By ANTHONY RIFILATO
For the Long Island advertising industry, however, there are the BOLI Awards, one of the most prestigious competitions in the New York area that celebrates the best creative work in the advertising and marketing field.
Hosted by the Long Island Advertising Club, a non-profit association of advertising firms, the Best on Long Island (BOLI) awards is a nationally recognized advertising and marketing awards program that attracts participation from agencies, corporate marketers and others in the industry. The BOLI statuettes presently reside in 31 states and five foreign countries.
Now, a Baldwin resident has been added to that venerated list: Andy Randazzo, who owns Baldwin-based Hitstate Design Group. Hitstate was honored at the 34th Annual BOLI Awards on May 7 at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, where Randazzo received several major awards for his advertising and marketing firm's eye-catching designs which he said have generated a major buzz in the industry.
"This is a very big deal for us at Hitstate," Randazzo said. "We're in competition with the biggest and the best advertising agencies on Long Island."
The event drew over 700 of Long Island's best and innovative advertisers and marketers, and represented thousands of companies and non-profit organizations across the region, according to the LIAC's Web site. Randazzo's company walked away with five awards, including the coveted BOLI statue, a major accomplishment, Randazzo said, especially since Hitstate was competing with big-name agencies such as Austin Williams, Greenstone Fontana and Walter Cameron.
"This is our first real award, and it shows that we're competing with some of these larger firms - and winning," he said. "The BOLI is like the Oscar for advertising and marketing firms."
Randazzo, a 34-year-old Baldwin High School graduate, launched Hitstate in 2005, after spending a decade working as a graphic designer for advertising agencies in Los Angeles, where he worked with high profile clients such as Sony, ESPN and The Food Network. Ever since he returned to Baldwin, he has continued to design and "brand" for companies ranging from Columbia TriStar Pictures to the Game Show Network.
"It seems that things have transferred over well," Randazzo said, explaining that he still maintains a portfolio of clients that stretch from L.A. to New York. "We were doing well in L.A., and now we're doing well here, we're doing well in the marketplace. We're not as big as the other agencies, and I bet a lot of people at the ceremony were like, 'Who are those guys?'"
The 34th Annual BOLI competition drew 1,364 entries in 95 categories. Hitstate clinched three bronze certificates for its Web, logo and print designs, as well as one silver certificate for its logo work. The company also won a BOLI statue for a multimedia and interactive campaign it produced for a non-profit organization called WOMEN'SRIGHTSNY.com., a group of attorneys who represent individuals experiencing workplace discrimination, specifically issues affecting women.
"They're a group of lawyers that work with women," Randazzo said. "The firm was making a promotional piece. They initially wanted a video, but we suggested a CD and interactive presentation, which was much more modern."
Hitstate has received awards before, and was recently given the American Design Award for its logo work. Hitstate's portfolio continues to grow, and the company is currently doing work for clients such as Rainbow Media, the owner of cable television channels American Movie Classics, Independent Film Channel and FUSE, Randazzo said.
Winning the BOLI award, Randazzo said, was a clear indication that his boutique agency is quickly gaining recognition and establishing itself on the East Coast. "There were a lot of congratulatory statements," Randazzo said. "It was a big night for us. It was very cool."
Comments about this story? Baldwineditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
