Mark Patton - Belding Awards Chairman

Well, the results of the 40th Annual Belding Awards are in the record books.

This year we took the Beldings to a place where superb work is truly celebrated - the L.A. County Art Museum. The Bing Theater seemed like the perfect venue to turn the show back into a show and give recognition not only to the work but also to the people who created it.

Our judges were among the best you'll find in the advertising business. Period. They were meticulous, patient and pondered over the work they chose to reward.

We handed out 53 bowls. Which I'm sure made a lot of people happy. One of our judges, Chris Wall from O&M New York said, "When I was a greenhorn in the biz, I used to go to the Beldings and think about what a cool business I worked in and how incredible it would be to actually win one of those bowls". It is cool.

The Beldings tell the story of advertising in Los Angeles and Southern California for the past 40 years. A look back will tell you what an important role our little part of the world has played in the creativity of advertising in America. It's something to be proud of.

Whether you're a veteran LA creative person, an import from another ad community, or more importantly a new creative, make no mistake about it - when you win a Belding Award - it's a big deal. It's advertising history.

On a different note regarding this year's show, it's a good thing Richard Lewis changed professions from copywriting to comedy. And it's a good thing that the Belding Sweepstakes Award was found. Last year's winner, Ground Zero did a great job of taking us along for the ride.

Thank you to the Ad Club, the judges and the sponsors for all your effort, enthusiasm and support. We just chalked up another little piece of history. Hope you enjoyed it.

See you next year.

Mark Patton
Belding Chairman