SVG Esports Production Summit by Sports Video Group

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PRODUCTIONSUMMIT SUMMIT ESPORTS PRODUCTION AGENDA 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. 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, and more. MODERATOR: Jason Dachman, SVG, Editorial Director, U.S. and Esports Production Summit Director PANELISTS: 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 EXHIBITS

SPONSORED BY

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. Hear from top broadcast-technology providers on today’s groundbreaking tools and how they are changing live esports production. 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 Champions Tour

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 to tell the story of Riot Games’ Valorant Champions Tour. 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. 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 Madison Edgar, Activision Blizzard, Events Manager, Global Esports

4:45 – 5:30 p.m. NETWORKING RECEPTION IN EXHIBITS SPONSORED BY

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ESPORTS PRODUCTION SUMMIT

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ANDREW LANE, ESL FACEIT Group, Senior Director of Broadcast & Production Lane’s 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.

GUILLERMO PARGA, ESL FACEIT

Group, Director, Festival Operations

Parga oversees 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.

SPEAKERS WADE BECKETT, ADVNCR, EVP, North America Beckett is CEO and EVP of programming at ADVNCR, a creative production agency with offices in London and Los Angeles. Before co-founding ADVNCR’s North American operations, Beckettwas chief programming officer and SVP of video at IGN, the world’s largest media brand for video games. Beckett has spent the last 20 years developing and producing video game, esports, and sports programming.

GEOFF BOWEN, Appear, Chief Technical Architect – North America 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 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.

TERRY DAILY, Ross Video, Manager of the Virtual Creative Services Team, Rocket Surgery Creative Services Group 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.

RYAN THOMPSON, Esports Engine, CoFounder and Chief Production Officer

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.

MATT DONOVAN, Riot Games, Broadcast Engineering and Technology Manager 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. He leads a team of talented engineers that are responsible for the technical development and execution of Riot’s broadcast and production ecosystems. 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 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. Over the last five years, he has focused on developing the largest dedicated esports facility in North America: Esports Stadium Arlington.

MADISON EDGAR, Activision Blizzard, Events Manager, Global Esports

project.

With over 14 years of experience in events strategy, marketing, and partnerships, Edgar is a passionate and innovative force in bringing brands to life through engaging experiences. Her proven track record of delivering unique solutions is informed by a constant pulse on industry trends, with a focus on DE&I and sustainability in every

PETE EMMINGER, Industry Consultant

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.

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HELPING AN ESPORTS LEAGUE REACH 99 MILLION UNIQUE VIEWERS How does a premier esports league cover their world championship final in Paris, producing an English language feed in Berlin and a world feed in Los Angeles? All in real time? With Virtuoso software-defined media nodes providing JPEG XS video transport. Look to Sony and Nevion, experts you can trust to transform your production. Visit nevion.com/virtuoso to see how we can help you.

© 2022 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. Sony and the Sony logo are trademarks of Sony. Nevion is a trademark of Nevion AS, a Sony Group company.

ESPORTS PRODUCTION SUMMIT TYLER ENDRES, Esports Arena, CEO Endres is currently the founder and CEO of Esports Arena. His high school days of playing Halo 2 led him to being one of the best gamers at his college campus. Hosting his own tournaments with a group of friends in 2007, to competing on the big stage at a national gaming tournament, Endres discovered an opportunity to build a business he can be passionate about.

HUGO GAGGIONI, Sony Electronics, Chief Technology Officer, Sony Imaging Products and Professional Solutions – Americas 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.

HEATHER “SapphiRe” GAROZZO, Raidiant, Founder and Freelance Producer/Observer Director Garozzo is a veteran of the esports industry. She is considered one of the most successful FPS observers (or in-game directors) for CS:GO and VALORANT, among other FPS titles. Garozzo has been billed on the broadcast line-up for some of the game’s most prestigious events, including the VALORANT Champions Tour 2021 and 2022 and numerous CS:GO Majors including the famed ELEAGUE Boston Major, alongside an Emmy-award winning production crew.

ALLYSON GORMLEY, Riot Games, Director of Global Operations, Remote Broadcast & Production Gormley 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.

RANDELL (GURU) HAMMOND, Esports Engine, Director, Broadcast Engineering Hammond 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 highestprofile live events, including Fortnite World Cup, Rocket League Championship Series, Borderlands 3 Reveal, TwitchCon, and many others.

SEBASTIAN HONCIUC, PGL ESPORTS, Broadcast Producer 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.

PAUL KENT, Esports Engine, Senior Director, UK Operations Kent 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.

SVGESPORTS

JOSEPH LYNCH, EA, Group Director, Esports Content and Programming 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.

LYDIA PENDERGRASS, OS Studios, Head of Broadcast Operations

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. Before joining OS, Pendergrass earned her degree in broadcast journalism and worked as a technical director in local TV for seven years, after which she began applying her broadcast experience to her true passion, gaming.

ANDRÉ RIEVERS, OpenDrives, VP of Operations

As a former executive and content creator with post-production experience and over two decades of content workflow and esports industry experience, Rievers 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.

ANDY SMITH, Pixotope, Regional Sales Manager, Western U.S. and Canada 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 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.

KEITH VIDGER, Panasonic Connect, Principal Technology Consultant, Media & Entertainment 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) 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.

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Thank you to the Esports Production Committee! COMMITTEE CHAIR Joseph Lynch, EA, Group Director, Content & Programming

LYNCH

ARDEN

BAKER

CANTY

DONOVAN

DUNN

EICHER

GAROZZO

HAMMOND

HONCIUC

LANE

THOMPSON

COMMITTEE MEMBERS Matt Arden, NBA 2K League, Head of Content and Media Jason Baker, Freelance Producer/ Observer Director TJ Canty Jr., NBA 2K League, Senior Director of Operations Matt Donovan, Riot Games, Senior Manager, Broadcast Engineering & Technology Corey Dunn, OpTic Gaming & Esports Stadium Arlington, Executive Director Simon Eicher, ESL FACEIT Group, Director, Game Ecosystems Mobile Heather “sapphiRe” Garozzo, Radiant, Founder and Freelance Producer/Observer Director Randell (Guru) Hammond, Esports Engine, Director, Broadcast Engineering Sebastian Honciuc, PGL ESPORTS, Broadcast Producer Andrew Lane, ESL FACEIT Group, Senior Director of Broadcast & Production Ryan Thompson, Esports Engine, Co-Founder and Chief Production Officer

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