War Eagle Productions wins third consecutive live game production award
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - For the third consecutive year, Auburn Athletics' War Eagle Productions won the Sports Video Group award for Outstanding Live Game Production in Collegiate Athletics.
"It's a great honor to see the hard work of the entire staff recognized at a national level," said Andy Young, assistant AD of video services. "It's always nice when your peers recognize you for that work."
War Eagle Productions received the award Thursday at the 10th annual College Sports Media Awards in Atlanta, winning a category that included nominees Syracuse, Alabama, Notre Dame and Texas Tech.
"To win this award three years in a row shows that our students and staff are always working to maintain the best product for the Auburn family and for our student-athletes," Young said.
Auburn's winning submission was the production of a gymnastics meet vs. Kentucky on Jan. 26.
"We were the first school production control room to produce a gymnastics broadcast for ESPN," said Michael Sullivan, director of video, live operations and engineering.
Students made up 75-80 percent of the War Eagle Productions work crew for the winning production, Sullivan said, gaining experience that will help them succeed in the industry after graduation.
"Our success, especially on live events, is determined by the work quality of 18 to 21-year-olds," Sullivan said. "We like to see ourselves as a team. We're just like any other sport. Success is determined by our ability to teach and train them.
"Thankfully, we have great students who really get it. They understand how this can help prepare them in the business."
Students who helped Auburn win its previous two Sports Video Group awards are now working professionally at Turner Sports, ESPN, Fox and CBS, Sullivan said.
"We've started to build a funnel where you come to Auburn, get great training working with top professionals in the industry and then go out and get a job wherever you want," he said.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer