The SVG Esports Production Summit returned to Los Angeles on Thursday, November 16, 2023 for its sixth-annual edition, drawing more than 225 industry leaders to the Sheraton Universal Hotel for a full day dedicated to the philosophy and technology behind esports storytelling.
In addition to a keynote presentation from burgeoning esports giant ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the Summit took attendees behind the scenes of both major events like The International and smaller, community-fueled tournaments. Panels also explored new remote-production workflows, the latest technological developments, the integral role of observers in a live production, the in-venue fan experience, and more.
PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
(All times are in Pacific Time Zone)
9:00 a.m.: Breakfast and Registration Opens
9:50 – 10:00 a.m.: Welcoming Remarks
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.: Keynote Conversation: Inside the ESL-FACEIT Group’s Massive Esports Production Operations
10:30 – 11:15 a.m.: Networking Break in Exhibit Hall
11:15 – 11:55 a.m.: Esports Production Spotlight: Major Championships and Large-Scale Events
11:55 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.: Esports Production Spotlight: Community-Based and Smaller-Scale Events
12:35 – 12:50 p.m.: Sony Case Study: Revolutionizing Esports Production with Cloud-based Live Production and HEVC
12:50 – 1:45 p.m.: Networking Lunch
1:45 – 2:25 p.m.: The REMI Reality: Creating More Efficient and Cost-Effective Esports Productions
2:25 – 2:40 p.m.: Ross Video Case Study: How the ESL FACEIT Group Used Immersive AR Graphics on Unreal Engine to Elevate their Premier Esports Event
2:40 – 3:10 p.m.: Networking Break in Exhibit Hall
3:10 – 3:50 p.m.: Tech Perspectives: How Technology Levels Up Live Esports Productions
3:50 – 4:10 p.m.: In-Game Observer Spotlight: VALORANT Observing
4:10 – 4:45 p.m.: The In-Venue Esports Fan Experience: Where Sports & Entertainment Collide
4:45 – 5:30 p.m.: Networking Reception in Exhibit Hall
Featured Speakers
Andrew LaneESL FACEIT Group / EFG, Senior Director of Broadcast & Production
Guillermo PargaESL FACEIT GROUP, Director, Festival Operations
Ryan ThompsonEsports Engine, Co-Founder and Chief Production Officer
Wade BeckettADVNCR, EVP, North America
Geoff BowenAppear, Chief Technical Architect – North America
Austy ChampionAllied Esports and HyperX Arena, Brand Ambassador
Jason DachmanSVG, Editorial Director, U.S. and Esports Production Summit Director
Terry DailyRoss Video, Manager of the Virtual Creative Services Team, Rocket Surgery Creative Services Group
Matt DonovanRiot Games, Broadcast Engineering and Technology Manager
Corey DunnOpTic Gaming & Esports Stadium Arlington, Executive Director
Rich EilersCanon U.S.A., National Accounts Sales Director
Pete EmmingerIndustry Consultant
Tyler EndresEsports Arena, CEO
Sealand (Sean) FlynnFortinet, Head of Media & Entertainment
Hugo GaggioniSony Electronics, Chief Technology Officer, Sony Imaging Products and Professional Solutions – Americas
Heather "sapphiRe" GarozzoRaidiant, Founder and Freelance Producer/Observer Director
Allyson GormleyRiot Games, Director of Global Operations, Remote Broadcast & Production
Randell (Guru) HammondEsports Engine, Director, Broadcast Engineering
Kristian HernándezSVG, Senior Editor
Sebastian HonciucPGL ESPORTS, Broadcast Producer
Paul KentEsports Engine, Senior Director, UK Operations
Joseph LynchEA, Group Director, Esports Content and Programming
Lydia PendergrassOS Studios, Head of Broadcast Operations
André RieversOpenDrives, VP of Operations
Andy SmithPixotope, Regional Sales Manager, Western U.S. and Canada
Corey SmithCBS Sports and Paramount+, Senior Director, Digital, Software Engineering
Keith VidgerPanasonic Connect, Principal Technology Consultant, Media & Entertainment
JD WuThe Switch, Director, Business Development (Esports)Sheraton Universal Hotel
