You don’t have to be a fan of The Oscars to admit that an award show gets people to show up, tune in and generally get excited. There is no better way to celebrate a great year for your company, non-profit organization, or university than celebrating those individuals and groups who helped you thrive throughout the year! But as exciting as an award show can be, they can also risk being stale and monotonous. So we wanted to share some examples of ways to spice up those awards and give your guests a memorable experience.
One of the events we look forward to working on each year is the star studded gala that our friends at JAF put on each fall. The red carpet show and NFL Players Choir bookend the gala with fun memories for those in attendance and watching online, but one of the coolest parts of the show is when they recognize the JAF Game Changers from that year. Their website describes the award winners as “extraordinary individuals and organizations whose efforts help move JAF’s mission forward.”.
Opposed to announcing the winners and having them come up and accept it with a small speech, the folks at JAF worked with 5 Tool to have the winners come into the studio and record their kind words before the event. This is smart because it allows our editors to put all of the bells and whistles on in post and give everyone a chance to say great things about the foundation while getting recognition for their great work. Year after year these videos come out great and are always a big hit when they are played at the Gala itself.
The 5 Tool Productions team were lucky enough to be chosen as a 2023 Game Changer!
No matter what kind of organization you may run there are members that deserve some recognition, and this was no exception for the Quench Aquas award ceremony. This show recognized the best companies in the water solutions industry and gave the top winners a very unique add-on to their award.
They went ahead and commissioned short Cameo videos for their winners who received a personalized video from celebrities such as Tony Hawk, Bruce Buffer, Devin McCourty, Wayne Knight and more! We had never seen anything like this before and really dug the thinking out of the box when it came to taking their award show to the next level. These videos were played as the recipient walked to the stage to get their award and the crowd and winner absolutely loved it.
Running a University is no easy feat that takes hard work and dedication from every department across campus. Tufts University recognizes this hard work each year with their Tufts Distinction Awards ceremony they hold at their Medford campus.
This is always a fun event to work because they create a fun, high energy environment in the room throughout the ceremony. Each attendee is handed a noise maker, clapper, or Tufts’ iconic cowbell as they check in and the faculty and staff create signs to hold up when their colleague is recognized. This definitely separates itself from other award shows and takes something that could be quite tame and simple, and turns it into a fun event that attendees can look forward to every year.