Illumination Dynamics Boosts X Games from Behind the Scenes

Summer X Games 17 marked the tenth year that Illumination Dynamics (ID) has brought lighting, power, air conditioning and technicians to assist in the four-day live broadcast put on by EPSN.

In a matter of days in the hot LA sun about two city blocks, including LA Live, Staples Center, multiple parking lots and the Event Deck, were transformed into race tracks, skate parks, motocross and bike ramps, etc. Employees from ID, including the Director of Broadcast, Rich Williams and Senior Generator Technician, Bruce Ward, worked tirelessly to ensure everything was in place down to every last detail.

More than a month before the event, preparation began in earnest with multiple site surveys and plot revisions. Two weeks before the live broadcast began, ID brought paralleling generators, single generators, cable and electrical distribution, air conditioners and lights to the X Games broadcast compound.

“Even in my 17th year working the event, my 23rd X Games including both winter and summer, I was still enlightened and challenged,” said Bruce Ward, generator op, Illumination Dynamics. “It’s very rewarding to see everything come together in a sort of controlled chaos, especially here at the one of the busiest venues in the nation. ID is so fortunate to have a great crew who worked so well under such tight time constraints and with such highly technical equipment”.

This year, ID also provided a hydrogen fuel cell to ESPN’s environmental department along with a hydrogen light tower with cooperation from Altergy Systems and Multiquip, Inc. The paralleling generators provided redundancy to prevent losing power during the live broadcast and standby generators were set up for the TV offices and other portable trailers.

100 tons of air conditioning was provided to the TV operations tent to keep critical broadcast equipment from overheating and the X Games production crew comfortable.  ID also provided HMI and LED lighting for the announce positions for the event and TV broadcast. ID’s Broadcast Department was available 24/7 to meet any requirements of the Event Technical and Broadcast Operations departments of ESPN ensuring another successful Summer X Games event.