333 Universal Hollywood Dr.
Universal City, CA 91608
(818) 980-1212
(All times are in Pacific Time Zone)
9:00 a.m.: Breakfast and Registration Opens
9:50 – 10:00 a.m.: Welcoming Remarks
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.: Keynote Conversation: Inside the ESL-FACEIT Group’s Massive Esports Production Operations
When ESL Gaming and FACEIT merged in early 2022, it marked a tectonic shift in the esports-production and broadcast industry. Since then EFG has continued to add key acquisitions (including Vindex and Esports Engine) to its portfolio to create one of the largest esports ecosystems on the planet. This session will delve into EFG’s sprawling production and broadcast operations across the globe and how they pull off major events including Dreamhack, ESL Pro Tour, Intel Extreme Masters, and More.
Speakers:
Andrew Lane, ESL FACEIT GROUP, Senior Director of Broadcast and Production
Guillermo Parga, ESL FACEIT GROUP, Director, Festival Operations
Ryan Thompson, Esports Engine, Co-Founder and Chief Production Officer
10:30 – 11:15 a.m.: Networking Break in Exhibit Hall
11:15 – 11:55 a.m.: Esports Production Spotlight: Major Championships and Large-Scale Events
From The International to LoL Worlds to CS:GO Major Championships and beyond, esports boasts some of the largest annual live-event productions of any kind. This session offers a deep dive into the live-production workflows being used today for elite esports events and the strategies for serving both the thousands of fans onsite and millions more across the globe.
Speakers:
Sebastian Honciuc, PGL ESPORTS, Broadcast Producer
Paul Kent, Esports Engine, Senior Director, UK Operations
Joseph Lynch, EA, Group Director, Esports Content and Programming
11:55 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.: Esports Production Spotlight: Community-Based and Smaller-Scale Events
While major tournaments may grab the headlines, the majority of the live productions currently being done today are smaller-scale, grass-roots events that resonate with passionate, often niche communities. Whether it’s a LAN event or online play, these productions require a very different toolset than large-scale events and often feature the integration of co-streamers and influencers. Get an inside look at how these shows are pulled off.
Speakers:
Wade Beckett, ADVNCR, EVP, North America
Corey Dunn, OpTic Gaming & Esports Stadium Arlington, Executive Director
Tyler Endres, Esports Arena, Founder and CEO
12:35 – 12:50 p.m.: Sony Case Study: Revolutionizing Esports Production with Cloud-based Live Production and HEVC
Cloud-based live production solutions utilizing advanced HEVC codec technology will revolutionize esports production by delivering higher quality video with reduced bandwidth requirements. This will enable more immersive and crisp broadcasts, providing viewers with an enhanced experience. Additionally, the scalability and flexibility of cloud-based solutions will empower esports organizations to efficiently handle complex productions, lower their implementation costs, and ultimately transform the industry’s broadcasting capabilities.
Presenter: Hugo Gaggioni, Sony Electronics, Chief Technology Officer, Sony Imaging Products and Professional Solutions – Americas
12:50 – 1:45 p.m.: Networking Lunch
1:45 – 2:25 p.m.: The REMI Reality: Creating More Efficient and Cost-Effective Esports Productions
In order to confront the realities of today’s esports market, live productions are increasingly being forced to find more efficient, cost-effective ways to get the job done. Cue REMI production. Esports productions have long been ahead of the curve when it comes to remote production and today’s live broadcasts are taking those efforts to the next level in an effort to keep cost down while also delivering a compelling experience for the fan.
Panel Introduction: Sealand (Sean) Flynn, Fortinet, Head of Media & Entertainment
Moderator: Corey Smith, CBS Sports and Paramount+, Senior Director, Digital, Software Engineering
Panelists:
Geoff Bowen, Appear, Chief Technical Architect – North America
Allyson Gormley, Riot Games, Director of Global Operations, Remote Broadcast & Production
Lydia Pendergrass, OS Studios, Head of Broadcast Operations
André Rievers, OpenDrives, VP of Operations
JD Wu, The Switch, Director, Business Development (Esports)
2:25 – 2:40 p.m.: Ross Video Case Study: How the ESL FACEIT Group Used Immersive AR Graphics on Unreal Engine to Elevate their Premier Esports Event
Last August, the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) returned to Cologne Germany and esports fans descended upon the LANXESS Arena for the final three days of the competition, dubbed ‘The Cathedral of Counter-Strike.’ In this case study presentation, we’ll explore how Rocket Surgery Virtual Productions partnered with the ESL FACEIT Group and delivered immersive Augmented Reality (AR) graphics on Unreal Engine for their premier esports event.
