Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546135
22 FA L L 2 0 2 6 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y JEFFREY S. WEXLER AWARD MEET THE RECIPIENTS ZAXCOM DEVA: GLENN SANDERS AND HOWARD STARK B y W h i t n e y W o r t h e n While many departments phase in their fourth or fifth technological revolution, the Sound Department works to revolutionize into its second era. As a result, most revolutionary sound inventions remain young and fairly new to film. From the mechanical ingenuity of the Laff Box (1953) to the audio precision of the Sennheiser MKH 416 (1975), the late 20th century grew to become a golden era for sound engineering in film. Today, the CAS honors revolutionary inventors and inventions with the Jeffrey S. Wexler Award. The award honors the advancements in sound technology that have significantly improved existing methods or have materially changed how sound is recorded, edited, mixed, or delivered. The 2026 Jeffrey S. Wexler Award named Zaxcom founder Glenn Sanders and Zaxcom Chief Engineer Howard Stark amongst the inaugural recipients Sound's existence in film started 100 years ago in 1926 with Don Juan having synchronized music and sound effects. It took another two years before the first feature film, Lights of New York, donned the big screen with completely synchronized sound. A Zaxcom Deva 5.8 in use on set.