ILDA Career Achievement Award recipients

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The Career Achievement Award is ILDA's highest honor. It honors "an exceptional individual with a distinguished history of achievement in the laser display industry."

The CAA recipients below can generally be placed into one or more of these categories:
     • Those who helped build significant laser display-related businesses
     • Those who made artistic and technical achievements
     • Those who worked to improve ILDA and the laser display industry.

From 1989 to 2007, Members nominated candidates and a three-person panel made the final selection. Beginning in 2009, Members nominate candidates, and then a few months later vote on the nominees in order to choose each year’s winner.

Recipients are listed below. Click the bar/button with the person’s name for more information about them. Since 2009, this information usually comes from the nominating statement.


1989

Founder of Laser Images Inc., inventor of Laserium® planetarium shows, and the father of the laser show industry

Other nominees for the 1989 CAA: Fred Fenning (2021 CAA receipient), Walter Gundy, Seiji Inatsugu (1990 CAA recipient), Gary Levenberg, Walt Meador, Jennifer Morris (1992 CAA receipient), Floyd Rollefstad (1991 CAA recipient), and Dick Sandhaus.


1990

Co-founder of Laser Media, who made fundamental breakthroughs for laser display technology


1991

Laser Fantasy founder, honored for pioneering work and technical achievements


1992

Co-founder of Image Engineering Corporation and pioneer of digital laser imagery


1993

Award-winning artist and producer at Laser Fantasy and Lightspeed


1994-2003

(Not awarded 1994-2003)


2004

An innovator in laser software, founder of Pangolin Laser Systems, and a strong supporter of ILDA's work


2005

A pioneering laserist whose newsletters, conferences, website and book helped educate and inspire many laserists, and who was a strong supporter of ILDA's work


2006

Early light artist who transitioned into lasers; founder of Audio Visual Imagineering. AVI was an early user of computer laser graphics and is #2 on the all-time list of ILDA Award winners (as of 2006).


2007

President of Pangolin Laser Systems, recipient of numerous ILDA Awards, developer of advanced software and hardware systems, and a strong supporter of ILDA's work.


2008

(Due to a numbering change, there were no awards called “2008 ILDA Awards”. The awards went directly from 2007 to 2009.


2009

President of Lighting Systems Design Inc., tireless proponent of the safe use of lasers. ILDA Safety Committee chair since its inception. A strong supporter of ILDA's work.

Other nominees for the 2009 CAA: Lothar Bopp (2010 CAA recipient), Fred Fenning (2021 CAA recipient), Carl Hannigan, Steve Heminover (2011 CAA recipient), Chris Matthews, Dick Sandhaus, Cory Simpson, Bernd Steinert and John Tilp


2010

Founder and leader of LOBO, one of the major laser light show companies. LOBO has won more ILDA Awards than any other company, and has been a strong supporter of ILDA's work.

Other nominees for the 2010 CAA: Steve Heminover (2011 CAA recipient), Olesya Kazantseva, Cory Simpson, Bernd Steinert and John Tilp


2011

A pioneer in laser computer graphics, who was heavily involved in ILDA's formative years. He served four terms as ILDA President.

Other nominees for the 2011 CAA: Olesya Kazantseva, Cory Simpson, Bernd Steinert and John Tilp


2012

President of LaserNet for 36 years, especially well-known for beam shows, a Founding Member of ILDA, and 4-time host of ILDA Conferences (as of 2012; he hosted again for a fifth time in 2014).

Other nominees for the 2012 CAA: Olesya Kazantseva, Cory Simpson and John Tilp


2013

Founder of KVANT Ltd., which helped bring high quality lasers with affordable prices to the market.

Other nominees for the 2013 CAA: Dirk Baur (2015 CAA recipient), Stephen Harvey, Olesya Kazantseva, Alberto Kellner-Ongaro (2019 CAA recipient), Chris Matthews, Cory Simpson, Michael Sollinger, John Tilp, Dr. Alexander Timofeev (2016 CAA recipient) and Tim Walsh (2014 CAA recipient)


2014

Founding Member of ILDA, past President 2006-2011, Awards Committee chair 1993-2000 and 2006-present. His company Laser Spectacles has won 28 ILDA Awards, and is one of the first two "ILDA Accredited Professional Lasershow Company" Members.

