Production Co-ordinator of the Year

Winner: Helen 'Hels Bells' Smith

The Prodigy, Slayer and The Cure are amongst the most recent bands to benefit from the unique skills and wacky humour of one of this industry’s most colourful characters.

Currently living near Milan and known throughout the touring world as the ‘Production Princess’, Hels Bells’ career trajectory began in the late ’80s as a receptionist with Tim Davies’ company, Xylo, followed by a spell as a PA at tour bus firm Berryhurst, before landing her first production job in 1992 as an assistant for Nick Levitt and Sophie Ridley’s GP Presentations on Simply Red’s Stars tour.

The rest is history... a previous TPi Awards winner, Hels has since worked with some of the greatest artists on the planet including David Bowie, The Verve, Depeche Mode, Oasis, David Gray, Sir Cliff Richard, Manic Street Preachers, Genesis and Peter Gabriel.

This year marks the first time that a couple have each won TPi Awards — Helen’s fiancé, Gianluca ‘Gana’ Ganapini has landed 2009’s Rigger Of The Year prize. Must be something in that Milanese water!

Runners up:

Amy Harmsworth • Hannah Blake • Liz Holden • Lizzie Adshead • Ben Price