
SVG Returns to In-Person Events With Industry-Unifying Esports Production Forum in L.A. How the pandemic has changed industry operations was a primary focus By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Thursday, November 18, 2021 - 1:34 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
On Tuesday, the Sports Video Group held its first in-person event in 616 days. The Esports Production Summit at the Sheraton Universal In Los Angeles drew more than 200 attendees and reunited the esports-production community in a face-to-face gathering for the first time in two years.
The full day of panels, keynotes, and case studies delved deep into the next-gen workflows deployed by today's top esports tournament producers, publishers, and platforms. The event, which required proof of vaccination and masks in the main ballroom, was spearheaded by the SVG Esports Production Advisory Committee and co-chaired by a pair of industry stalwarts: EA Group Head of Content and Programming Joseph Lynch and ESL Gaming Senior Global Manager, Procurement/Executive Producer, Special Events, Simon Eicher.
Two years ago when we were in this room together, if you had told us we were going to have to do what we did the last 18 months, we would have said you were nuts, said Lynch during his welcoming remarks. But, when the whole world stopped, we dug in and the whole [broadcasting] industry looked to the people in this room to figure out how we were going to do production. The people in this room figured it out because that's what we do. That's what esports is. Esports is about figuring things out and getting the job done.
EA's Joe Lynch, who chaired the event, kicked off the SVG Esports Production Summit with his opening comments.
I've been working in this business a long time, he continued. In 25 years in entertainment, sports, and news, never have I seen competitors get together to solve a problem as a group. It was really impressive. It's what this community is all about. It's what esports is all about. I am very excited to be here and excited to be here with you all.
Over the past year and a half, the esports-production industry has undergone a historic transformation as a result of the pandemic. Although esports organizations were largely ahead of the curve when it came to cloud- and remote-production technologies, the pandemic fast-tracked the technological roadmaps and brought the technologies to the forefront. Tuesday's event showcased these trailblazing efforts and provided a preview of what's ahead for the industry.
The SVG Esports Production Summit kicked off with an inside look at Riot Games' historic 2021 League of Legends World Championship production, which recently concluded in Iceland. Riot Games Director, Esports Creative, Carrie Dunn and Executive Producer, Global LoL Esports and Wild Rift Esports Events, Nick Troop explained how their respective teams pulled off the monumental live broadcast in the face of unprecedented challenges, including a last-minute move from China to Iceland.
EA's Joe Lynch, who chaired the event, kicked off the SVG Esports Production Summit with his opening comments.
Next up was a state-of-the-industry report on the latest live-production tech and workflows by esports broadcast leaders: EA's Lynch; Matt Arden, head of content and media, NBA 2K League; Matt Donovan, broadcast engineering and technology manager, Riot Games; Andrew Lane, director, broadcast and production, FACEIT; David Light, broadcast engineer, solutions, Activision Blizzard Esports.
Eicher then remotely provided a behind-the-scenes look at ESL Gaming's EMEA production hub in Katowice, Poland, one of the largest and most sophisticated esports-production facilities in Europe.
The Return of LAN Events & Live Venues panel offered a look at how the live-production industry is confronting a new normal, blending the remote workflows deployed during the pandemic with traditional onsite production methods. On the panel were TJ Canty Jr., director, events and operations, NBA 2K League; Andrew Lane, director, broadcast and production, FACEIT; Amber Luther, planner, senior associate, Populous; Heather Rosenfeldt, VP, business operations, ESL Gaming America; and Ryan Thompson, co-founder/chief production officer, Esports Engine.
The SVG Esports Production Summit offered technology exhibits displaying cutting-edge gear for esports events.
After an outdoor lunch, the most integral piece of the esports storytelling ecosystem took the stage: the observer team. Virtual in-game camera operators, observers are responsible for constructing a coherent narrative out of the ballistic, expansive action taking place within the game. Moderated by Do Not Peek Entertainment co-founder/Managing Director Jason Baker and featuring Royce Dickerson, executive producer, EA, the panel comprised Phil Englert, business development manager, esports, Ross Video; Heather sapphiRe Garozzo, CS:GO/VALORANT observer/VP, talent, Dignitas; James Grieve, Battle Royale observer/director; and Xavier LaTorre, lead observer, Call of Duty League, Blizzard Entertainment.
Riot Games' Carrie Dunn (far right) and Nick Troop (center), here with SVG Chief Editor Jason Dachman, provided an inside look at the 2021 League of Legends World Championships during their Opening Keynote.
The on-stage program closed with a panel examining the future of cloud and remote productions and asking the question What Technologies Will Stick From the COVID Era?. Moderated by The Switch VP, Gaming, Charles Conroy, the panel comprised Michael Bergeron, senior category owner, production systems and advanced technology, Panasonic; Ryan Cole, senior director, broadcast technology, Cosm (formerly with Activision Blizzard Esports); Robert Erickson, strategic account manager, sports and venues, Grass Valley; Brian Gr
More from Sports Video Group
02/07/2025
Progressive realism: Aurora on taking up the broadcast reins for World RX alongs...
02/07/2025
Great speed: New host broadcaster Aurora on getting the World RX 2025 season pro...
02/07/2025
Seat of its pants: Aurora boxes clever and looks ahead for the FIA as new host b...
02/07/2025
UEFA Women's Euro 2025: EBU, BBC Sport and Sunset Vine talk coverage plans, ...
02/07/2025
UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Women's Super League launches new content series...
