The Hospital Awards 2006

Tuesday 3rd October 2006 - Il Bottaccio, 9 Grosvenor Place, Belgravia London

Hosted by Will Turner

Cream of British creative talent amongst the winners of The Hospital Awards, Catherine Tate (above)

Actress Catherine Tate, record producer Stephen Street, stylist and journalist  Katie Grand, interactive media artists Blast Theory, groundbreaking website YouTube.com, lighting designer Paule Constable, film-maker Joe Wright, books publicist Fiona McMorrough and artist Fiona Banner honoured for their outstanding creative contribution at the inaugural Hospital Awards by an eminent panel of judges.

The Hospital Awards founded by The Hospital to honour the most creative individuals working in the media and arts in the UK.  At an informal dinner on the evening of 3rd October the following nine awards were given:

TELEVISION
Catherine Tate

MUSIC
Stephen Street

PUBLISHING AND JOURNALISM
Katie Grand

INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Blast Theory

ADVERTISING
youtube.com

THEATRE
Paule Constable

FILM
Joe Wright

BOOKS
Fiona McMorrough

ART
Fiona Banner

Judges include Eric Fellner, Nira Park and Matthew Vaughn (Film), Mike Smith, Jo Whiley and Alex James (Music), Liz Calder, Peter Florence and Andrew O’Hagan (Books), Johnny Hornby, Robert Saville and Andy McLeod (Advertising), Sally Greene, Michael Grandage and Michael Attenborough (Theatre), Camilla Wright, Brent Hoberman and Fred Deakin (Interactive), Mike Souter, Roger Alton and Miranda Sawyer (Publishing & Journalism), Dawn Airey, Roly Keating and Eileen Gallagher (TV) and James Lingwood, Gavin Turk and Gill Hedley (Art).

The Hospital is the state-of-the-art community for creative industry collaboration in the UK. As part of that community, the philosophy behind The Hospital Club is to encourage and develop creative talent, and one of the initiatives which support this is the mentoring scheme, putting together up and coming creative talent with some of the leading figures in the creative industries.

The Hospital Awards were been launched to extend and deepen this commitment in the way they seek to recognise and honour the creative industries and to further develop career mentoring for up and coming talent; on acceptance of their award the winners have also made a commitment to contribute their time and advice to The Hospital mentoring scheme.

Judges, each eminent in their own creative industry, honored nine individuals for their “creative excellence” in each Award category. The categories are Interactive Media, Music, TV, Film, Contemporary Art & Design, Books, Publishing & Journalism, Theatre and Advertising. The Awards were given at an informal dinner for 130 invited guests at 9 Grosvenor Place.

Will Turner, Group CEO of The Hospital says ‘We started these awards to celebrate the rich tradition of creative excellence in the UK is renowned and to develop a framework to encourage the nuturing and development of up-and-coming creative talent.’

Catherine Tate said: "I'm honoured to have been chosen as the winner of the prestigious television award. Not only are the Hospital awards about recognising the whole spectrum of arts, but also about encouraging and mentoring exciting, emergent talent."

Stephen Street commented “Back in the early Eighties, when I started as an assistant engineer at the Fallout Shelter (in the basement of Island Records), I could never have imagined that over twenty years later I would be receiving an award like this. I love the word 'Creative'. I think it sums up everything that is right about the positive side of the music scene in this country. Since the legacy laid down by the Beatles and the Stones, us Brits have been pretty good in the world market place at keeping the creativity going and I feel proud to be just a small part of that hard working group of people working in studios all over this country. I would like to thank the panel for selecting me for this award but also thank all the wonderful artists who have given me the chance to work with them on their recordings over the last couple of decades or so.

Blast Theory commented "Blast Theory are delighted to receive the award. It's a great honour to be recognised by such an auspicious panel."

Paule Constable said: It is both thrilling and surprising to be singled out for this award. Thrilling because it makes me incredibly proud and surprising because the judges did not chose to give it to the more obvious - an actor, manager, building - but to a lighting designer. Lighting Design is rarely acknowledged and this award puts all lighting designers in a stronger position. A huge thank you from me and all my colleagues.”

Fiona McMorrough Founder & Director, FMcM Associates commented "I am especially pleased to win this award because it celebrates creativity.  As an agency, our job at FMcM is to support and champion the writers we represent with gusto.   To be acknowledged by this particular panel of judges, each of whom I have admired for years, in the context of my peers in other industries, is quite unexpected and deeply gratifying.  I am thrilled."

Fiona Banner commented: “It's a great thing, here's an award that is about giving not taking. Making art is often about finding a way to share ideas and possibilities so this scheme is a way of extending that notion (sharing).”

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