Iron Imager Contest: Aussie Brad Leask to Defend His Title

Benztown, a global leader in radio imaging, voiceover services, production libraries, programming and jingles, announced that UK audio imaging professional Sam Wickens has been selected as the finalist in the 7th Annual Iron Imager Contest, the international radio imaging contest where audio production professionals compete for the title of World’s Best Imager. Current Iron Imager Champion Brad Leask, Network Imaging Producer, NOVA Entertainment, Sydney, Australia, will face off against Wickens in a head-to-head live competition on Thursday, May 3, 2018, at the Worldwide Radio Summit at the W Hollywood Hotel. Iron Imager is the first and only competition of its kind.

Benztown also recognized Iron Imager semi-finalists who captured Honorable Mention status in this year’s competition. Those high-performing semi-finalists are: Jonathan Young, Audio Producer, Global, London; Brendan Tacey, National Head of Production, Southern Cross Austereo, Melbourne; Jordana Klein, Imaging Producer and Voice Talent, Toronto; Chris Longman, Imaging Producer, Global, London; Ryan Drean, Worldwide Voiceovers and Audio Production, Dallas; and Sergey Zelentsov, Head of Production, Europa Plus, Moscow. 

Leask and Wickens will demonstrate their world-class imaging skills by producing an original imaging piece for a format unannounced until the day of the competition.

Contestants will use elements from one of Benztown’s 23 production libraries, voiceover talent roster, paired with a script from the Benztown team. 

Iron Imager 2018 Challenger Sam Wickens, 26, is Audio Production Assistant for Capital FM in Hornchurch, Essex (Greater London). Wickens’ career started with a letter and a teabag – a way to get his foot in the door, where he landed a job in 2016 with Capital FM, the UK’s #1 Hit Music station, after earning a degree in audio production and working as an intern. Wickens works from Capital’s Leicester Square office, creating world-class audio content and imaging for over eight million listeners every day. He also handles major production projects for the Capital Network, including Capital’s Summertime Ball and Jingle Bell Ball concerts at Wembley Stadium and the O2, creating audio backstage at these events and at other outside broadcasts. To hear some of Wickens’ work, visit: https://soundcloud.com/spwickens. 

Iron Imager 2017 Champion Brad Leask took home his first Iron Imager title last year. Leask has been NOVA Entertainment’s Network Imaging Producer for the past four years. While undertaking an advanced Diploma of Sound Production at RMIT, Brad became part of NOVA Entertainment’s Internship Program. In February 2014, Brad joined that company as an Imaging Producer and within 12 months had developed his skills to take on his current role crafting the imagery for NOVA Entertainment’s Nova and smoothfm networks, Star 104.5 and FIVEaa. To hear some of Leask’s work, visit: https://soundcloud.com/brad_leask.