Steering away from the long-standing voting process, this year’s TPi Awards saw a restructure which aimed to diversify the shortlist with the introduction of the TPi Academy – largely made of the 2023 winners. This shortlist was then put out to the industry which resulted in more female winners than ever before. With such a marked change in this year’s results, we were keen to speak to a number of this year’s winners to get their thoughts on this significant shift.
Since the Awards inception in 2002, there are six categories that have never seen a female winner. This changed in 2024 with four of these categories seeing a woman receiving the accolade. Rigger of the Year was collected by Katie Flanders; FOH Engineer of the Year was awarded to Anna Dahlin, with Sarah Parker honoured as Lighting Operator of the Year and Colleen Wittenberg winning Video Specialist of the Year – previously, the Des Fallon Video Visionary Award.
Women also dominated in five further categories with Tour Manager of the Year awarded to Rebecca Travis; Production Manager of the Year collected by Alice James; Becky Pell received Monitor Engineer of the Year; Set Designer of the Year was scooped by Misty Buckley, while Tamsin Embleton won the much-coveted TPi Industry Recognition Award.
“I’m still stunned and humbled to have been nominated, let alone win,” Flanders enthused. “There’s always so much more to still learn with rigging and its applications, so much so that I never thought to be in the awards listings!”
Colleen Wittenberg, who won Video Specialist of the Year added: “It honestly feels pretty unreal. I appreciate that this award is peer-decided so to not only be nominated by the industry but to win feels like a big hug from the community; it’s very humbling in the best way. I’m very grateful for the support and people I get to work with.”
FOH Engineer of the Year winner, Anna Dahlin, was the first woman to win this category. “It is nice to get the recognition as we don’t get that often, sometimes we will get audiences turning and thanking us for the show but that’s very rare so winning a TPi award means so much,” Dahlin noted.
Lighting Operator of the Year, Sarah Parker, commented of her win: “I am truly thrilled and pleasantly surprised to have won in my category. I’m proud of the work I’ve done and so thankful for the recognition. It is an honour to be among so many other amazing winners and nominees. I hope to encourage the next generation in our industry, those of all identities, to aim big!”
“It’s great to win this year as the only female in the category” Alice James, winner of Production Manager of the Year said. “But also to be recognised for Production Management across festivals and venues as well as touring. Having visited the awards for the last 10 years it’s a huge honour just to be nominated, and I’m very glad to be a part of the shift towards a more diverse live production industry.”
Rebecca Travis scooped Tour Manager of the Year for her work with Chvrches, James Blake and Paolo Nutini: “I’ve been nominated a few times, but this is my first time winning which is absolutely brilliant, definitely a surprise but such a lovely thing to happen.”
Unfortunately, Misty Buckley – who was crowned Set Designer of the Year, – couldn’t make the event due to being diagnosed with colon cancer in January. “This is a phenomenal year for women in the industry. We are seeing incredible breakthroughs in all parts of the industry, both backstage and in stage,” Buckley noted. “The awards are so important to me because it celebrates this wonderful industry, that continues to thrive despite all the challenges we have all faced in recent years. To be at the table with such incredible, hard working and talented women is a huge honour!”
Becky Pell, Monitor Engineer of the Year, rounded off a successful night for women in the live events industry: “I feel very honoured to have been voted Monitor Engineer of the Year for the second time! It means a lot to receive recognition for the years of hard work and dedication that it’s taken to get here. I couldn’t have done it without the people who believed in my abilities enough to give me the benefit of their experience and support, and those who offered me some important breaks along the way. Of course, none of us do this alone, and I must thank the fantastic bands and production and audio crews I work with, and especially the brilliant monitor techs who help me to do my job to the best of my ability. Rock stars the lot of them!”
Tour Manager and Co-Founder of The ABEP, Nicole Wallace-White told of how she and colleagues felt welcome to book a table after seeing an increase in female shortlisters: “It’s all about visibility,” Wallace-White began. “It shows that the wider industry is being more appreciative and acknowledging that we are working just as hard.” From more inclusive shortlists to more women winning than ever before, Wallace-White and the team were delighted by the results on the night: “It was amazing, for the women to win it highlights a lot this isn’t just ticking a box, it is showing a change in the wider industry and women are standing out and shining.”
While this initial shift was welcomed by the industry on 26 February 2024, as a magazine and Awards body, we are committed to fostering inclusivity and levelling the playing field as the industry evolves to reflect the diversity of its workforce. Hopefully, this small step serves as inspiration for next year’s awards with further categories following suit in recognising the talent and achievements of all individuals, regardless of gender.
