Bert Berdis To Receive 2004 Radio-Mercury Lifetime Achievement Award
New York, New York – April 30, 2004 -- The Radio-Mercury Awards will honor Bert Berdis with the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his enormous impact on Radio advertising creative. The award will be presented during the 2004 Radio-Mercury Awards Luncheon and Ceremony, an exclusive event produced by the Radio-Creative Fund (RCF), on June 9th at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
An early supporter of the Radio-Mercury Awards, Berdis has been a Radio-Mercury Award winner and finalist. He recently was awarded his 17th consecutive Radio trophy in the London International Advertising Awards and has received a record-breaking 89 Clio’s. He is President of the company that bears his name, Bert Berdis and Company, the renowned Radio production firm that has produced over 20,000 Radio spots for national clients ranging from Aamco to Xerox. Executive Producer Peter Isacksen and Head Writers Jason Cox and daughter Brooke Purdy also provide a constant sense of anarchy and chaos.
After leaving the agency world as Creative Director of Grey Advertising, Berdis joined Dick Orkin to form Dick and Bert, reviving the comic commercial art form with a breakthrough four-year campaign for Time Magazine that garnered 13 Clios.
“Radio is the premiere story-telling medium,” said Berdis. “You can create an image in the listener’s mind that is much more personal than any visual.” When asked how he keeps getting fresh ideas, Berdis replied, “I just start laughing, then work my way backwards to the client.”
“Bert’s sense of humor and grasp of the power of Radio have helped advance our medium in the advertising marketplace,” observed Gary Fries, President of the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) and Co-Chairman of the RCF.
Since segueing to Hollywood, Berdis has also found time to write and perform as a regular on “The Tim Conway Show,” “Beakman’s World” and numerous other programs. He also owns Waves Sound Recorders, four state-of-the-art recording studios that cater to a celebrity clientele. Berdis graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree and from Syracuse University with a Master’s Degree.
The Radio-Mercury Lifetime Achievement Award was conceived in 1997 to honor the very best creative use of Radio as an advertising medium. Recipients include Paul Harvey, America’s #1-rated Radio personality; Charles Osgood, legendary CBS Radio and Television news correspondent and anchor; Keith Reinhard, Chairman and CEO of DDB Needham Worldwide, Inc.; Stan Richards, founder and principal of The Richards Group in Dallas; and Dick Orkin, Creative Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Famous Radio Ranch in Hollywood, California.
The Radio-Mercury Awards were established in 1992 to encourage and reward the development of effective and creative Radio commercials. Approximately 12,000 commercials have competed for over $2.2 million in prizes. The Radio Creative Fund (RCF), a non-profit corporation funded by the Radio industry, governs the Radio-Mercury Awards.
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