(Hong Kong – 17 November 2011) Ocean Park Hong Kong has produced the first-ever winner from Asia for the IAAPA Best Male Performer award, at the Brass Ring Awards for Excellence, IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) Expo 2011 held in Orlando, Florida on 16 November. Andy Law Ho Tim, who is Assistant Show Supervisor at Ocean Park, has been selected as the winner of the Best Male Performer award, which recognizes the most outstanding male live show performer for the year within member attractions under IAAPA.
By clinching this year’s award, Andy has become its first recipient from Asia, out of a total of 30 nominees. On receiving the award, Andy expressed his gratitude for providing a valuable training ground for him to grow as a performer.
“Since joining Ocean Park 6 years ago, I have performed a number of roles in different shows and received comprehensive training on acting, dancing, clown comedy, juggling, choreography and emcee skills. Performing in Ocean Park has always been immensely satisfying for me as I can interact with the guests up-close and see how they would react. As the Park’s mission is to connect people with nature, I am happy to help deliver messages of conservation and education to them in a fun and entertaining manner. I want to thank Ocean Park for giving me ample learning opportunities and a platform to meet so many guests from around the world, and I hope that more aspiring performers in Hong Kong will join me in the future and showcase their talents in a theme park environment. For me, having real passion and a clear goal is important but being truly open-minded and honest to yourself would help a performer realize his true potential.”
As Assistant Show Supervisor of Ocean Park, Andy joined Ocean Park in 2005 as a part-time performer for Halloween Bash before becoming a full-time performer in 2006.
Ocean Park’s Executive Directors for Operations and Entertainment Todd Hougland congratulated Andy on his success, “Andy has demonstrated his passion for performing day after day at Ocean Park and our guests have enjoyed being entertained by his energetic performances. This recognition is a great honor as the other finalists were incredibly talented as well and this is the first time an Asian performer has taken the top prize. I congratulate Andy on this award and look forward to watching him continue to grow from strength to strength.”
The Brass Ring Awards have been a symbol of excellence for attractions industry marketing for years. Apart from the Best Male Performer award, Ocean Park entered the final round of adjudication in 4 other categories in this year’s Brass Ring Awards:
Marketing Excellence Awards
Category Best Digital Marketing Campaign: All Classes
Finalists Ocean Park, Hong Kong,
Calaway Park Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Luna Park Sydney, Milson Point, New South Wales, Australia
Life Entertainment Excellence Awards
Category Best Live Edutainment Show
Finalists Sea Dreams!, Ocean Park, Hong Kong
Penguin Players, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA
Our Friends from the Sea, Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
The Ed-200-cation Team, Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
Mad Marty, LEGOLAND California, Carlsbad, California, USA
Category Best Sport Show
Finalists Summer Dive Party, Ocean Park, Hong Kong,
Enmax Ice Show, Calgary Stampede, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
African Acrobats of Kenya, Fantawild, Shenzhen, China
La Gara, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Cirque de la Vie, Space Center Houston Texas, USA
Category Best Overall Production $1,000,000 (USD) or more
Finalists Symbio, Ocean Park, Hong Kong
Mickey's Soundsational Parade, Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California, USA
One Ocean, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, Orlando, Florida, USA
Dreams are Universal, Universal Studios Japan, Konohana-ku, Osaka, Japan
The Magic, the Memories, and You!, Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA