In Memoriam: Andrew Lorenz - Sportvision and SMT Vet, Emmy Award-Winning Innovator, Beloved SVG Community Member Friends and colleagues gathered to celebrate his life on March 5 By SVG Staff
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 - 1:20 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Longtime SMT and Sportvision vet Andrew Lorenz
Andrew Francis Lorenz - a longtime vet of Sportsvision and SMT, an Emmy Award-winning member of the sports-broadcast community, and an integral part of enhancing the live sports viewing experience - died peacefully on Feb. 20 at his home in Campbell, CA.
Lorenz, 44, played a key role in a variety of groundbreaking technical innovations, including virtual-advertising insertion for MLB and NHL; KZONE for ESPN; virtual-offside-line technology (SMT-VOL) for the Portuguese Football Federation and FIFA; and Synthetic Video for the Triple Crown races and Australian Rules Football. His latest projects were implementing virtual-graphics enhancements (NITRO) for NHRA and team and broadcast analytics for NASCAR.
On March 5, friends and colleagues of Lorenz gathered in Campbell, CA, to pay their respects and celebrate his life. Mike Davies, SVG chairman and SVP, technical and field ops, FOX Sports, recounts the event:
If you were at the service, it would have been obvious as to what Andrew did for his living - and what kind of passion he had for it.
Around the room where the service and reception took place was a shocking variety of credentials (a couple from only a few months ago). There were hats and other swag from every network, as well as balls, bats, uniforms, and, in the corner of the room, a green board.
Some of the credentials that Andrew Lorenz accumulated during his career
You see, Andrew worked on and loved a lot of sports, but his favorite by far was baseball. And the green board complicated that love. The green board, of course, is the ubiquitous chromakey green panel used to key virtual ads on TV.
On one hand, the green board was the key to going to the game and, while there, going to places on the ball field no one gets to go: behind home plate, in the dugout, even on the field itself. But, on the other hand, it could be an infernal frustration: when the lights or the paint wasn't just right, when the gaff tape that framed it frayed or came loose, or when the whole virtual-ad system was simply just not performing the way it ought to.
I've even heard that technicians who worked for the company, particularly in the early days, had nightmares about different things going wrong with it.
Nevertheless, Andrew never complained about it. In fact, he had a sense of humor about it. He had a sense of humor about everything; I guess those of us in this business have to have that. His was particularly acute, to say the very least.
In fact, he never complained about anything, even in illness. In the last text I got from him, perhaps a week before he passed, he asked if there was anything he could do for me.
He was well taken care of by his family, especially in his final weeks: his amazing mother, Patricia, and Carissa and their sons, Ethan and Henry. I know he wished he had more time with his sons - the unifying regret of those who work in our business.
More of Lorenz's industry credentials
At the service, I learned a lot about him. I learned he was a musician, that he considered joining the priesthood while in high school. I also learned that he had an old-school typewriter he would write friends with. He used this typewriter to write his best friend, Jim, as to how he might have seen his own funeral service - all the way back in 2013. He was joking, of course, which those who knew him would understand.
Nevertheless, requests were honored so hot dogs were served; a bagpiper played (as specified, for dramatic effect ) a drawn-out version of Scotland the Brave, as I recall; and Take Me Out to the Ballgame was played (the most traditional version available), along with a polka ( Roll Out the Barrel ) in a strange juxtaposition given the circumstances.
He was a member of our Sports Video Group family. I remember he enjoyed seeing everyone at the events and embodied so many of the things that we try to live up to: a passion for the business, an unwaveringly good attitude while performing it, and a unique ability to care for everyone with whom he interacted.
We will miss him and will celebrate the indelible mark he made on the business he loved so much. SMT should be recognized for the same qualities for taking such good care of him and standing by him consistently over the years.
Lorenz is survived by his two sons, Ethan, 19, and Henry, 9; his former spouse, Carrissa; his mother, Patricia; and half-siblings Fred, Gregory, Harry, Jay, Jeaneen, Jeanne, Julia, and Michael. He is preceded in death by his father, Harold, and his half-sister, Jennifer. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in his memory, CLICK HERE.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
In Memoriam: Andrew Lorenz - Sportvision and SMT Vet, Emmy Award-Winning Innovator, Beloved SVG Community Member Friends and colleagues gathered to celebrate his life on March 5 By SVG Staff 
