Dolby's Loan Allen Honored By BKSTS

DolbyÆ Laboratories Vice President Ioan Allen has been honored by the British Kinematograph Sound and Television Society (BKSTS) with their Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award.Created to ""recognize a person who has done something extraordinary and significant that fundamentally changes the industry,"" the award is not given on an annual basis, but only when earned. Mr. Allen has been honored for his contribution to developments in cinema sound. ""I am deeply honored by this Award, particularly as it recognizes all that we have done over the years to make films sound better,"" he said. ""Technical developments are very rarely solo achievements, and more often than not the more visible result of group efforts over months, years, or even decades. This is certainly true in my case, where I am eager to acknowledge the support of many of my peers, both within Dolby Laboratories, and in the industry at large.""Ioan Allen joined Dolby Laboratories in 1969, and was in large part responsible for the origination and development of the Dolby film sound program. ""More recently,"" says the citation, ""he has taken a leading role in moving the industry to red light readers in preparation for dye soundtracks. Additionally, he has been active in persuading the American film industry to limit the sound level on trailers."" His previous honors include SMPTE's Samuel L. Warner Award in 1985; Scientific and Engineering Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1979 and 1987; and an Academy Award of Merit (OscarÆ) in 1989.