News

By Karen Chambless

Dustin Cawood, assistant professor of communication at Lee University, recently received a Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA) Award in the category of “Outstanding Sound—Television.” He was nominated for his work on Pixar Animation Studios’ “Toy Story OF TERROR!”.

The 9th annual awards ceremony for the HPA Awards took place on Nov. 6 in Los Angeles at the Skirball Cultural Center. Other award-winners included “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Gravity,” “Game of Thrones,” and “Breaking Bad.”

Cawood’s work “Toy Story of Terror!” is a 21-minute Halloween television special that premiered in October 2013. The events are set shortly after the ending of “Toy Story 3” and the program features most of the original cast’s voices.

Winner of a Golden Reel Award in 2011 for his work on “Wall-E,” Cawood has also been nominated for six other Golden Reel Awards. This is his first HPA Award.

“I am thrilled to receive an award for doing something I love,” said Cawood. “The HPA is a great organization, and I am grateful that they chose to honor our team with this award.”

Cawood joined Lee’s Department of Communication Arts in fall 2013. Prior to Lee, Cawood spent 10 years in California working in the film and television industry at Skywalker Sound and Pixar Animation Studios. His credits as sound effect editor/designer include such productions as “Lincoln,” “Star Trek,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” and “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.” He also served as sound designer on “Chasing Ice.”

Cawood is a native of Cleveland, Tennessee. He earned his master of fine arts from Florida State University and his bachelor of arts from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

HPA is the trade association serving the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools, and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. The HPA Awards seek to “foster awareness of post-production, promote creative and technical excellence in the field, and recognize the achievement of post-production talent.”

For more information about HPA or award recipients, visit http://hollywoodpostalliance.org/.