Woodbury, NY—The PhotoImaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association (PMDA), a respected photo industry organization founded in 1939, will award six individuals for their outstanding contributions to the photography industry on January 9, prior to the opening of the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas.
Sir Howard Stringer, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Sony Corporation, will receive the esteemed Person of the Year honor. Photojournalist Carol Guzy, a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner, will garner Photographer of the Year, and 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics winner Dr. George Smith, a coinventor of the CCD, will be awarded the DIMA Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, Shutterfly CEO Jeffrey Housenbold will be recognized as Visionary of the Year, industry veteran Mona Kelly will be given the PMDA Lifetime Achievement Award, and Canon’s Tatsuo Konno will receive the Technical Achievement Award.
The prestigious PMDA Awards are given annually to the persons or organizations that have made significant contributions or meaningful impacts to the photography industry during the year or over the course of their careers.
This year, the awards will be given out during a celebratory gala event, PMDA’s first “Imaging Night.” Following the awards presentation, attendees will enjoy a sparkling reception at Haze Nightclub in the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas.
“It is our pleasure to spend an evening commemorating the achievements of these six outstanding individuals,” said Joellyn Gray, PMDA president. “Their contributions to the art, technology and business of photography have left lasting footprints in the industry.”
Person of the Year. Sir Howard Stringer, chairman, CEO and president of Sony Corp., has had a distinguished 30-year career as a journalist, producer and executive at CBS, winning nine Emmys as a writer, director and producer from 1973 to 1983 and serving as the company’s president from 1988 to 1995. Stringer is a recipient of the U.S. Army Commendation Medal for meritorious achievement for service in Vietnam (1965-1967).
Visionary Award. Jeffrey Housenbold, president and CEO of Shutterfly, is a new-media visionary with a successful record of building online consumer franchises by combining commerce and community. In just five years, Shutterfly grew from a $120 million company to $300 million under Housenbold’s leadership. Before Shutterfly, he held positions of vice president and general manager of eBay’s business to consumer group and vice president of mergers and acquisitions. Housenbold is the coauthor of The Shutterfly Guide to Great Digital Photos, published by McGraw-Hill.
Lifetime Achievement Award. Mona Kelly, photo and front-end consultant, has amassed 37 years of diverse industry experience, beginning as a part-time associate with Eckerd Drug in the main photo lab, where she rose to plant supervisor. She was instrumental in the dynamic photo growth Eckerd experienced, first as district manager and later as director of photofinishing and vice president, photofinishing. During her time as general merchandise manager of photo and front-end services at Walgreens, Kelly played a leading role in the transformation of the company from a traditional in-store photo service provider to a fully integrated digital and photo lab with online access for consumers.
Photographer of the Year. Carol Guzy, staff photographer of the Washington Post, spent eight years with the Miami Herald before moving to her current position in 1988. Her assignments have included domestic and international stories and documentary reportage. Guzy was honored with the Pulitzer Prize for spot news photography for her coverage of the military intervention in Haiti and a devastating mudslide in Armero, Colombia. Her feature work in Kosovo and an up-close portrait of grief and desperation after a catastrophic Haiti earthquake also won her a Pulitzer Prize.
PMA/DIMA Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. George Smith earned a BA in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955 and a MS and PhD in Physics from the University of Chicago in 1956 and 1959, respectively. In April 1986, he retired from his position at Bell Laboratories as head of the VLSI device department. Recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in physics for the invention of the charge coupled device (CCD), he holds 31 U.S. patents and is author to more than 40 papers.
Technical Achievement Award. Tatsuo Konno, senior general manager, Imaging Communications Products, Camera Development Center, Canon Inc., has worked exclusively on the development of SLR cameras since joining Canon in 1980. He has taken part in the creation of 10 film-based SLRs and six digital SLRs. He played a role in the evolution of Canon’s DSLR technology, supporting EOS’s transition to digital through the EOS D2000 (1998) as well as the introduction of HD movie recording in the EOS 5D Mark II (2008).
PMDA will host Imaging Night 2012 on January 9, 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., at the Haze Nightclub at the Aria Hotel and Casino CityCenter, located at 3730 S. Las Vegas Blvd. The PMDA awards dinner is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and National Geographic.
Founded in 1939, PMDA provides forums throughout the business year for its membership to exchange ideas and learn about new technologies and business trends, in addition to administering programs that promote photography to the general public. Programs and symposiums feature leading photo-imaging product suppliers and retailers, financial analysts and technical experts. The organization also works with PMA to produce TakeGreatPictures.com, a site created to encourage American consumers to find meaningful ways to incorporate photography into aspects of their everyday lives, and help them make intelligent decisions about buying cameras and accessories. pmda.com
