PORT OF SEATTLE
MEMORANDUM
COMMISSION AGENDA
Item No.
4b
Date of Meeting
October 4, 2011
DATE: September 28, 2011
TO: Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer
FROM: Patricia Akiyama, Director, Public Affairs
Jane Kilburn, Director, International Tourism
Nancy Blanton, Manager, Business and Corporate Communications
SUBJECT: Special Order of Business: Communications Awards for Centennial Products
BACKGROUND:
The Port of Seattle’s Centennial provides a rare opportunity to demonstrate to the community
and region on a broad scale the important role the Port has played over the decades in business
development, job creation and environmental stewardship; and also to encourage individual
exploration, learning and interaction with the Port.
To honor our Centennial year and inform the community about our history and ongoing mission,
the Public Affairs Department has created a number of products and publications. We are
pleased to inform you that two of those products have received significant national recognition.
SUMMARY:
In early January 2011, the Port launched and promoted the interactive “Centennial Map and
Timeline.” This site has won three national awards, including an Award of Excellence from The
Communicator Awards, awarded by the International Academy of Visual Arts; a Clarion Award
from the National Association for Women In Communications; and an Award of Excellence
from the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). The Centennial website encourages
visitors to explore our history, from 1911 to the present, by clicking on a map, a decade, or a
property. The site includes slide shows, videos, events listings, and the opportunity for anyone in
the community to add their own story.
AAPA also selected our 30-minute documentary, “Voices of the Port,” for an Award of
Excellence, and noted that this work was “an absolute standout” with judges, garnering a perfect
score in its category. The project employs a “then and now” technique of melding views of Port
landmarks today and in the past, through video montages. It also features a series of video
interviews with Port of Seattle employees, retirees, friends and business partners, as well as local
COMMISSION AGENDA
T. Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer
September 23, 2011
Page 2 of 2
historians. Their stories are woven together with archival photos, films and contemporary video
footage of Port operations.
“Voices of the Port” was widely distributed to cable stations across King County and has been
shown numerous times. It also has been presented at organization and community meetings
throughout the year.
The two AAPA awards were presented September 14 during the AAPA’s 100
th
annual
convention, which was hosted in Seattle as part of our Centennial year.