Presenter: Terry Daily, Ross Video, Manager of the Virtual Creative Services Team, Rocket Surgery Creative Services Group
2:40 – 3:10 p.m.: Networking Break in Exhibit Hall
3:10 – 3:50 p.m.: Tech Perspectives: How Technology Levels Up Live Esports Productions
No live-production sector has pushed the boundaries of technology over the past decade more than esports when it comes to creating a unique fan experience. From virtual production and augmented reality to AI and machine learning and beyond, esports productions are always looking to embrace the latest and greatest tech. Hear from top broadcast-technology providers on today’s groundbreaking tools and how they are changing live esports production.
Panel Introduction: Rich Eilers, Canon U.S.A., National Accounts Sales Director
Moderator: Pete Emminger, Industry Consultant
Panelists:
Matt Donovan, Riot Games, Broadcast Engineering and Technology Manager
Randell (Guru) Hammond, Esports Engine, Director, Broadcast Engineering
Andy Smith, Pixotope, Regional Sales Manager, Western U.S. and Canada
Keith Vidger, Panasonic Connect, Principal Technology Consultant, Media & Entertainment
3:50 – 4:10 p.m.: In-Game Observer Spotlight: VALORANT Observing
No piece of the esports-production ecosystem is more integral to telling the story than the observer team. As virtual in-game camera operators, observers are responsible for constructing a coherent narrative out of the ballistic, expansive action taking place within the game. This session will provide a deep dive into the observer workflows used by one of the most accomplished VALORANT observers to tell the story of this popular esports title.
Moderator: Joseph Lynch, EA, Group Director, Esports Content and Programming
Speaker: Heather “sapphiRe” Garozzo, Raidiant, Founder and Freelance Producer/Observer Director
4:10 – 4:45 p.m.: The In-Venue Esports Fan Experience: Where Sports & Entertainment Collide
Whether it’s an esports-specific facility or a multi-use building, today’s venues have the opportunity to connect with esports fans like never before. The esports in-venue experience varies drastically from traditional sports as venues look to create interactive, immersive experiences for the fan. Get an inside look at the latest back-of-house technology developments and how esports venues and event organizers are taking fan-engagement to a new level.
Moderator: Kristian Hernández, SVG, Senior Editor
Panelists:
Austy Champion, Allied Esports and HyperX Arena, Brand Ambassador
Corey Dunn, OpTic Gaming & Esports Stadium Arlington, Executive Director
4:45 – 5:30 p.m.: Networking Reception in Exhibit Hall
Andrew Lane, ESL FACEIT Group / EFG, Senior Director of Broadcast & Production
Andrew Lane is the director of broadcast and production at FACEIT, a community-focused esports platform and tournament organizer. His key responsibilities include the delivery of the company’s live broadcasts and events; the design strategies for broadcast development and innovation; the global production strategic sourcing; creating new key broadcast partnerships; and management of the company’s international media logistics and operations.
Before starting at FACEIT, Lane worked freelance in the esports industry as a technical director and assisted with the delivery of key productions for clients such as 343 Industries, Jagex, Super Evil Megacorp, and Konami, as well as working with a number of industry-leading tournament organizers. Before this he spent a short time at Atos UK & I working at the BBC.
Since joining FACEIT, Lane has led the delivery of major events such as Rainbow 6 Mexico Major 2021, Rainbow 6 North American League 2020-2021, Flashpoint, The FACEIT London Major 2018, and PUBG Global Summit. Alongside this, he has also produced a number of white label and FACEIT projects, and made key internal developments to the production workflow, logistics pipeline, and personnel operations.
Guillermo Parga, ESL FACEIT GROUP, Director, Festival Operations
Guillermo Parga is the director of festival operations at ESL Face It Group, overseeing the execution of DreamHack Festivals in the U.S. Prior to joining the DreamHack team, he managed the studio and broadcast operations at ESL Gaming America for projects with partners like Capcom, Sony, and EA, and for ESL’s first multi-title mobile ecosystem that would become the Snapdragon Pro Series.
