AICP SHOW HONORS BEST COMMERCIALS
OF THE YEAR

NEW YORK, JUNE 14, 2004 - Anonymous Content and Biscuit Filmworks topped the list of honored production companies in the Thirteenth Annual AICP Show, The Art & Technique of the American Television Commercial, presented by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, tonight. More than 1,500 members of the advertising and production industry gathered to view the Show, an hour and 16-minute compendium of the best commercials of the previous year, which premiered at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and now goes on tour to museums and cultural institutions around the country and abroad. In addition, the commercials in the Show become part of the permanent collection of the Department of Film and Media of another museum, The Museum of Modern Art, which has been AICP’s partner since the Show’s inception more than a decade ago.

With a total of eight honors each, Anonymous Content and Biscuit Filmworks led production companies with the most honors. Anonymous was honored in five categories, including two honors each in Production for Nike’s “Speed Chain” and HP’s “FTD”; Production Design for HP’s “FTD” and Xelibri’s “Beauty for Sale”; and Visual Effects for Nike Gridiron’s “Gamebreakers” and Xelibri’s “Beauty for Sale.”  Nike Gridiron’s “Gamebreakers” earned additional honors in Animation and Sound Design. 
           
Biscuit Filmworks earned eight honors in seven different categories, including Advertising Excellence/Single Commercial, Visual Style, and Cinematography for a spot called “Birthday” for the California Milk Processor Board’s Got Milk campaign. Other Biscuit honors were for advertisers Morgan Stanley, the American Legacy Foundation, HBO, and Volkswagen.

Production company Digital Domain, Inc. was awarded six honors and @radical.media was awarded five honors.

Among agency honorees, Wieden + Kennedy was a stand-out with ten honors, eight of them for Nike commercials. The agency was honored in seven categories, including three honors for Nike Gridiron’s “Gamebreakers” in Visual Effects, Animation, and Sound Design.  Wieden + Kennedy Nike spots also earned honors in Production, Graphics, and Editorial categories.  Two additional honors were earned by Wieden + Kennedy for Advertising Excellence/International for Honda (“Cog” and “Taken for Granted”). 
           
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners was second among agency honorees with eight honors.  Leo Burnett followed with five honors.
           
Noam Murro led the director honorees with a total of seven honors in seven different categories, including three honors for the California Milk Processor Board’s Got Milk “Birthday” spot and two honors for Morgan Stanley’s “Kevin.”  David Fincher received six honors in five categories, including three for Nike Gridiron’s “Gamebreakers.”  Baker Smith earned four honors, including two for the American Legacy Foundation’s Truth “1200.”  Sara Marandi and Motion Theory each earned three honors.
           
Among advertisers, Nike scored highest with eight honors; Hewlett Packard had five honors; Honda, American Legacy Foundation’s “Truth” Campaign, and California Milk Processor Board’s “Got Milk” Campaign each had three honors. Apparel commercials were the most honored product category with 10, followed by Automotive spots, which earned 8 honors.
           
The Show reel features custom-designed graphics by Click 3x and original music composed by Michael Montes of Sacred Noise.
           
Selections of the honored commercials were made by 400 judges across the country, including a blue-ribbon curatorial panel composed of distinguished members of the industry from advertising agencies, production companies and editorial shops.  Honors went to up to three commercials in each of 24 categories.

From New York, the Show goes on tour across the United States and abroad.  Screenings scheduled in the U.S. include June 28th at the Theatre de la Juene Lune in Minneapolis; September 9th at the High Museum in Atlanta; September 8th at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); October 13th at the Dallas Museum of Art; and November 19th at the Chicago Historical Society.  Dates for showings in Honolulu, New Orleans, Winston-Salem and San Francisco are to be announced.

The 2004 AICP Show & Director Lecture Series would not have been possible without the generous contributions of its sponsors.  Show sponsors are: Corporate Leaders-Directors Guild of America; Eastman Kodak Company, Entertainment Imaging; and Getty Images. Corporate Benefactors-AdAge’s Creativity; American Airlines; Aspen Travel; Beam TV; Blink Digital; ’boards; Click 3x; Company 3; International Duplication Centre; Media Services; Producer’s Source; Sacred Noise; SAG/AFTRA; SHOOT; Sony Pictures Studios; The Source Maythenyi; Technicolor Entertainment Services; and Universal Studios. Corporate Patrons- The Ad Age Group; AGT Seven; Amber Music; Fast Channel Network; Film US; Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz; Hello World Communications; Panavision; rhinofx; and shots.

Further information is available at 212-929-3000.

Founded in 1972, the AICP represents companies that specialize in producing commercials for advertisers and agencies.  The association, with national offices in New York and Los Angeles and regional chapters across the nation, serves as the voice for this $5-plus billion industry, representing the creators of over 80% of all nationally televised commercials.