Other nominees for the 2014 CAA: Dirk Baur (2015 CAA recipient), Stephen Harvey, Olesya Kazantseva, Alberto Kellner-Ongaro (2019 CAA recipient), Chris Matthews and Dr. Alexander Timofeev (2016 CAA recipient)


2015

Pioneering German laserist, developer of innovative scanners and laser systems. ILDA Board Member, President, and co-host of the 2000 ILDA Conference.

Other nominees for the 2015 CAA: Stephen Harvey, Alberto Kellner-Ongaro (2019 CAA recipient), Chris Matthews and Dr. Alexander Timofeev (2016 CAA recipient)


2016

Head of Orion-Art Multimedia (winner of 47 ILDA Awards as of 2016), helping to improve Russian lasershows’ quality and safety, and host of the 2011 ILDA Conference.

Other nominees for the 2016 CAA: Stephen Harvey, Alberto Kellner-Ongaro (2019 CAA recipient), Chris Matthews and Glenn Thomas (2018 CAA recipient)


2017

All-time ILDA Award winner as of 2017, three terms on the ILDA Board of Directors, two-time host or co-host of the ILDA Conference.

Other nominees for the 2017 CAA: Stephen Harvey, Alberto Kellner-Ongaro (2019 CAA recipient), Chris Matthews, Paul McCloskey and Glenn Thomas (2018 CAA recipient)


2018

Pioneering performing live laserist, 27 years with Laser Images Inc. (Laserium®) and trainer of many other early laserists.

Other nominees for the 2018 CAA: Alberto Kellner-Ongaro (2019 CAA recipient) and Paul McCloskey


2019

Founder of Laser Entertainment srl of Milan, artistic and technical award winner, ILDA Board member and President

Other nominees for the 2019 CAA: Fred Fenning (2021 CAA recipient), Paul McCloskey and Dani Sawtell


2020

Vice President, LaserNet (Laser Production Network) ILDA Board member and President. Conference Committee chair. Host or co-host of six ILDA Conferences.

Other nominees for the 2020 CAA: Fred Fenning (2021 CAA recipient), Chris Matthews, Paul McCloskey, Roberta McHatton, Dani Sawtell and Casey Stack


2021

Frederick Fenning worked at Laser Displays Inc. and Image Engineering Corp., two early pioneers of laser graphics. He developed many innovative lasershow devices and techniques crucial to laser light show development.

Other nominees for the 2021 CAA: Chris Matthews, Paul McCloskey, Roberta McHatton, Dani Sawtell and Casey Stack


2022

Since the 1970s, Casey Stack has been involved in a wide variety of laser display activities, including show creation, opening new markets, creating new products (such as developing the Alesis ADAT's use for laser show recording and playback) and being active in ILDA and on regulatory committees.

Other nominees for the 2022 CAA: Chris Matthews, Paul McCloskey, Roberta McHatton and Dani Sawtell


There were two Career Achievement Award recipients in 2023. Roberta McHatton was elected by a vote of all Members June 5-20, 2023. On Sept. 13, 2023 the ILDA Board unanimously voted a second 2023 Career Achievement Award fo Walt Meador who was in ill health at the time.

2023

Roberta McHatton has served the laser show industry by working on safety standards committees, by being on the ILDA Board of Directors, by publishing laser show safety information, and by providing laser safety classes and consulting through her company, Laser Safety Services LLC.

2023

Walt Meador is a Founding Member of ILDA who supported the organization for 37 years and did early laser shows in the 1980s.

Other nominees for the 2023 CAA: Ward Davis, Rockne Krebs, Chris Matthews, and Dani Sawtell


For more information, visit our other ILDA websites:

Stacks Image 11369
ILDAmember.com: Membership database and event management, including joining ILDA
Stacks Image 11372
LasershowSafety.info: Information about safe laser shows, including laws, regulations, checklists, and more

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