Parga’s background in corporate entertainment and production served him well during his transition into esports in 2019, especially his most recent experience at Universal Studios Hollywood, where he helped produce entertainment offerings containing world-famous IPs. His understanding of the immersive guest experience has been a key contribution to the success of DreamHack festivals in the last year, which has experienced record-breaking growth for festival guest attendance, and participation from industry and non-endemic partners. His favorite aspect of the DreamHack brand is its unique position to bring the gaming community together and he looks forward to supporting its growth within and beyond the gaming space.
Parga started his career in community engagement, and in his free time continues to provide his support to LGBTQ+ community events like the WEHO OutFest and Pride Parade and APLA’s AIDS Walk LA.
Ryan Thompson, Esports Engine, Co-Founder and Chief Production Officer
Ryan Thompson is the co-founder and chief production officer of Esports Engine, a Vindex company. In his role, Thompson oversees the design, production, and execution of the industry’s most iconic events and leagues across Esports Engine’s portfolio of partners, including AAA game publishers, brands, and other key stakeholders, such as Microsoft, Nintendo, Twitch, Activision, and more.
A 16-year veteran of the industry, Thompson is responsible for bringing hundreds of live esports tournaments and broadcasts to life across a multitude of game titles. Prior to founding Esports Engine, Thompson served as director of technical production at Activision Blizzard, where he led esports production for the publisher’s most valuable properties and landmark events, including the Call of Duty World League. As a founding employee at Major League Gaming, Thompson made an early impact in the world of esports production, bringing competitive gaming content to life through proprietary platforms before the likes of Youtube or Twitch existed, as well as on major networks, such as ESPN and HBO.
Sealand (Sean) Flynn, Fortinet, Head of Media & Entertainment
Sealand “Sean” Flynn repatriated with his family from London in February of 2022 and joined Fortinet, a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security, as the head of media & entertainment.
Prior to joining Fortinet, Flynn moved to California 20 years ago and earned a master’s degree in education from Pepperdine prior to starting his formal career. He followed his passion of gaming and leveraged gamification strategies to teach high school students in Compton, Newport Beach, and West Hollywood. This deeply rooted passion evolved from Tecmo Bowl on the NES to Counter-Strike LAN parties. When he saw the potential future of esports, Flynn recognized an intriguing opportunity. This opportunity, paired with the need to drive more representation across the technology industry, led him to earn his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California in 2012. He launched on a successful journey that started with building an application to driving digital transformation, while working at companies that include Oracle, T-Mobile, Salesforce, and Fortinet.
Andrew Lane, ESL FACEIT Group / EFG, Senior Director of Broadcast & Production
Andrew Lane is the director of broadcast and production at FACEIT, a community-focused esports platform and tournament organizer. His key responsibilities include the delivery of the company’s live broadcasts and events; the design strategies for broadcast development and innovation; the global production strategic sourcing; creating new key broadcast partnerships; and management of the company’s international media logistics and operations.
Before starting at FACEIT, Lane worked freelance in the esports industry as a technical director and assisted with the delivery of key productions for clients such as 343 Industries, Jagex, Super Evil Megacorp, and Konami, as well as working with a number of industry-leading tournament organizers. Before this he spent a short time at Atos UK & I working at the BBC.
Since joining FACEIT, Lane has led the delivery of major events such as Rainbow 6 Mexico Major 2021, Rainbow 6 North American League 2020-2021, Flashpoint, The FACEIT London Major 2018, and PUBG Global Summit. Alongside this, he has also produced a number of white label and FACEIT projects, and made key internal developments to the production workflow, logistics pipeline, and personnel operations.
Guillermo Parga, ESL FACEIT GROUP, Director, Festival Operations
Guillermo Parga is the director of festival operations at ESL Face It Group, overseeing the execution of DreamHack Festivals in the U.S. Prior to joining the DreamHack team, he managed the studio and broadcast operations at ESL Gaming America for projects with partners like Capcom, Sony, and EA, and for ESL’s first multi-title mobile ecosystem that would become the Snapdragon Pro Series.
