From Homer to Mickey, How ESPN Is Blazing the Live Animated Broadcast Trail

From Homer to Mickey, How ESPN Is Blazing the Live Animated Broadcast Trail ESPNs Amy Nelson, Sparky Sparrgrove, and Spike Szykowny offer an inside look at the production process By SVG Staff

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 8:33 am

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Live animated alternate broadcasts have become a popular topic of conversation across the live sports production industry over the past year with ESPN leading the way with some of the biggest projects in the game.

From Toy Story Funday Football and the NHL Big City Greens Classic blazing trails in 2023, to The Simpsons Funday Football and Dunk the Halls devliering a wicked 1-2 punch to close out December 2024, ESPN's efforts behind the unique flavor of altcast is only accelerating.

But how do they do it? And is it getting easier to do? In this exclusive behind-the-scenes breakdown, Manager, Graphics Innovation Amy Nelson; Senior Creative Director, Animation, Graphics Innovation and Production Design David Sparky Sparrgrove; and VP Michael Spike Szykowny of ESPN Creative Studios share how they produced two of the heaviest lifts of their year just weeks apart.

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This session was hosted at the 2025 SVG GFX Forum in New York City on February 20.

SVG PLAY is your home for all Sports Video Group live-event and long-form video content. SVG members and sponsors have simple access to all SVG event panels, case studies, keynotes, and more - all in one place. To visit SVG PLAY, CLICK HERE.

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