1989 ILDA Awards

From The Laserist magazine, Spring/Summer 1990 issue

More than 100 entries, representing the works of 12 companies all produced between September 1, 1988 and September 1, 1989, vied for 31 awards in 12 categories, in the second annual ILDA Awards for Outstanding Laser Display.

The formal awards presentation, held at the Mayflower Hotel in Seattle, was highlighted by the newly instituted Career Achievement Award. The award went to an individual whom ILDA members felt had made significant career contributions to the industry. Ivan Dryer of Laser Images, Inc., Los Angeles, was the resounding choice of his peers for his nearly two decades of laser involvement. Steve Heminover, master of ceremonies, presented a beautiful, self-illuminating trophy designed by Aron Bacs, to Dryer. Dryer, who was visibly moved by the award, stated, "If it is so that (Laser Images') work has influenced and perhaps inspired others, we are most grateful to have had that opportunity."

The judging, coordinated by Andrea Cummings of Image Engineering, represented a cross section of the entertainment industry:

Susan McIntosh, president of Envision Corporation, represented corporate theater. Her background is in script writing, visual composition, production and staging.

Judson Rosebush, of Rosebush Visions Corp., New York, is an expert in commercial applications of computer graphics.

Richard Dyer, a music critic for the Boston Globe, was chosen as a "professional" audience member in the entertainment industry.

Steve Benton, of MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, a holographic guru and renowned laser pro, rounded out the team.

"Whether our jurors are in the industry or not, it is ultimately to our advantage to use the contest to promote lasers as an established, competitive alternative to any visual media, for any use. We can use jurors as our eyes -- to help us understand how we appear in the wider world of entertainment media," explained Cummings.

Over the last couple of years, as we have viewed each other's work, there has been a progression in terms of quality and content. This improvement seems to have been inspired by the process of having colleagues view and critique each other's work. As one laserist noted, "our peers are more critical than our clients."