Parga’s background in corporate entertainment and production served him well during his transition into esports in 2019, especially his most recent experience at Universal Studios Hollywood, where he helped produce entertainment offerings containing world-famous IPs. His understanding of the immersive guest experience has been a key contribution to the success of DreamHack festivals in the last year, which has experienced record-breaking growth for festival guest attendance, and participation from industry and non-endemic partners. His favorite aspect of the DreamHack brand is its unique position to bring the gaming community together and he looks forward to supporting its growth within and beyond the gaming space.
Parga started his career in community engagement, and in his free time continues to provide his support to LGBTQ+ community events like the WEHO OutFest and Pride Parade and APLA’s AIDS Walk LA.
Ryan Thompson, Esports Engine, Co-Founder and Chief Production Officer
Ryan Thompson is the co-founder and chief production officer of Esports Engine, a Vindex company. In his role, Thompson oversees the design, production, and execution of the industry’s most iconic events and leagues across Esports Engine’s portfolio of partners, including AAA game publishers, brands, and other key stakeholders, such as Microsoft, Nintendo, Twitch, Activision, and more.
A 16-year veteran of the industry, Thompson is responsible for bringing hundreds of live esports tournaments and broadcasts to life across a multitude of game titles. Prior to founding Esports Engine, Thompson served as director of technical production at Activision Blizzard, where he led esports production for the publisher’s most valuable properties and landmark events, including the Call of Duty World League. As a founding employee at Major League Gaming, Thompson made an early impact in the world of esports production, bringing competitive gaming content to life through proprietary platforms before the likes of Youtube or Twitch existed, as well as on major networks, such as ESPN and HBO.
Wade Beckett, ADVNCR, EVP, North America
Geoff Bowen, Appear, Chief Technical Architect – North America
Geoff Bowen serves as chief technology architect – North America at Appear and oversees their contribution solution strategy. He graduated from the University of Glamorgan in the UK, with an honors degree in mathematics and computing, majoring in high performance network design.
Bowen has spent over 30 years in the industry, championing the development and delivery of software defined workflows in live contribution, production, and playout applications. He relocated from the UK to Southern California in 2007. In Bowen’s spare time, he enjoys off-road motorcycle riding and camping. He regularly volunteers with Angeles National Forest Rangers to maintain trails and back country campsites.
Austy Champion, Allied Esports and HyperX Arena, Brand Ambassador
Austin “Austy” Champion is a passionate esports enthusiast with an undeniable flair for entertainment. He currently leads brand identity initiatives for Allied Esports after having performed and produced events for hundreds of thousands of people through various fields of production.
Jason Dachman, SVG, Editorial Director, U.S. and Esports Production Summit Director
Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations – including all news on sportsvideo.org, the daily SVG Insider newsletter, and SVG’s annual print publications – and is one of the primary contributors to SVG’s coverage of the sports-video-production industry. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as program director for SVG’s Esports Production Forum, RSN Summit, Sports Content Management Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT conference.
Prior to joining SVG, Dachman covered local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and served on the production staff of SiriusXM’s The Ron & Fez Show. He began his career in the Sports Information department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he earned a B.A. in media communications and cinema studies. A native of Denver, CO, Dachman currently resides in Queens, NY, with his wife Alyson and daughter June.
Terry Daily, Ross Video, Manager of the Virtual Creative Services Team, Rocket Surgery Creative Services Group
Terry Daily is the creative services manager for all things virtual design, plus production operations, for Ross Virtual Solutions and Rocket Surgery Virtual Productions (RSVP). Working on EPIC Games’ Unreal Engine, he leads a global team of elite designers and virtual production specialists to bring virtual and augmented reality to life. Daily has worked with some of the world’s leading esports and sports entertainment brands including: EA, EA Sports, Red Bull Media, OGN, Boombox Group, NBC Sports Sunday Night Football, NBC Sports Football Night in America, NBC Olympics, NBC Sports Super Bowl Production, Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, ESPN Monday Night Football, and Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment’s Super Bowl Production.
