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12th Annual Webby Awards
BY
Shannon Darrough
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Words of Wisdom (Five)
I experienced the first pangs of anxiety at Sunday Sunset Cocktails at the Maritime Hotel, the first of several events that comprised the 12th Annual Webby Awards. I had just been introduced to Megan Murphy, the People's Voice winner in Art, the category in which I would also be accepting an award two days later. Her lovely site, Artocracy.org (designed by 2x4 here in New York) allows artists to sell their original works directly to the public. She, her father, and her two brothers had flown all the way from Spokane, Washington to attend the festivities. After introductions and congratulations, her first question "Have you thought about your 5 words?" pulled my attention away from the minty mojito I was enjoying. I hadn't even given it a thought.
As soon as I got home, I did a little research about the Webbys and its five words. Established in 1996, the Webby Awards recognize excellence on the Internet and is presided over by the 550 member International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Often called "the Oscars of the Internet", one crucial difference between the Webbys and it's cinematic rival is the absence of the lengthy speeches thanking each and every family member, friend, business contact, and artistic influence. At the Webbys, you only get five words.
Past winners haven't let the diminutive word count diminish their speeches. Last year, Al Gore, accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award, famously said: "Please don't recount this vote." That same year the Beastie Boys, Artist of the Year recipients, asked the technophilic audience "Can anyone fix my computer?" A year earlier, when receiving the Webby for Political Blog in 2006, Ariana Huffington entreated "Darlings, make blogs, not war." Although strongly discouraged, not all winners adhere to the rule. One of last year's speeches was an obese 15 words ("I only get five words? Shit, that was five. Four more there. That's three. Two.") But that was David Bowie; he can say anything he wants.
For inspiration, I decided to see what the winners of the Film and Video Awards would do with their tiny allotment of words before attempting to compose my five. The ceremony, held the night before and in conjunction with the Webbys in the impressive Skirball Center for Performing Arts, honors "original video content created for and premiering on the Internet." Judah Friedlander, a cast members of the NBC's 30 Rock and host of the night's soiree, followed his opening comedic monologue with an ominous reiteration of the rules: "If you use more than five words, I will kill you."
Highlights of the evening included the Lifetime Achievement Award going to Saturday Night Live creator and producer Lorne Michaels ("Five words is not enough"), Michael Gondry receiving the Webby Person of the Year ("Keyboards are full of germs"), numerous brilliant and hilarious clips from this years nominees, and the often excellent category introduction videos produced by Digital Kitchen. The after party, held at the gorgeous, 150 year-old former synagogue that houses the Angel Orensanz Foundation in the Lower East Side, featured a DJ set by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and much talk of the past and the coming evenings' five word speeches.
The big night began with an opening reception at the Museum of American Finance. The winners (always recognizable by their special Webby pins) mingled with one another, nibbled on canapés and sipped champagne. Lost in distraction, I continuously went over the speech options in my head. Should it be risque? Funny or serious? Should I reference the Webbys, the category or the site itself?
Before a decision was made, we were herded across the street for the awards dinner at the opulent Cipriani Wall Street where sumptuously set tables filled the cavernous hall. Presiding over the event was Saturday Night Live writer and star Seth Myers who, predictably, began by repeating the by now very familiar five-word rule. He went on to poke fun at the hundreds of tech-savvy guests ("I don't want to harp on the geeks-and-nerds stereotype, but this has got to be the only place on Earth where you don't have to be a terrorist to meet 72 virgins"); the bloggers that believe every visit to the supermarket merits a global audience; the "necessity" of being able to watch puppies and kittens whenever desired; and fact that vice makes up much of the Web ("We're here to honor the two percent of the internet that is not pornography").
Peppered throughout the evening were Webby Special Achievement Awards and their five-word speeches. Will.I.AM (member of The Black Eyed Peas and the mind behind the Barack Obama celebrity singalong "Yes We Can") calmly delivered: "Now we know we can." David Byrne, the former Talking Heads frontman, asked "Mr. DJ, can you play another song?" (no, not five words, but, like David Bowie, Mr. Byrne can say whatever he pleases). And Steven Colbert, the faux political pundit/megalomaniac, bellowed into the microphone "Me, Me, Me, Me, Me!"
Other speeches ranged from the political ("Net Neutrality. Today, tomorrow, forever"), to the personal ("Seth, your fly is open"), to the sweet ("Happy birthday mom, love you"), to the scatological ("This award smells like butt"). After a seemingly interminable lineup of winners and blurbs, the art category was announced and I made my way to the stage. My speech? I opted for political: "This November, we're the judges." I felt it my duty since it's an election year. And yes, contractions only constitute one word...
