Monumental Sports & Entertainment Celebrates Multiple Recognitions at the 2024 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards
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Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) celebrates multiple winners at the 2024 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards, earning awards for best regional marketing campaign (Washington Wizards), best new show (Caps Red Line on Monumental Sports Network) and outstanding individual achievement in sports broadcasting (Alexa Landestoy). Cynopsis also acknowledged MSE staff, departments, campaigns and the Monumental Sports Network as finalists in several categories.
The 12th annual Cynopsis Sports Media Awards recognizes companies and individuals across production, marketing, and technology teams, saluting their hard work and innovation across the sports industry.
The Washington Wizards won the Best Regional Marketing Campaign award for their Boundary Stone Campaign. Launching in November, the campaign featured numerous collaborations, activations, and giveaways throughout the 2023-24 season. Features included a Boundary Stone uniform, a City Edition court used concurrently with the themed uniform, in-game entertainment, a community tree planting and bench dedication event at Benjamin Banneker Recreation Center and a Black History Month assembly at Benjamin Banneker High School. The Wizards also collaborated with collateral descendants of Benjamin Banneker on the overall initiative and included them in multiple events. The Boundary Stone campaign succeeded in highlighting an esoteric but important aspect of D.C.’s rich history and identity that the team is proud to represent.
Monumental Sports Network’s new show, Caps Red Line, took home the award for Best New Show. Introduced at the top of the 2023-24 NHL season, the weekly series takes you behind the scenes with the Capitals players, coaches and operations. Host Alexa Landestoy pulls back the curtain to share exclusive interviews and footage with fans, which in the show’s first season included a tour of the new Network studio, a chat with the team chef about the biggest player appetites, and a 1-on-1 with head coach Spencer Carberry. The Network holds exclusive local television media rights for the NHL’s Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards, and WNBA’s Washington Mystics. In its inaugural year with the Monumental Sports Network brand, MSE successfully implemented a programming overhaul, integrated a new digital streaming experience to replace all legacy apps and websites, and opened new state-of-the-art broadcast studio.
Monumental Sports Network’s Alexa Landestoy is an individual honoree as a Cynopsis Media Awards “All-Star.” Landestoy won the “All-Star” recognition for moving the sports media industry forward through outstanding work. In July 2019, Landestoy became co-host of “DC Sports Live,” a multi-platform sports talk and entertainment program, for NBC Sports Washington which has since been rebranded to Monumental Sports Network as of Fall 2023. In 2021, Landestoy assumed a new role with Monumental Sports Network as host of the Washington Capitals Pre and Post game shows and the new Caps Red Line series. Landestoy’s excellence in MSE’s local market also secured her opportunities on the national stage, including regular appearances on NHL Network, further solidifying her presence in the hockey broadcasting industry. Landestoy served as a presenter at the 2023 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards.
“It is so great to have our dynamic media efforts recognized through these awards and nominations,” says Zach Leonsis, President of Media & New Enterprises at MSE. “It has always been our aim to consistently innovate and push boundaries in sports media so that we can create more value for our fans. This year was transformational for Monumental Sports Network to actualize our investments on our vision of becoming one of the best local media platforms in sports and give our fanbase a top tier viewing experience.”
MSE earned 12 overall Sports Media Award recognitions, celebrating numerous talented employees. The full list includes:
- Monumental Sports Network (RSN of the Year)
- Monumental Sports Network (Regional Seasonal Coverage)
- Bill Bell (Production Executive)
- Alexa Landestoy (Sports Media All-Star)
- Caps Red Line (New Sports Show)
- Hometown with Rachel Nichols (New Sports Show)
- Wizards Pregame Live (Pregame Show)
- Monumental Sports Network and ViewLift (Best Streaming Platform Innovation)
- Monumental Sports Network and Robinhood (Use of Integrated Sponsorship for Broadcast)
- Washington Wizards (Regional/ Local Marketing Campaign)
- Washington Capitals Communications Team (Best in Team Communications/Marketing)
- Monumental Sports Equality Campaigns (Best Social Responsibility Activation)
The Cynopsis Sports Media Awards Reception took place on April 11 in New York City and was attended by hundreds of leaders in sports business.