Matt Donovan, Riot Games, Broadcast Engineering and Technology Manager
Matt Donovan brings over 20 years of sports and network television broadcast experience to his role as the broadcast engineering and technology manager for Riot Games North America. Donovan leads a team of talented engineers that are responsible for the technical development and execution of Riot’s broadcast and production ecosystems. A significant component of Riot’s global esports network is the North American broadcast facility in Los Angeles where Donovan oversees the implementation of the latest on-prem, REMI, and cloud-based production workflows. Donovan’s passion for building scalable teams and technology continues to increase efficiency, quality, and reliability across Riot’s esports broadcasts.
Corey Dunn, OpTic Gaming & Esports Stadium Arlington, Executive Director
Corey Dunn has worked professionally in esports for nearly 20 years. He began his esports career by commentating 30+ video games over a 10 year span. During his commentating career, the industry migrated from internet radio, to peer-to-peer streaming, to using streaming platforms like twitch.tv. Noting the industry change, Dunn focused on storytelling by graduating from the University of North Texas and becoming a director for large notable esports events.
Over the last 5 years, he has focused on developing the largest dedicated esports facility in North America: Esports Stadium Arlington. Dunn coordinated with the City of Arlington to develop the technology and spaces required to be revered as the best esports facility in NA.
Rich Eilers, Canon U.S.A., National Accounts Sales Director
Rich Eilers is the national accounts sales director for Canon U.S.A.’s Professional Products Sales and Engineering Group. A veteran of the broadcast business and Canon, he has been leading the company’s strategic approach to the sports production market. Serving in a number of field and sales management positions over his tenure, Eilers has been coordinating and managing the support efforts by Canon for over 30 years at the largest sports events the industry handles.
Pete Emminger, Industry Consultant
Pete Emminger has worked in broadcast and live events for over 25 years, including most recently as NEP’s Global CTO, where he focused on developing new technology to enable expanding operations and large scale projects.
Prior to NEP, Emminger led broadcast for Blizzard Entertainment, where he was an early leader in public cloud video technology, leveraging it to build an OTT platform and deliver live content in 15 languages to Blizzard’s global audience. Emminger has been an early adopter and inventor of interactive broadcast products, including products with “control your own camera viewpoint” capability and in-player interactivity. He was also an early leader building and using contextual stats in live esports broadcasts, including one of the first mainstream esports television broadcasts in the U.S. Prior to Blizzard, Emminger owned a production company for over 12 years, and attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Tyler Endres, Esports Arena, CEO
Voted one of Esports’ 100 most influential persons, Endres stays at the ready to stay ahead of the ever-changing esports and video gaming world. Whether it’s converting a Walmart shopper to compete in his tournaments, or creating an entire minor league of esports called Series E, Endres continues to innovate and add more supportive layers to the esports industry.
Endres is coming up on 10 years of running his own business, and he continues to grind, learn, and create while recognizing he is nowhere without the support of his team.
Sealand (Sean) Flynn, Fortinet, Head of Media & Entertainment
Sealand “Sean” Flynn repatriated with his family from London in February of 2022 and joined Fortinet, a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security, as the head of media & entertainment.
Prior to joining Fortinet, Flynn moved to California 20 years ago and earned a master’s degree in education from Pepperdine prior to starting his formal career. He followed his passion of gaming and leveraged gamification strategies to teach high school students in Compton, Newport Beach, and West Hollywood. This deeply rooted passion evolved from Tecmo Bowl on the NES to Counter-Strike LAN parties. When he saw the potential future of esports, Flynn recognized an intriguing opportunity. This opportunity, paired with the need to drive more representation across the technology industry, led him to earn his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California in 2012. He launched on a successful journey that started with building an application to driving digital transformation, while working at companies that include Oracle, T-Mobile, Salesforce, and Fortinet.
Hugo Gaggioni, Sony Electronics, Chief Technology Officer, Sony Imaging Products and Professional Solutions – Americas
Hugo Gaggioni is chief technology officer of Sony Imaging Products and Professional Solutions – Americas, a division of Sony Electronics.
Gaggioni, who joined Sony in 1988, holds several patents and has authored more than 40 technical publications in the areas of video compression, digital filter banks, HDTV, and UHDTV devices and systems. Prior to joining Sony, he worked at RCA Corporation and Bell Communications Research.
