Toasting the Best of the Live Event Industry
The Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Fla., was the site of the 2007 Parnelli Awards, but inside the ceremony ballroom it looked like Hawaii. Large portions of the crowd arrived decked out in their finest Hawaiian shirts, and FOH Editor Bill Evans abandoned his usual sandals for signature purple Bob Heil custom Converse high-tops. The hundreds in attendance constituted a Who’s Who of players in the live event industry, and whether they were wearing purple shoes or not, they all rose to their feet in honor of Audio Innovator award winner Bob Heil and Lifetime Achievement award winner Gerry Stickells.
In addition to honoring Heil, FOH publisher Terry Lowe, editor Bill Evans and industry notables such as Buford Jones, Dave Shadoan and others gave out awards for FOH Mixer of the Year, Monitor Mixer of the Year, Sound Company of the Year and many others. Veteran tour manager and Chairman of the Parnelli board Patrick Stansfield presented Joe Aldridge of University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), with a check in contin-ued support of a Parnelli scholarship at UNLV for students studying entertainment design and engineering.A centerpiece of the event was the Audio Innovator award given to audio legend Bob Heil. In his introduction, Sound Image owner and longtime friend of Heil Dave Shadoan spoke of the lasting effect Heil has had on the live sound field:
“When you’re serious about a career, you want to know its history. I learned about Bob Heil right away, as he wrote the book on live sound — literally, and I still have a dog-eared copy of it. I’m lucky to have been able to meet and develop a friendship with Bob. If you haven’t had the pleasure yet, when you do, you’ll understand instantly why he’s one of the most well-liked guys in the business.”
The audience let Shadoan know that he wasn’t alone in his appreciation, and even the stars paid their respects, with members of Velvet Revolver and the Steve Miller Band offering their kudos via video.
It was a night to shine the spotlight on the people who work outside the light, honor the pioneers of our industry and contribute to its success moving forward — and, thanks to the help of everyone in attendance, the readers who voted and everyone in the industry, we can continue to celebrate everyone who makes the show happen.
And the Awards Went to . . .
Lifetime Achievement Award: Gerry Stickells
Audio Innovator Award: Bob Heil
Lighting Designer of the Year 2007: Patrick Woodroffe
Set/Scenic Designer of the Year 2007: Seth Jackson, with Elizabeth O’Keefe
Lighting Company of the Year 2007: Upstaging
Staging Company of the Year 2007: Mountain Productions
Set Construction Company of the Year 2007: Tait Towers
Video Rental Company of the Year 2007: Nocturne
Rigging Company of the Year 2007: Atlanta Rigging
Hometown Hero Lighting Company of the Year 2007: Theatrical Lighting Systems
Pyro Company of the Year 2007: Strictly FX
FOH Mixer of the Year 2007: Tom Young
Video Director of the Year 2007: Kevin Daniels
Monitor Mixer of the Year 2007: Stuart Delk
Sound Company of the Year 2007: Sound Image
Hometown Hero Sound Company of the Year 2007: Carlson Audio
Production Manager of the Year 2007: Chris Adamson
Tour Manager of the Year 2007: Fitzjoy Hellin
Coach Company of the Year 2007: Four Seasons Leasing
Trucking Company of the Year 2007: Road Show
Freight Forwarding Company of the Year 2007: Rock-It Cargo
The 2007 Parnellis were made possible by Timeless Communications and its sponsors. Charter Sponsors: All Access Staging and Production, Apollo Design, Brown United and Martin Professional. Gold Sponsors: Noc-turne Productions, Pixel Range, Precise Corporate Staging & Dedicated Staging, Rock-It-Cargo, Sound Image and Syncrolite. Silver Sponsors: Littlelite and TMB. Production Sponsors: Aerial Rigging, ASI Productions, All Staging Unlimited, Paradise Sound & Lights, Production Resource Group and Technilux.
