The Hollywood Post Alliance announced that Avid will receive the 2013 Charles S. Swartz Award for outstanding contribution in the field of postproduction. The HPA will present the honor during the 8th Annual HPA Awards, which takes place on the evening of Nov. 7 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Louis Hernandez, Jr., president and CEO of Avid, will accept the award on behalf of the company.
“From its founding days to the present, Avid has not only helped to lead our industry’s transition to new, powerful digital creative tools, but has also expanded the creative image and sound postproduction palette in a way that has fundamentally enabled new creative abilities,” said Leon Silverman, president of the HPA. “Building on their strong heritage of innovation, it is exciting to see Avid’s ongoing dedication to our community.”
Avid led the revolution in non-linear editing more than 25 years ago, irrevocably changing the way that creative projects were finished. Unveiling a prototype of its first non-linear editing system – the avid/I – at the 1988 NAB, just a few years Avid’s products began to dethrone traditional film editing. Non-linear digital editing came to be the predominant standard, and the company has continually exerted its influence through its extensive R&D, development of IP and expansion into audio production, broadcast and live sound.
“We are deeply honored to receive this award, and are especially proud to be recognized by the HPA, the voice of the post community,” Hernandez said. “The postproduction industry has always been a source of innovation and inspiration. From the beginning, Avid has had deep roots within this community and, we are dedicated to being your trusted partner long into the future.”
The Charles S. Swartz Award is not bestowed every year, but rather only as worthy recipients are identified. “The mission of the Charles S. Swartz Award is to recognize those efforts that have had profound and global impact on postproduction,” Silverman said. “Avid, throughout its 25-plus year history, has impacted our postproduction community so significantly that they indeed exemplify the meaning of this Award and so honor the memory of our friend and colleague Charles Swartz.”
The HPA Awards were designed to draw attention to the creative work being done in postproduction by companies and individuals. During the upcoming event in November, awards will be presented in 13 craft categories, as well as special awards, including the Charles S. Swartz Award, a Judges Award for Creativity & Innovation and the Engineering Excellence Award.
