This year marked a special anniversary for our Trailblazer Awards as we celebrated 10 years of handing out these awards. That is a decade of honoring the top companies, marketers, and initiatives. A decade of parties that quite simply rocked—no matter where we have held them. A decade of kicking off dance parties with break dancers who show everyone how it is really done. A decade of just plain fun. And after 10 years it is still a blast.
This year’s gala was once again held at Gotham Hall, where attendees packed into the former bank building for a night of cocktails, crystal trophies, legendary honorees, and plenty of laughs courtesy of the night’s emcee Judy Gold, an Emmy-award winning actress, writer, and comedian. Plus, after the awards were given out, another lucky four walked away with a fantastic door prize from one of our sponsors. Snow Companies gave away plane vouchers, Dudnyk a Fitbit Versa, Calcium an iPad, and Health Monitor Network handed out two tickets to an upcoming NY Giants game.
And then the real party began as DJ Keith Alexander turned up the music. At that point, win or lose, everyone was just happy to let loose on the dance floor, have a lot of fun, and celebrate all that they have achieved. Here’s to many more years of the same.
All Trailblazer photography by Ruby Star Photography
Brenda Snow, Founder & CEO of the Snow Companies, and Anna Stashower, CEO/Publisher of PM360, outside of Gotham Hall before the celebration begins.
Gotham Hall’s elliptical plan and dome were based on ancient Roman architecture.
The first to arrive head straight to a soon-to-be packed cocktail hour that was perfect for making new connections or meeting old friends.
The cocktail hour kept drinks of all colors flowing.
Finalists for two awards, members from Sentrix Health enjoy a few cocktails before the awards announcement.
Betty Webb of Novo Nordisk (center), our first-ever Diversity/Multicultural Brand Champion, with her husband, Andrew (right), and a colleague.
The large contingent from Calcium, which was one of the night’s sponsors, helped to announce all of the night’s Initiative winners, and also took home an award themselves—the Silver Winner for Advertising Agency of the Year.
Anna Stashower toasting Sander Flaum to all of his many achievements over the course of his career.
Inaugural Vanguard Winner Joshua Lapsker, Chairman of MediSolutions, with Carmena Daidone.
David Traini and Sindhu Jumani of Sentrix Health showed that even though it is black tie recommended, that doesn’t mean you can’t dress in some colors that pop.
Though there is nothing wrong with classic black, as Tim O’Grady of Kick-It Digital proved in his Ralph Lauren tux.
Tom Taveroni came looking sharp as the plus one for his wife, Lauren Taveroni of Xavier Creative House, which was one of the winners for Interactive Marketing Program.
The crystal trophies shone brightly as they waited to be claimed by the winners.
The only space left open within the ballroom of Gotham Hall was the dance floor, but that wouldn’t stay clear for long.
Marian Rice of AbbVie (right) accepting the award for the Gold Pharma/Biotech Company of the Year from Steven Millerman of EMCAY who presented the Company Awards.
James Cheatham of Astellas proudly displays his company’s trophy for Silver Winner Pharma/Biotech Company.
Michael James and Joseph Contrino of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, which was named the Gold Winning Medical Device/Diagnostics Company of the Year.
Snow Companies took to the stage as they were named the Gold Winner for Advertising Agency of the Year.
Two Skpita representatives, Jeff Anderson and Elizabeth Hefner, accept their award as the Silver Winning Supplier/Vendor of the Year.
Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Sander Flaum of Flaum Navigators (left), with industry veteran and friend Don Hayden, who introduced Sander before he went up to accept the award.
Emcee Judy Gold welcoming Mike Weiss of Health Monitor Network to the stage to announce the Brand Champions.
Santos Torres, Jr. of Bausch + Lomb gets a hearty handshake for being named the Ophthalmology/Optometry Brand Champion.
All of this year’s Brand Champions winners sharing the stage for a group shot.
The group from PatientPoint show off their new award as the Gold Winning Supplier/Vendor of the Year.
Ken Begasse, Jr. Partner, CEO of Concentric Health Experience is ready to find out if they won any of the five awards they were up for.
Steve Hamburg and Melissa Morrow of Calcium (on the left) presenting the trophy to the team behind this year’s top Patient/Consumer Education initiative from ViiV Healthcare, Snow Companies, and Havas Tonic.
Arsen Gurabardhi of Concentric Health Experience heading back to his table after accepting their win for the best DTC Campaign of the year.
Marketer of the Year winner Kendra Fanara of Johnson & Johnson with her husband, Joe Meehan (left), and a couple of colleagues from her agency partner, The Entrada Agency.
W2O’s Meghan Wetteland is happy to return to her table with the trophy for best Professional Website/Online Initiative in hand.
Jeri Soendker and Ann Phillips of Intouch Solutions are all smiles following their win for best Sales Aid.
Concentric Health Experience celebrating being called up for their second award of the night—this time for best Self-Promotion campaign.
No lie, Radius and Patients & Purpose took home the Social Media Campaign trophy for their “Fractured Truth” campaign.
Members from Klick Health and Novartis accepting the award for best Unbranded Campaign.
Judy Gold welcomes an excited Anna Stashower back to the stage to announce the door prize winners.
After all the awards were given out, the real party began as everyone took to the dance floor.
It wouldn’t be the PM360 Trailblazer Gala without the break dancers to kick off the dance party.
Carl Ceo, a Creative Director at MRM//McCann, volunteered to help one of the break dancers show off just how high he could go.
Anna Stashower thanked the two dancers for putting on an impressive show.
Susan Herriott of HyperPointe (right) and a couple of friends take a selfie to remember the night.
Would a couple of cocktails help entice Calcium’s Bill Riordan and Don Feiler to join their colleagues on the dance floor?
Two of Calcium’s executive leaders, Judy Capano and Steven Michaelson, had a lot to be happy about as the agency was named the Silver Winner for Agency of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Colleagues from Avadel Pharmaceuticals and Fingerpaint who worked together on one of the finalists for Unbranded Campaign.
Sanjiv Mody and Ben Voss of PIXACORE, which was up for three awards, including Agency of the Year.
It wasn’t the tango, but Thomas McGuire from Avadel Pharmaceuticals still took a rose from a table centerpiece to add a prop to his dance moves.
Anna Stashower, CEO/Publisher of PM360, and Dawn Sebti, Creative Director of PM360.
PM360 Associate Publisher & General Manager Jon Brulloths and PM360 Publisher/CEO Anna Stashower.
Anna Stashower had a lot to celebrate herself after throwing another unforgettable celebration.
PM360’s Awards Coordinator Kayla Walsh (center) deserved to let loose now that this year’s Trailblazers had finally come to an end.
