ESPN Returns to Jazz at Lincoln Center for 90th Heisman Trophy Presentation

ESPN will air college football's signature award for the 31st year, with Chris Fowler hosting since its ESPN debut.

After months of planning, ESPN will exclusively broadcast the Heisman Trophy Ceremony tomorrow night at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Planning for the hour-long show, which ESPN has aired since 1994, has featured meetings across ESPN production, operations and creative services teams along with studio directing and lighting, program finance and content in tandem with the Jazz at Lincoln Center, Heisman Trust, Pentwater Productions and other vendors.

There will be 14 cameras deployed for the Heisman ceremony, a fully on-site production,

“We have a shared detailed Smartsheet schedule which encompasses movements for all ESPN aspects of the show in collaboration with our many partners on the project,” says Leigh Michaud, ESPN’s Operations Manager. 

The studio set overlooks Central Park with an ancillary set in the adjacent atrium, which will feature athlete and family interviews.

There will be 14 cameras deployed for the Heisman ceremony, a fully on-site production, according to Michaud. The technology includes two cameras on Osprey pedestals, a Dream Chip fixed in the live band pit, a jib, Steadicam, RF handheld, three wired handheld cameras and two Fletcher robotics. The interview set in the adjacent atrium will also incorporate two handheld cameras on buildups and one additional jib.

The four Heisman finalists — Dillon Gabriel (Oregon), Travis Hunter (Colorado), Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) and Cam Ward (Miami) — will be featured with three EVS graphics machines, a quad VIZ and on-site edit support from ESPN. Staffers will be located in a dressing room at the venue.

Meanwhile, some of the audio plans for the show include a main broadcast mix, an in-house mix and a full mix for the band from inside of the Jazz at Lincoln Center. RF audio will be supplied by CP Communications, Michaud said.

The crew for the Heisman ceremony features over 160 people from ESPN, including stand-ins and vendors. Michaud explained that a unique element of the broadcast production is the partnership with the venue. The Jazz at Lincoln Center is providing 40-plus technicians, including carpenters, lighting riggers, utilities and cable pullers.

She added that Game Creek Chesapeake is providing a new on-site mobile unit for the show, which won’t have anything noticeably different from a production standpoint compared with prior years. ESPN’s generator will be parked on the street outside of the venue. Transmission for the broadcast includes fiber provided by The Switch, Peak Uplink and an IP encoder for backup.

“I am extremely proud of the work this talented team of professionals has accomplished preparing for this event and look forward to seeing the final product of our efforts,” Michaud says.

In addition to Michaud, the Heisman operations team includes Kevin Cleary (Operations Specialist), Spencer Chmiel (Operations Producer), BJ Smith (Operations Producer) and Tatianna Montalvo (Operations Coordinator). Carlton Young (Senior Director of Operations) and Chris Calcinari (Sr. Vice President, Content Operations) have provided leadership and support for the broadcast.

The creative production team features Kate Jackson (Vice President), Rob Adamski (Producer), Tom Lucas (Supervising Director), Jenny Evans (Production Manager), Jenny Keagan (Production Manager), Zita Davis (Executive Assistant) and Chris Watson (Director of Studio and Remote Lighting).

Chris Fowler will host the show for the 31st consecutive year and will be joined by college football reporters Holly Rowe and Marty Smith. Analysts Desmond Howard, Tim Tebow and Andre Ware, all of whom won the Heisman Trophy, will offer commentary during the event.