Gaggioni was a member of the Advanced Television Advisory group to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission from 1987 to 1994. He is also a fellow of SMPTE and the recipient of the 2004 Leitch Gold Medal award and the 2018 David Sarnoff Medal Award. In 2008, Gaggioni received the U.S. Broadcasting and Cable Technology Leadership Award. In addition, in 2019, he received the Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award and in 2021, he became a member of the Sports Video Group’s Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
Gaggioni holds degrees in telecommunications, systems engineering, and electronic engineering from the University of Essex in Colchester, England, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University, respectively.
Heather "sapphiRe" Garozzo, Raidiant, Founder and Freelance Producer/Observer Director
Allyson Gormley, Riot Games, Director of Global Operations, Remote Broadcast & Production
Allyson (Ally) Gormley is the director of global operations, remote broadcast & production at Riot Games. Elevated to her current role in September 2022, she oversees the development, general operations, and staffing of Riot’s innovative global circuit of Remote Broadcast Centers (RBCs), powered by AWS, launched under the codename “Project Stryker” and currently in the process of completion.
Over the past 18 months, Gormley oversaw the construction and launch of the first RBC in the Swords region of Dublin, Ireland, securing and renovating a 50,000-sq.-ft. former night club into a state-of-the-art broadcast facility supporting live esports events around the world. Currently, she is overseeing the development of the second RBC, located in the Greater Seattle, WA, USA area which is slated for launch in late 2023.
A 10-year veteran of Riot Games, Gormley has risen from serving as executive assistant supporting numerous Riot executives across North America and EMEA. During that time, she served as a dual chief of staff for both Riot’s global esports and EMEA enterprise division, leading a team of 24 across Europe in administrative, IT, real estate, and frontline operations.
Randell (Guru) Hammond, Esports Engine, Director, Broadcast Engineering
Randell (Guru) Hammond is the director of engineering at Esports Engine, an ESL FACEIT Group company. In this role, he is responsible for curating and developing a highly effective, top-tier engineering team. Hammond and his team have been tasked with the design, execution, and maintenance of all technical aspects of Esports Engine’s live broadcasts.
In his former roles as a tech manager and spanning NGE’s merger with Esports Engine, Hammond brought his extensive experience to over 100 esports events around the globe. These include some of the industry’s highest-profile live events, including Fortnite World Cup, Rocket League Championship Series, Borderlands 3 Reveal, TwitchCon, and many others.
With a lifetime of technical expertise, Hammond is passionate about leading innovative efforts both in the studio and on the road, challenging the status quo and redefining the industry.
Kristian Hernández, SVG, Senior Editor
Kristian Hernández is currently the senior editor of Sports Video Group. In his role, he is responsible for covering team-based and in-venue productions and various other sports technology topics within the industry. In addition, he is the program director for the annual SVG Venue Summit and SVG Teams Summit.
Before joining SVG, Hernández served as co-founder of CHC-TV, the first student-run television studio at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. While at CHC, Hernández produced a daily sports show named “On the Hill with Hernández” — covering all men’s and women’s athletics for the college. Also, Hernández spearheaded the college’s newspaper, “The Griffin”, as its Sports Editor. Hernández graduated with a BA in Communications. Born in Brooklyn, NY, he currently lives in Queens, NY.
Sebastian Honciuc, PGL ESPORTS, Broadcast Producer
Sebastian Honciuc is a broadcast producer with a passion for video games. With 10 years of experience in the field of esports, he is known for having numerous roles within the production of several large scale events that have been nominated for “Best Esports Event of the Year”. These events include PGL CS:GO Majors, PGL Dota 2 Majors, The Dota 2 International, and ALGS: 2022 Championship.
Honciuc is a proud Romanian, loving husband, and a savvy individual.
Paul Kent, Esports Engine, Senior Director, UK Operations
Paul Kent is a senior director of operations at Esports Engine where he is responsible for overseeing the execution of programs in collaboration with partners such as EA, their Apex Global Series program. His key responsibility is making sure every aspect of the program, from production to events, is being successfully delivered.
Before joining Esports Engine, Kent was founding employee of Gfinity, assuming the role of head of esports and technology. During his nine years at Gfinity, he was responsible for the development of all broadcast and technical facilities. Kent also led the development and operational delivery for some of the world’s biggest sports rights-holders’ esports programs, such as the Formula One Esports series and the ePremier League on behalf of the English Premier League.
