About Doug McCullough
2006 ILDA Career Achievement Award Recipient: Doug McCullough
With a background of over four decades in the field, Doug McCullough is the principal producer of LASER SHOW DESIGN. At the 2007 International Laser Display Association (ILDA) Conference in Jiangmen, China, Doug received the ILDA Career Achievement Award which honors “exceptional individuals with a distinguished history of achievement in the laser display industry”.
This page contains Doug’s biography (reprinted from the ILDA Awards Banquet Program) along with the various ILDA Awards Doug has received.
Inspired by the music of The Beatles, Walt Disney’s “Fantasia”, Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: Space Odyssey”, and a host of cultural events of the 1960s, Doug McCullough began creating psychedelic light shows for rock concerts in 1968.
His first use of coherent light was in 1970 when he created lumia effects with a Helium-Neon laser in a multi-media performance with avant-garde electronic musician Morton Subotnick. In the mid-1970’s, he formed Audio Visual Imagineering (AVI) as a sole proprietorship. In 1978 he first used high-power Krypton/Argon laser effects for multi-media presentations. In 1979, he fulfilled a lifelong ambition of performing light shows in a planetarium theater with the opening of “Laserdrive” at the Miami Space Transit Planetarium.
Doug concentrated in the 1980’s on developing the potential of laser light shows. One of the first uses of computer laser graphics was in 1982, when he introduced sequential laser animation in a planetarium light show titled “Visual Music”. He also pioneered thematically mixing abstract and graphic imagery in laser show choreography. Doug's shows at New York City’s Hayden Planetarium (which included “Laser Floyd”, “Laser Zeppelin”, and “Laser Beatles”) were legendary.
In addition to planetarium shows, Doug worked on corporate meetings and special events, producing laser presentations for numerous high profile clients. For the corporate market, he developed generic laser “modules” for meeting openings, closings, speaker introductions, coffee breaks, product reveals, etc.
At AVI, Doug innovated the extensive use of scanned mid-air beam effects with no “bounce” mirrors. This “look” of two lasers creating crisscrossing scanned mid-air beam effects has since become an industry standard.
In 1987 Doug helped closely with the founding of ILDA; he served on the original Ethics Committee. Over the next 17 years, he and his team at AVI received numerous ILDA Awards for “hands-on” work in creative show production. In fact, in total number of ILDA Awards received, AVI has won more than any other company save one.
In the early 1990’s, Doug co-invented a 360-degree laser projection system for planetariums known as Omniscan. He also was the first to develop 3-D laser shows using the ChromaDepth technique. In 2000, Doug created the first all-raster laser show done with standard laser scanners. His ILDA Award-winning “Linea” was produced for Pangolin to demonstrate the then-new technique of TV-like raster scanned laser images.
Even now his commitment to laser art remains strong. Doug continues to work in lasers with his new company, Laser Show Design, Inc., which specializes in high-end laser presentations for theme parks, corporate meetings, and special events. In 2006, Doug wrote: “If I look at visual music and light art over the broad historical sweep of the last few hundred years where many have struggled for acceptance, I have a profound appreciation of living at a time when both the technology and the marketplace allow me to pursue my passion.”
For his achievements in pioneering laser artistry and techniques for over three decades, ILDA is proud to present Doug McCullough with the 2006 Career Achievement Award.
International Laser Display Association (ILDA) Awards:
The purpose of the ILDA Awards is to recognize creative achievement in laser display and to establish credibility for the medium. The awards are judged on the basis of creativity, entertainment value and unique application of laser technology.
Here is a list of ILDA Awards received by Doug McCullough:
2017
Edited Film/TV/Video - Second: “Website Promo - Ignite the Night”
Graphics Show - Second: “Shut Up and Dance”
2013
Graphics Show - First: “Shake It Up”
Graphics Show - Third: “Pound Sign”
Beams & Screen Show - First: “Party Rock Anthem”
2012
Graphics Show - Honorable Mention: “Stuck Like Glue”
Abstract Show - Second: “Walkin’ On Sunshine”
2011
Graphics Show - Honorable Mention: “Fireflies”
2010
Abstract Show - Honorable Mention: “Disturbia”
2009
Graphics Show - Second: “Little Bit Of Life”
Graphics Show - Third: “Girlfriend”
Graphics Show - Honorable Mention: “Shut Up And Drive”
Abstract Show - Third: “Into The Night”
Beams & Screen Show - Honorable Mention: “Lovestoned”
2007
Graphics Show - Second: “Spiderman”
Abstract Show - Third: “Fire”
Beams & Screen Show - Second: “Lose Control”
2006
2006 ILDA Career Achievement Award recipient
Abstract Show - First: “Sing, Sing, Sing”
2003
Graphics Module - First: “I’m Too Sexy”
ISP Computer Animation - Second: “Material Girl”
Outdoor Show - Second: “Over The Rainbow”
2002
ISP Computer Animation - Third: “Golden Gate”
2000
Special Application - First: “Linea”
1999
Abstract Design - Second: “Walking On The Sun”
1998
ISP Graphic & Beam Module - First: “Godzilla”
ISP Graphic & Beam Module - Honorable Mention: “Diana”
1997
Outdoor Show - Third: “Darien Lake Amusement Park”
1996
Graphics Module - First: “Third Rock From The Sun”
Multimedia - Third: “Darien Lake - Great Gig In The Sky”
Outdoor Show - Third: “Darien Lake Amusement Park”
1995
Advertisement / Corporate Theater - First: “Ellesse”
Advertisement / Corporate Theater - Third: “Texaco”
Showpiece - Most Humorous: “Elvis In A UFO”
1993
Advertisement / Corporate Theater - First: “BMG Closing”
Graphic Showpiece - Second: “Kung Fu Chickens”
Abstract Show - Third: “I Will Always Love You”
Technical - Third: “Full Dome Projection System”
1992
Abstract Design - Third: “Send Me An Angel”
1991
Mixed Design - First: “U Can’t Touch This”
Advertisement / Corporate Theater - Second: “UA”
1990
Graphic Design Static - First: “Bowie Full Body”
Graphic Design Animation - First: “Fred And Ginger”
Graphic Design Animation - Honorable Mention: “The Twist”
Graphic Design Animation - Honorable Mention: “Puttin’ Out Fire / Flame Lady”
Graphic Design Showpiece - Honorable Mention: “Love Shack”
Abstract Design - Third: “St. Elmo’s Fire”
Mixed Graphic & Abstract Design - Honorable Mention: “Straight Up”
Advertisement / Corporate Theater - First: “Lifesongs”
Advertisement / Corporate Theater - Third: “Bell Atlantic”
Advertisement / Corporate Theater - Honorable Mention: “Battle Of Britain / Dog Fight”
1989
Advertisement / Corporate Theater - First: “MCI Logo”
Abstract Design - Best: “AV Communications”
Graphic Design Animation - Third: “Carburetors In Space”
Graphic Design Showpiece - Third: “Scoutin’ USA”
1988
AV Show / Corporate Theater - Best: “Future Light”
Multi-media Application - Best: “Xerox”