The 22nd annual Parnelli Awards welcomed the live entertainment production industry to the sold out dinner event which took place at the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday, January 26 during NAMM 2024 . There was an array of creatives, technicians, as well as manufacturers, vendors, and rental houses present to honor the backstage professionals who worked on some of the biggest concert tours and live events during the past year. This year’s list of nominees were a diverse industry cross section from early career through to time tested veterans, with many of this year’s biggest tours and events represented – Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Luke Combs, P!nk, and U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.
Terry Lowe, President of Timeless Communications, publisher of PLSN and FOH magazines, welcomed the capacity crowd as Executive Producer and Co-Founder (with the late Patrick Stansfield) of the sold-out event.
This year’s Parnelli Awards featured three lifetime achievement awards, with the Visionary Award, going to pioneering Video Director Carol Dodds, who since the 1970s has worked with a wide range of artists including Bruce Springsteen, U2, and Jimmy Buffett. Patti Conners Thurston did the honors in presenting Dodd with her Visionary Award. The Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Jim Brammer, CEO of Special Event Services by his son, Michael Brammer. Brammer built his company over the years to include lighting, video, audio, as well as staging, rigging, and trucking. He recently expanded by creating Concert Stuff Group and 360 Festivals with Music Matters Productions. The Parnelli Awards also honored the career achievements of Buford Jones with the Audio Innovator Award. Meyer Sounds’ Helen Meyer presented Jones with his Audio Innovator Award. The other Parnelli Award presenters were Tour Manager/Accountant David “5.1” Norman, Tour Manager Stuart Ross, and FOH Engineer Jim Ebdon.
And the 22nd annual Parnelli Awards winners are:
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Jim Brammer
VISIONARY AWARD: Carol Dodds
AUDIO INNOVATOR AWARD: Buford Jones
NEXTGEN AWARD: Sam Boone
VISUAL AWARDS
Nook Schoenfeld Lighting Designer of the Year: Rob Koenig/Metallica
Lighting Director of the Year: Carter Fulghum/Shinedown
Production Designer of the Year: Baz Halpin/P!nk
Lighting Company of the Year: Solotech/Taylor Swift
Hometown Hero Lighting Company of the Year: Music Matters Productions
Pyro/Special Effects Company of the Year: ImageSFX/Disturbed
Indispensable Technology ‐ Lighting: Robe iFORTE
VIDEO AWARDS
Video Director of the Year: Stefaan “Smasher” Desmedt/U2 at Sphere
Media Content Creator of the Year: Treatment Studio/U2 at Sphere
Video Production Company of the Year: 4Wall/Metallica
Indispensable Technology ‐ Video: ROE Visual Topaz LED Video Panel
PRODUCTION SERVICES AWARDS
Staging Company of the Year: Gallagher Staging/Sam Hunt
Rigging Company of the Year: Five Points Production Services/P!nk
Set Construction Company of the Year: TAIT/Taylor Swift
Indispensable Technology ‐ Staging & Effects: Stageline Promobile Stage
PRODUCTION PERSONNEL AWARDS
Patrick Stansfield Production Manager of the Year: Helen Himmons/Ed Sheeran
Patrick Stansfield Tour Manager of the Year: Curt Jenkins/Miranda Lambert
TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS AWARDS
Coach Company of the Year: Hemphill Brothers Coach Company
Trucking Company of the Year: On Tour Logistics/Averitt
Freight Forwarding Company of the Year: Rock‐it Global
SOUND AWARDS
FOH Mixer of the Year: Ken “Pooch” Van Druten/Iron Maiden
Monitor Mixer of the Year: Pasi Hara/Roger Waters
Audio System Tech of the Year: Krysten Dean & Mark Brnich/Beyoncé
Sound Company of the Year: Sound Image/Jimmy Buffett
Hometown Hero Sound Company of the Year: Brown Note Productions
Indispensable Technology ‐ Audio: DiGiCo Quantum 852 Console
