Genie Industries Sales Manager Scott Owyen has been awarded a Silver Communicator Award in the audio category of Inspirational Recording with special achievement noted for the Production of Original Music.
Owyen was awarded the distinction by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA) for his original blues song “Genie Blue,” a reference to the company’s blue aerial lifts.
“This is such an honor and thrill for me,” said Owyen. “Presenting this song started off as simply a fun and wild way to wrap up a meeting, but it has blossomed into something much bigger. The song really encapsulates the way we try to have fun at Genie — it’s another way to communicate what type of company we are.”
With more than 9,000 entries from around the world, the Communicator Awards is the largest and most competitive awards program honoring the creative excellence of communications professionals. The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the IAVA, a 200-plus member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media. Current IAVA membership represents a “who’s who” of acclaimed media, advertising and marketing firms including: Condè Nast, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, HBO, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Victoria’s Secret, Wired, Yahoo! and many others.
Genie Media Producer, Phil McCoy, recognized the potential of the song and brought Owyen together with producer/arranger Geoff Ogle of goplaymusic.com. Together, they recorded the song as an electric blues tune just as Owyen envisioned it.
“Scott has magical songwriting ability — and combined with Geoff’s talent for quality production and arrangement, we had a winning combination,” said McCoy. “Working with Scott and Geoff on ’Genie Blue’ was a career highlight. I love the sound, it’s phat and from the first note of Scott’s blistering guitar performance, you’re hooked.”
“All I can say is this is really cool,” said Ron DeFeo, CEO of Terex Corporation, the parent company of Genie. “It is nice to be recognized by your peers and appreciated for the excellence achieved in this artistic pursuit. But for the business men and women to appreciate it as well, then it is just downright remarkable. Whatever we do in life it is important to have fun.”
Owyen’s “Genie Blue,” as well as other company-themed music, has been used as CD giveaways at trade shows and company events. Owyen now leads the Terex All-Star Band, which kicks off company events throughout the year.
To hear the song, visit www.genieindustries.com/genieblue.