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12th Annual Webby Awards
New York City
8 - 10 June 2008
Photos courtesy of 12th Annual Webby Awards
Text courtesy of Shannon Darrough
TAXI Design Network is honored to have been in New York on 8 - 10 June 2008 to partake in this exciting event.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2003-2008 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
I experienced the first pangs of anxiety at Sunday Sunset Cocktails at the Maritime Hotel, the first of several events that comprised the 12th Annual Webby Awards. I had just been introduced to Megan Murphy, the People's Voice winner in Art, the category in which I would also be accepting an award two days later. Her lovely site, Artocracy.org (designed by 2x4 here in New York) allows artists to sell their original works directly to the public. She, her father, and her two brothers had flown all the way from Spokane, Washington to attend the festivities. After introductions and congratulations, her first question "Have you thought about your 5 words?" pulled my attention away from the minty mojito I was enjoying. I hadn't even given it a thought.
As soon as I got home, I did a little research about the Webbys and its five words. Established in 1996, the Webby Awards recognize excellence on the Internet and is presided over by the 550 member International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Often called "the Oscars of the Internet", one crucial difference between the Webbys and it's cinematic rival is the absence of the lengthy speeches thanking each and every family member, friend, business contact, and artistic influence. At the Webbys, you only get five words.
Past winners haven't let the diminutive word count diminish their speeches. Last year, Al Gore, accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award, famously said: "Please don't recount this vote." That same year the Beastie Boys, Artist of the Year recipients, asked the technophilic audience "Can anyone fix my computer?" A year earlier, when receiving the Webby for Political Blog in 2006, Ariana Huffington entreated "Darlings, make blogs, not war." Although strongly discouraged, not all winners adhere to the rule. One of last year's speeches was an obese 15 words ("I only get five words? Shit, that was five. Four more there. That's three. Two.") But that was David Bowie; he can say anything he wants.
For inspiration, I decided to see what the winners of the Film and Video Awards would do with their tiny allotment of words before attempting to compose my five. The ceremony, held the night before and in conjunction with the Webbys in the impressive Skirball Center for Performing Arts, honors "original video content created for and premiering on the Internet." Judah Friedlander, a cast members of the NBC's 30 Rock and host of the night's soiree, followed his opening comedic monologue with an ominous reiteration of the rules: "If you use more than five words, I will kill you."
Highlights of the evening included the Lifetime Achievement Award going to Saturday Night Live creator and producer Lorne Michaels ("Five words is not enough"), Michael Gondry receiving the Webby Person of the Year ("Keyboards are full of germs"), numerous brilliant and hilarious clips from this years nominees, and the often excellent category introduction videos produced by Digital Kitchen. The after party, held at the gorgeous, 150 year-old former synagogue that houses the Angel Orensanz Foundation in the Lower East Side, featured a DJ set by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and much talk of the past and the coming evenings' five word speeches.
The big night began with an opening reception at the Museum of American Finance. The winners (always recognizable by their special Webby pins) mingled with one another, nibbled on canapés and sipped champagne. Lost in distraction, I continuously went over the speech options in my head. Should it be risque? Funny or serious? Should I reference the Webbys, the category or the site itself?
Before a decision was made, we were herded across the street for the awards dinner at the opulent Cipriani Wall Street where sumptuously set tables filled the cavernous hall. Presiding over the event was Saturday Night Live writer and star Seth Myers who, predictably, began by repeating the by now very familiar five-word rule. He went on to poke fun at the hundreds of tech-savvy guests ("I don't want to harp on the geeks-and-nerds stereotype, but this has got to be the only place on Earth where you don't have to be a terrorist to meet 72 virgins"); the bloggers that believe every visit to the supermarket merits a global audience; the "necessity" of being able to watch puppies and kittens whenever desired; and fact that vice makes up much of the Web ("We're here to honor the two percent of the internet that is not pornography").
Peppered throughout the evening were Webby Special Achievement Awards and their five-word speeches. Will.I.AM (member of The Black Eyed Peas and the mind behind the Barack Obama celebrity singalong "Yes We Can") calmly delivered: "Now we know we can." David Byrne, the former Talking Heads frontman, asked "Mr. DJ, can you play another song?" (no, not five words, but, like David Bowie, Mr. Byrne can say whatever he pleases). And Steven Colbert, the faux political pundit/megalomaniac, bellowed into the microphone "Me, Me, Me, Me, Me!"
Other speeches ranged from the political ("Net Neutrality. Today, tomorrow, forever"), to the personal ("Seth, your fly is open"), to the sweet ("Happy birthday mom, love you"), to the scatological ("This award smells like butt"). After a seemingly interminable lineup of winners and blurbs, the art category was announced and I made my way to the stage. My speech? I opted for political: "This November, we're the judges." I felt it my duty since it's an election year. And yes, contractions only constitute one word...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12th Annual Webby Awards
New York City
8 - 10 June 2008
Photos courtesy of 12th Annual Webby Awards
Text courtesy of Shannon Darrough
 | When not composing five word speeches, Shannon Darrough designs and develops digital projects for The Museum of Modern Art in New York. He would like to thank this parents, his second and forth grade art teachers, his late newt Pancake, the Academy, and of course the entire cast of Lost without whose support the Webby Award for the Richard Serra Sculpture: Forty Years exhibition website would not have been possible. |
TAXI Design Network is honored to have been in New York on 8 - 10 June 2008 to partake in this exciting event.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2003-2008 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.