected reaching and influencing a massive digital audience. Now that extension is being made available to brands. Onion Labs combines the best comedy writers and marketing talent to create advertising content that’s worthy of the Onion name.
Canon
Innovation Award
The name Canon has long been synonymous with technological innovation. Their EOS line of accessible, professional-grade cameras has truly opened doors for a new generation of passionate visual storytellers and has changed the landscape of the television world. Canon continues to be at the forefront of the digital age, and the artistic impact of their pioneering technology is transformative and far-reaching.