02/07/2025
UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Ignite puts fans and players front and centre with t...
02/07/2025
Storytelling in the Live Game Broadcast: ESPN Director Jimmy Platt Breaks Down t...
02/07/2025
CONCACAF's Miguel Angel Garcia on the Gold Cup's Enhanced 2025 Productio...
01/07/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Spyrosoft's Jonathan Witty on Futher Business Exp...
01/07/2025
The NIL Effect: How the Shifting Business of College Athletics Impacts On-Campus...
01/07/2025
Cherry on the cake: Inside the technical production of the Tour de France 2025 w...
01/07/2025
NESN's Josh Jun on Keeping Alternative Broadcasts Fresh for Boston Red Sox, ...
01/07/2025
TNT Sports Races Back Into NASCAR With Fresh Look, Familiar Edge Production approach emphasizes creative freedom, bold storytelling, casual-fan-friendly tone B...
27/06/2025
How smarter compression is creating a sustainable future By Michael Burns
Monday, June 23, 2025 - 14:13
Print This Story
Live sport is especially vulnerab...
27/06/2025
Behind the Mic: FOX Sports Ratchets Up UEFA Women's EURO 2025 With Top-Class...
27/06/2025
RTL Group To Acquire Sky Deutschland By George Bevir, Editorial Director, SVG Europe
Friday, June 27, 2025 - 8:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story ...
27/06/2025
Frictionless, At Scale: The Current State of Live Video Streaming Techology Leaders from Bitmovin, Comcast Technology Solutions, Harmonic, IMAX, and Phenix brea...
27/06/2025
Marquee Sports Network's Nick Steger on Meeting the Moment of the Contending...
27/06/2025
NHL Draft 2025: The League Is Primed for First Decentralized Draft in Non-Pandem...
26/06/2025
10th-Annual SVG Regional Sports Production Summit Presents Useful Roadmap for th...
26/06/2025
The Big Cloud Debate: Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid Tech leaders from CineSys, Diversified, and Net Insight breaks down all flavors of cloud By Jason Dachman, ...
26/06/2025
Program Productions' Jess Kowatch on Training the Next and Current Gener...
25/06/2025
SVG College Summit 2025: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY Tackling the latest in college sports video: NIL, live production, virtual productio...
25/06/2025
ESPN Is Set To Bring AR Graphics to Wimbledon, Revamps Bunker and Studio 18 VO B...
24/06/2025
2025 NBA Draft: ABC/ESPN Prepares for Two-Day Draft at Barclays Center Partners Game Creek Video, CP Communications, NEP Specialty Capture will be on hand By M...
24/06/2025
Cloud Broadcast Tech Update: Google Cloud's Jane Day on the Impact of AI on ...
24/06/2025
Cloud Broadcast Tech Update: AWS's Dana LaGattuta on Data-Driven Innovation ...
24/06/2025
Lions live: Dublin opener sees Sky Sports take remote route By Fergal Ringrose ...
24/06/2025
Pumas maul Lions as S4C and TG4 deliver first-ever joint host in Dublin By Ferg...
24/06/2025
ABC/ESPN Prepares for 2025 NBA Draft, the First at Barclays Center Partners Game Creek Video, CP Communications, NEP Specialty Capture will be on hand By Mark ...
23/06/2025
Adventures in Live Cloud Production: Stories From the Trenches with MLB, NHL, NB...
23/06/2025
Finding the edge: How Badger & Combes produces live-streamed coverage of county ...
23/06/2025
Masters of Madness: New football format shakes up the rules of sportainment By Adrian Pennington
Monday, June 16, 2025 - 11:38
Print This Story
The ball i...
23/06/2025
New State-of-the-Art Mountain Media Center Launches in Former Starz Encore Build...
23/06/2025
ESPN Says Goodbye to Seaport Studios, Hello to New State-of-the-Art Production F...
20/06/2025
Feeling Unlimited, Part 1: Athletes Unlimited Softball League Deploys Remote Pro...
20/06/2025
A True Test? Cricket's Growth on the Global Stage and the Role Broadcast Can...
20/06/2025
Sky Sports goes large for the British & Irish Lions Tour with AR graphics, UHD a...
20/06/2025
ESPN's Men's College World Series Finals Coverage Combines Innovation, L...
19/06/2025
SVG Rewind: PGA Tour Introduces Drone AR Smart Tracing, Reflects on Winning Geor...
18/06/2025
Technology focus: Fan expectations drive advances in the in-stadium experience By Jo Ruddock
Tuesday, June 3, 2025 - 08:36
Print This Story
For years, att...
18/06/2025
Making connections: How stadiums are meeting the ever-growing demand for data an...
18/06/2025
SVG Venues & Teams Summit Keynote: RWS Global Powers the Stadium Environment at ...
18/06/2025
SVG Rewind: Behind the Scenes of Producing Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League...
17/06/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Mercury Intermedia's Tom Richardson, Mike Ligon o...
17/06/2025
Total Sports Performance from Relo Metrics, VideoAmp, Offers Next-Level Media, B...
17/06/2025
From Stage to Stream: Producing Live Esports Events in 2025 Leaders from ESL FACEIT Group, Riot Games, and more break down the latest trends By Jason Dachman, ...
17/06/2025
Inside FIFA 2025 Club World Cup Operations With FIFA's Oscar Sanchez, HBS...
17/06/2025
Production ambitions: Over Exposed on making the National League Promotion Final...