The judging is carried out by three panels of industry experts.
Live for Broadcast Judges
Jeff Ravitz
(Live for Broadcast Chair) Lighting Designer
Award-winning lighting designer Jeff Ravitz has worked with Bruce Springsteen for a number of years, and is esteemed for transforming live entertainment performances into broadcast ready television shows. Audiences will have also seen Jeff’s work on comedy shows for Jim Norton, Dave Chappelle, and Kevin Hart to name a few. Jeff was lighting consultant for the 2010 Olympics Medal Ceremonies, and for 3D concert films for Dave Matthews, Lollapalooza festival and Canadian pop-star, Justin Bieber.
A popular lecturer, Jeff has delivered talks throughout the world. He was the host and creative consultant of the Live Design Magazine ‘TV and Concert Master Classes’ on lighting design.
“Lighting is the defining element of the visible, visual experience for the live audience that sees the show in the performance venue, and it follows that it would be the same for the viewers seeing the show on a screen. Lighting reveals what and how the stage action and environment should be seen. It is part of the visual counterpart to the script, lyrics or choreography.
The screen-viewing audience finds themselves as close as “nose-to-nose” with the performance. This introduces a myriad of additional elements, and it creates decisions to be made – detail is suddenly magnified into visibility. Each angle and nuance of color and beam quality becomes meaningful.
Video design takes its place somewhere between lighting, scenery, the performers themselves, and as its own independent being. It can enhance, detract or distract. It can complement or thwart. Our judging panel will be closely watching this powerful element to determine which is the best of the best.”
Amy Tinkham
Creative Director, Producer, Writer
From a young age Amy was interested in art, and eventually discovered dance provided another dimension to her voice as an artist. Originally working with large productions and tours as a choreographer for the likes of Madonna, Aerosmith and Earth Wind and Fire. Amy has since worked as a creative director, show director, producer and a writer, directing events such as America’s Got Talent live in Las Vegas, and Steven Tyler at Bristol Motor Speedway/Nascar.
Dennis Size
Lighting Designer
Multi-award-winning lighting designer with over 35 years of experience, Dennis Size is the Executive Vice President of Design at Lighting Design Group, the Internationally renowned broadcast lighting design company, headquartered in NYC.
Before joining LDG, Dennis spent 18 years as the Senior Lighting Director for the Disney/ABC TV Network, lighting everything from soap operas and variety shows to award shows and Presidential Debates. Throughout his expansive career, he has lit NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, the Republican National Convention, talk shows such as Ellen, Oprah, Montel, Katie, and Dr. Oz., as well as dozens of Broadcast concert performances and special Events around the United States.
He has designed major studio installations for every Network in the United States, has lit every President since Ronald Reagan, and 2 years ago was honoured to light Pope Francis for the live international ABC News Forum – Live from the Vatican.
“Simply stated, without lighting, the audience would merely be watching a radio show.”
Cameron Barnett
Director of photography
Cameron began his career in Australia, after completing a degree in Film Production at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Six months working in Hong Kong on a British police series cemented his skills in the camera department and working on location. Cameron then worked as Director of Photography at the BBC in London, working on documentaries, music videos, and commercials throughout the 90s – it was during this period he began working on multi-camera ‘recorded live’ productions for the likes of MTV and Done and Dusted before he moved to the US. With the advancement of large sensory technology Cameron has been at the forefront of capturing shows as varied as The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, to Kevin Hart’s ‘What Now’ stand up special, and was also the film consultant on Beyonce’s US tour shooting six cameras and over 100,000 feet of 35mm film. “My job is bringing together the live show elements, collaborating with the artist, creative director, LD, and set designer to create an experience second only to being at the event, and feeling every part of the experience.”
“Lighting and video design allow the audience entry into a world that the designer creates, an illusion that suspends time and space. Its magic that can only be created when both of these disciplines are at their best”
Alana Billingsley
Art Director
Alana Billingsley is an Emmy winning Art Director with more than 10 years experience managing the Art Department for high profile live television events. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Drama Design Alana translated her passion for live entertainment into a career that has included work on some of the biggest live events on television. Highlights include The Grammy Awards, The CMA Awards, The Oscars and one Democratic National Convention.
“Lighting and Video Design are unique and necessary because they are temporal arts. Scenery creates the unique physical circumstances for an event but the lighting and video design are it’s beating heart. So much more than the basic, necessary function of revealing the proceedings to the audience, lighting and video design bring an editorial component (look here, don’t look here) as well as tempo and mood to the show.”
Michael Appel
Lighting Director/Programmer
Michael Appel is an Emmy Award-winning lighting director and programmer with 5 Emmy nominations and 3 Emmy wins to his credit. He has worked extensively on broadcast television shows and industrials. Specializing in large-scale award shows and live music productions, his work has been seen on all the major broadcast networks as well as numerous cable and streaming outlets. Selected credits include Kids Choice Awards (Nickelodeon), Teen Choice Awards (FOX), Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NBC), MTV Video Music Awards (MTV), CMT Music Awards (CMT), The iHeart Radio Music Festival (CW), The NBA All-Star Game, In Performance at the White House (PBS), CNN Heroes (CNN-Emmy Win) and Election Night on Democracy Plaza (NBC News-Emmy Win).
He has been honoured to be a part of some once in a lifetime events such as the Hope For Haiti Telethon and Live Earth Concert for a Climate In Crisis.
Michael has programmed 2 tours for Bruce Springsteen, including the most recent, “The River” tour.
Recently, expanding his reach, he has been designing under his company banner MADesign (madesign.tv). Designs include Gwen Stefani at The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for NBC, Mary Kay Leadership Conference, Market America World and International Conferences and the launch of the Maserati Levante Trofeo at the 2018 New York International Auto Show.
“When lighting for broadcast, we have the advantage of knowing what the audience’s perspective will be. With that, there is responsibility to the composition of the frame. We can pull the audience in. Illuminating and detailing where within the frame, interest lies. This is true for composed images from news broadcasts to the biggest award shows. Influencing the perceptions and emotions of viewing audience through the use of light and shadow.”
