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Dean Cornwell Achievement Award

JUNE 28, 2010

Dean Cornwell Achievement Award

 

At the Society of Illustrators President's Dinner last Friday June 25th, along with Robert Zimmerman the main man who created this here Drawger, Illoz, Bite-Sized Snack...and other internet realities, we received the Dean Cornwell Achievement Award.  We got the award for 'conceiving and implementing' and 'creating the customized website portal' competition system that every illustrator, student and school have been using for the last 4 years to enter Society of Illustrators competitions.

From start to finish, it took me about a year and a half to get through the process.  Dealing with logistics, money and what needs to be built and then Zimm came in the last 6-8 months and built it.

Thinking back, it was an amazing project to do because so many other changes were occurring at that same time with the newly hired Anelle Miller as Executive Director. I remember getting pretty cranky along the way because it was a long project to deal with and I was nervous about how it would work.  Also, most of the professional illustration industry and hundreds of schools were going to use it!  It HAD to work! Thankfully, cool-as-a-clam Zimm always had a way of making sure I wasn't taking things too seriously.  When I started freaking out during the testing stages and some stuff didn't work, inevitably there will be some silly sound-effect or link that took my to some sort of nefarious website that he would sneak in somewhere when I wasn't looking which made for some great laughs.  If anyone knows him, you know he's got a wit and laugh that you just can't help yourself to laugh along with.

In the end, he built an awesome competition manager.  When everyone saw how amazing it worked, the Society's Board decided to start using it for everything else.  It has been amazing to see it grow after that first year.  Major props to Zimm for helping me make the vision a reality with his ninja-like coding skills then taking it further with Anelle for all the other competitions!  Also...props to Josh Carpenter...the quiet guy in the background that seems to never get enough credit!

Thank you Zimm and Josh and thanks to the Society for giving us the award.

As an aside...a special thanks to Zimm for creating Drawger, Illoz and the other piles of illustration-based sites and putting passion behind the possibilities in the illustration world.  It's changed a lot of things in the illustration biz over the years and more changes will come.  Congrats, buddy.

We wanted to make sure we gave the Society all our love for giving us the award!  Zimm is a good kisser.
...and for some shots of the evening....
Greg Manchess and myself comparing facial hair notes....
A view from Table 1. That's right...they put me and Zimm at Table 1.
Irene Gallo presenting an award.
Tim O'Brien also at Table 1...ho-hum...text, text, text...he was an hour away from the beginning of his vacation.... ;o)
Me, Kristina Carroll and Victor Juhasz
Zimm with his Mom and Dad.
Wilson McLean receiving the Hall of Fame Award.
John Jude Palencar receiving the Hamilton King Award.
...and of course, Zimm and I playing with our Droid phones looking at Drawger during the whole ceremony! :o)
© 2024 Scott Bakal