It’s an understatement to say that it was Chicago’s night at the 2010 Hugo International Awards for Television Excellence.
DDB, Draftfcb and Leo Burnett didn’t just win big — they swamped the awards: a staggering total of 23 top Hugos and gold and silver plaques out of out of 29 commercial awards — plus eight Certificates of Merit.
Either other local agencies don’t enter television competitions, or apparently not this one, or the Big 3 simply turn on the juice and submit in quantity. Or perhaps that ? Never mind. The judges liked what they saw and crowded the work accordingly.
Gold Hugos went to Leo Burnett for Best Commercial for Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Crunch, and to DDB for Best Commercial Campaign for Bud Light (“Too Heavy, Too Light).
Draftfcb won the Silver Hugo/Audience Choice Award for the Pet Shelter Project, sponsored by the Ad Council, Maddie Fund and U.S. Humane Society.
Gold winners were: Arts & Entertainment to Media Process Group; Automotive, Cutters; Alcoholic Beverages, DDB; Consumer Products, Draftfcb, DDB, Lapiz, Online/Viral, Leo Burnett; Services,DDB; Humor, Lapiz; Writing, Leo Burnett and The Whitehouse.
Silver winners: Alcoholic Beverages, DDB; Communications, Draftfcb; Online/Viral, DDB/Tool of North America, Optimus; Services, DDB; Commercial Campaigns, Draftfcb; Music/Sound Design, Cutters.
Winners for the Best Television Programs came from all over the world. One of those winners was new documentary company, 20 West Productions, which won a Gold Plaque for “The Squeeze” reality TV series on MSNBC and a Silver Plaque for one of its episodes.
The sold-out live Awards Presentation was held at the Hard Rock Hotel ballroom April 15.
The Hugos honored David Fanning, producer of PBS’ 25-year old and multi-honored “Frontline” series for Commitment to Excellence in Television Programming; bi-coastal Hungry Man for Commitment to Excellence in Television Commercials, and to ReelChicago editor Ruth L Ratny as its first Chicago Legend.
