Benztown Unveils Finalists For Iron Image Contest

Benztown today announced that Sideshow Mike Andersen, Triple M Imaging, Southern Cross Austereo in Sydney, Australia, has been chosen as finalist in the fifth annual Iron Imager Contest, an international radio imaging contest where production professionals compete for cash and other prizes and the coveted title of World’s Best Imager.

Andersen will face off against Iron Imager 2013, 2014 and 2015 titleholder, Dan Kelly, Creative Services Director, WPLJ & NASH-FM/New York, in a head-to-head live competition on April 14, 2016, at the All Access Worldwide Radio Summit at the Roosevelt Hotel Hollywood.

Andersen and Kelly 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 20 production libraries and an original script created by the Benztown team. The 2016 Iron Imager will be declared and presented at the Westwood One Awards Luncheon at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 15, 2016. Iron Imager is the first and only competition of its kind.

Sideshow has been been pushing buttons and writing great creative at Australia’s top rock station, Triple M in Sydney since 1995. He worked with breakfast team Andrew Denton and Amanda Keller in the 90s, before moving into the imaging slot.

Four-time challenger and native New Yorker, Dan Kelly, has been Creative Services Director for WPLJ 95.5 FM since 2002 and for WNSH NashFM 94-7, New York since its launch in 2013. Doing the imaging for both formats has been a gratifying experience for Dan, who uses the same principles to create fun and entertaining promos and sweepers for two different audiences, using different voice talent and different styles in his production. This summer marks Dan’s 23rd year in the radio business, which has taken him from stations near his home in the suburbs of New York City to Poughkeepsie, NY, White Plains, NY, Trenton, NJ, and Philadelphia, PA, in both on-air and production roles-- only to have the huge honor to come home to the legendary WPLJ in 2002.

Dave “Chachi” Denes, Benztown President, said: “For the first time ever, Iron Imager will pit two hemispheres against each other, battling it out for the glory of the championship belt! Whether you’re south or north of the equator, you won't want to miss it!"

Iron Imager 2016 finalist Sideshow “Sidey” Mike Andersen said: “Wow! I am so pumped to be the contender. This is gonna be awesome. Never been to L.A., so that’s cool. Can’t wait to get over there. I don’t know much about Dan Kelly. But I’m told that he’s from New York, which is a small town somewhere in the U.S., right? It should be an epic battle! And I’m really hoping Dan has some Aussie clichés and puns to throw at me to get me fired up!!! Bring it on. (Insert boxing bell SFX).”