Coquitlam video producer wins international award on first try

Coquitlam Now Wednesday, January 23, 2007

A Coquitlam-based video producer has won an international award for stage event video production. Shawn Lam won the Emerald Award in stage event video production for his work on a film of a live concert by Chilliwack singer-songwriter Lori Paul at the University College of the Fraser Valley in April 2006.

Lam entered the video production industry in 2001 and founded Shawn Lam Video in 2003. The winning film represents Shawn Lam Video’s first entry in the annual Artistic Achievement Awards competition. “To win an international award on my first entry against larger American companies and entries from as far away as the Philippines is an honour and a testament to the quality of event video productions coming out of Vancouver,” Lam said.

“I was on Cloud 9 the whole day while filming the concert as it was the day after I proposed to my wife, Amanda.”

The awards were presented Monday in Orlando, Fla., at a black-tie gathering of video producers from across North America. The Artistic Achievement Awards, including 15 different categories, are offered through The 4EVER Group, a video industry trade organization that provides education, advocacy and resources for members.

“Winning an Artistic Achievement Award really sets a producer apart from their peers,” Steve Wernick, The 4EVER Group’s development director, said. “The competition drew hundreds of entries from all over the world, and our panel of judges ensured that only the absolute best received awards.”

The judging process is a double-blind system where the entrants don’t know the judges and the judges don’t know the video producers, which Tim Ryan, 4EVER’s education director, said ensures top-notch selections.

“The quality of entries in the Artistic Achievement Awards is world-class and represents the finest the event video production world has to offer,” Ryan said. “Because of the level of the competition, winning an Artistic Achievement Award is an outstanding achievement.”

© Coquitlam Now 2008