Five Ways The Aces Unmasked Creativity at the ADDYs

There’s nothing like getting ready for an award show. 

Choosing an outfit, submitting your best work, and of course, the actual night of the awards themselves is a lot to prepare for. The anticipation of winning an award alone is enough excitement to last until the night of the event. 

We had some extra fun getting ready for the 2023 ADDYs thanks to being involved in the promotion of the event. Thank you to CRAF for giving us the opportunity to work with them leading up to the show, we enjoyed being a part of the process. 

Here are the top five ways we Unmasked Creativity leading into the event: 

1. Hype video – short promo

At Studio A, we put the “hype” in hype video for the 2023 ADDYs.This year, The Aces were thrilled to put together two videos for CRAF’s ADDY awards, an opportunity we didn’t have any fun with at all and made sure to make boring videos for…

… if you’re a regular of this blog page then hopefully you’ve developed a taste for sarcasm at this point. First up, let’s take a look at the spot we made in promotion of the event that we included in the emails we sent out on February 9th:

2. Mask Making Party

The theme of the ADDYs was “Unmasking Creativity” through a modern masquerade. To have the proper attire, we held a mask making event within Studio A, so that on the night of the awards, we were able to stroll into Proctors with the right look. 

3. Willy Wonka Intro Video

Willy Wonka once said: “Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.” 

When CRAF gave us the opportunity to make the intro video to the event to be played at the actual ADDYs, we had this quote in mind. The result: a Willy Wonka inspired lead up to the moment the awards were given out. 

via GIPHY

The ADDYs celebrate the best work from the people who bring creative visions to life in the advertisements we see in the Capital Region, to put it in Willy Wonka’s words: our local “dreamers of dreams.” For this reason, there is no better spokesperson for the event. 

4. A “Black and Gold” Style

Who doesn’t love a black and gold style? We didn’t stop our planning for the ADDYs with the videos we made, we wanted to make the most out of the fun of the ADDYs, and look good while we did it. 

From the tips of our masks all the way down to the shoes on our feet, the Akullian Creative team used the design aspect of our video, animation and design specialties on ourselves. There was no way we weren’t going to attend the awards without dressing to the nines. 

If you’re still a skeptic of our dressing skills, here’s proof:

5. Submitting Awards/ 2x Judge’s Pick

As content creators in the area, submitting for the ADDYs is always something you will have circled on your calendar. This year, we sent in the work we believed to be worthy of recognition, and the judges agreed. 

We took home a few accolades for the campaign we planned and executed to get Johnny 2 Phones’ song “Back on Base” played in Yankee Stadium, something we are proud to report was a success. In total, the Aces received a silver ADDY and TWO Judge’s Picks, the first Judge’s Picks Akullian Creative has ever earned. For the full story, head to our detailed blog on the awards.

The ADDYs are an entire season in Studio A, and in 2023, it was extra special. Again, we want to extend a thank you to CRAF Presidents Annie Delano and James Lewis-Van Vorst, along with the entire CRAF member team, including Kendo Media for taking great pictures during the event.

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Follow CRAF on Instagram and Facebook for all the latest on the ADDY awards. Keep up with Akullian Creative on Instagram and Facebook for the latest video, animation and design projects in Studio A.