Joseph Lynch, EA, Group Director, Esports Content and Programming
Joseph Lynch is the group director of esports content and programming for Electronic Arts. Over the past 20 years, his career brought him from NBC to China, WWE, OWN, Time, GoPro, and finally, EA. Lynch is currently responsible for all competitive gaming broadcasts and long-form content. Over the past four years, he has expanded EA’s live and feature content offerings, while expanding in-house production capabilities including the EA Broadcast Center. Prior to joining EA, Lynch brought Access Hollywood to China, managed digital production for WWE, built the live division of Time, and was the executive producer of lifestyle and music at GoPro.
Lydia Pendergrass, OS Studios, Head of Broadcast Operations
Lydia Pendergrass is the head of broadcast operations at OS Studios, a gaming and entertainment production agency, where she oversees production on all broadcast-focused projects.
André Rievers, OpenDrives, VP of Operations
André Rievers is vice president of operations at OpenDrives, Inc., a global provider of media workflow solutions and data management capabilities. As a former executive and content creator with post-production experience and over two decades of content workflow and esports industry experience, he has successfully implemented customer-driven processes and streamlined operations for OpenDrives within the past two years.
Prior to joining OpenDrives, Rievers was head of post production at Activision Blizzard Esports, overseeing all digital and broadcast content for some of its most notable games including Overwatch League, Call of Duty League, Hearthstone, and World of Warcraft.
Rievers was instrumental in bringing OpenDrives’ media workflow solutions to Activision. In his own words: “I literally tried to ‘break’ it” during BlizzCon. Instead, OpenDrives’ system seamlessly powered hundreds of global broadcast streams across nine stages and 12 production trucks to 17 outlets in over 18 languages. As an OpenDrives’ fan, Rievers decided to join OpenDrives in 2021 and has been crucial in providing powerful user-perspective insights to influence the company’s product roadmap.
Rievers’ 25 years of deep industry experience also encapsulates senior positions at Univision Communications, Imagine Communications/Harris Broadcast, CNN, and The Weather Channel. His talent for streamlining processes and productions matches his passion and propensity to propel OpenDrives forward in enabling its impressive roster of production and live broadcast customers, including CBS Sports, Fox Sports, Los Angeles Kings, and many more, to create and deliver memorable, seamless content experiences.
Andy Smith, Pixotope, Regional Sales Manager, Western U.S. and Canada
In the fast-paced world of media production, being passionate can make all the difference. Andy Smith’s passion began over 20 years ago when he was first introduced to live production.
Smith has been involved in multiple aspects of live production throughout his career. His early days were spent in camera operations to eventually becoming chief editor, and watching this industry grow along the way. Smith has been a member of the Pixotope team for over three years, bringing positive energy to the workplace that uplifts everyone.
Corey Smith, CBS Sports and Paramount+, Senior Director, Digital, Software Engineering
Corey Smith joined CBS Sports and Paramount+ in March 2022 as the senior director of digital and software engineering. He leads the technical team building the next evolution of advanced production technology, strengthening CBS Sports’ leading cloud-based hybrid television production platform. Smith has been transforming digital television and broadcast systems since 2011, and he previously worked on Microsoft’s Xbox Live team, managed Sinclair Broadcast Group’s digital news publishing operations across the U.S., and tackled the next generation of cloud encoding and distribution systems for Activision Blizzard Esports. His primary focus for Activision Blizzard Esports was on the cloud-based production and broadcasting of Overwatch and Call of Duty Leagues globally.
Keith Vidger, Panasonic Connect, Principal Technology Consultant, Media & Entertainment
Keith Vidger has been working in television for over thirty years, both in production and manufacturing. His career spans the transitions from analog to digital, SD to HD, and SDI to ST2110. On the production side, Vidger has worked as a camera shader, editor, and TD. His first manufacturing role was at Sony, evangelizing new standards, and now he is the principal technical consultant for media and entertainment, designing systems for Panasonic’s live production customers.
JD Wu, The Switch, Director, Business Development (Esports)
JD Wu is an avid gamer who got his start as a professional League of Legends player. He is now an Emmy Award-winning live media professional. With over a decade of experience in esports and gaming, he specializes in the live broadcast of gaming and esports events. He is passionate about telling stories in all forms and growing with the ever-evolving gaming industry.