A special award was introduced at the sixth annual MOST Awards to celebrate selfless contribution to the media industry. The Shepherd Award was handed to Paul Middleton, managing director of Ebony and Ivory, for his consistent commitment to the advertising and media sector. His creative contributions, wise counsel, time and boundless energy have been volunteered to media industry bodies such as the South African Audience Research Foundation (Saarf), the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), the Advertising Media Forum (AMF), and the Loerie Awards over many years.
“Paul Middleton has selflessly contributed to the broader media and marketing industry for over two decades. And he has done so without seeking a profile, a cheque or acknowledgement. Over the years he has volunteered to assist and support numerous industry bodies. We read and speak a lot about giving back, but much of this is platitude. Paul stands out as someone who in his heart, believes it is important, and he has done so selflessly for the benefit of our sector,” says Sandra Gordon, CEO and founder of Wag the Dog Publishers.
The purpose of The MOST Awards is to constantly improve and set benchmarks for excellence in the media agency and media owner sectors. The MOST Awards is an independent web-based survey commissioned by Wag the Dog Publishers and conducted by Freshly Ground Insights (FGI) to help media agencies and media owners to assess and improve their service delivery to their clients, and to their media owner or media agency partners, which ultimately will lead to a better industry for everyone. The Shepherd Award is Wag the Dog Publisher’s way of acknowledging an individual who has contributed a great deal for little reward.
IMAGE: Wanele Mngomezulu (SABC), Sandra Gordon (Wag the Dog) and Paul Middleton, winner of the Shepherd Award
