ESPN’s “Spike” Szykowny on the Fun Challenge of Animated Alternate Broadcasts

Take an inside look at the Big City Greens NHL Classic and Toy Story Funday Football

The concept of the alternate broadcast reached new heights in 2023 as ESPN invested in real-time animated recreations of live sporting events with the Big City Greens NHL Classic and Toy Story Funday Football with the NFL.

At the 2023 SVG Summit, we spoke with Michael “Spike” Szykowny, Edit + Animation + Graphics Innovation + Production & Playout for ESPN Creative Studio to get a better understanding of what the challenge was like in taking a large load of volumetric data and turning it into cartoon magic.