Wm. Randy Wood
- Producer
In 1981 Wm. Randy Wood began conducting "Lip Sync" contests held in
Seattle area nightclubs. These contests involved ordinary people
competing head to head lip-syncing the words by popular recording
artists recreating in spectacular fashion the make-up, the hairstyles,
the costumes - every movement and every gesture of their favorite
performers. Just imagine, seeing look-a-like recreations of your
favorite artist or group in concert on your stage. In late 1982
lip-sync contests became so popular among club owners Mr. Wood
incorporated Lip Sinc International and implemented a licensing and
training program so clubs operators could conduct their own local
search. This licensing program was unique in that the contests ran for
eight consecutive weeks renewable at the same terms and conditions. The
club owners had such great financial success with this format they
renewed their license several times returning many times their initial
upfront investment in the promotion. Mr. Wood continued to refine the
contest format and further developed the concept as an entertainment
form of mass appeal with contestants, sponsors, and the media.
"Lip-syncing" as it came to be popularly known, became a national
sensation, receiving considerable attention from dozens of local
television stations around the country. Lip Sync International's Lip
Sync performers appeared nationally on numerous occasions on such shows
as "PM Magazine", "Solid Gold", "The Dance Show", "Entertainment
Tonight" and internationally on the television show "Entertainment USA"
on the BBC in Europe and on CTV in Canada. Likewise, news accounts and
feature articles about the contests appeared in numerous publications
around the country. By the spring of 1984 Mr. Wood licensed over 1500
preliminary contests in 30 cities, and had conducted two National
Finals. In April 1984 Mr. Wood joined forces with Dick Clark
Productions stepping into the position of consulting producer for a
brand new television series Puttin on the Hits based on the lip-sync
contest format he had created and used in clubs nationwide. With the
new show airing in September Mr. Wood immediately converted his
contests around the country to official auditions for Puttin' on the
Hits providing a continuous flow of eager contestants for the series.
Grand Final winners from these club auditions in over fifty cities
across America were given a chance in Hollywood to compete for the
$25,000 Grand Prize. The series aired from September 1984 to 1988 in 26
countries, and was nominated twice for the Daytime Emmy Awards. Watch
for the all new America's Lip Sync Star Television Show coming soon.