Brendan Tacey, Head of Production at the Triple M Network went up against last year’s Iron Imager champion Sam Wickens, Capital FM London’s Assistant Audio Producer in America overnight.
Aussie Brendan Tacey proved too good for the Brit in this year’s Benztown international production contest.
Sam and BT demonstrated their world-class imaging skills by producing an original imaging piece for a format unannounced until the day of the competition. Contestants used elements from one of Benztown’s 23 production libraries, voiceover talent roster, paired with a script from the Benztown team.
Sam Wickens, 27 took home his first Iron Imager title last year, but this year fell to the Aussie champ.
After graduating with an audio production degree at University, Wickens’ career started with a letter to Capital in 2016 – where he landed an internship and then a job the following year with the UK’s #1 Hit Music station. Wickens works from Capital’s Leicester Square office in London. Listen to some of Wickens’ work here.
Brendan “BT” Tacey, is Head of Production for Southern Cross Austereo’s Triple M Network in Melbourne, a position he has held for the last 10 years. He was previously a longstanding Imaging Producer on what was formerly The Today Network, and has worked in the UK for GWR/Capital.
Benztown also recognized Iron Imager semi-finalists in this year’s competition. Those high-performing semi-finalists are: 1st Runner-Up: Jonathan Young, Capital FM/London; 2nd Runner-Up: Chris Longman, Capital FM/London; Honorable Mention: Ilya Myagkov, Europa Plus/Moscow; Honorable Mention: Mikel Vilchez, Flaix FM/Barcelona; Honorable Mention: Alban Rivoal, Fun Radio/France. Production samples here.
Benztown President Dave “Chachi” Denes said: “I believe that all great stations sound different and that’s a key ingredient to their success. The semifinalists epitomized that mantra and produced some of the most creative imaging I’ve ever heard. Selecting just one challenger was exceptionally difficult, but ultimately, it was BT’s comedic chops that won the day.”
The two audio creations from Tacey and Wicks are below.