Lights, Cameras, 17 Angles?! Bringing the Esports Awards to LA

For the first time ever, we took the Esports Awards to Los Angeles, marking another milestone for the show. The Esports Awards: Satellite Event was a brand-new challenge—new city, new format, and an ambitious production that pushed us further than ever.

I spent three weeks in LA alongside JX, Morgan, Jack Conway, Lily, and Mike Ashford, diving into pre-production. From building Xpression graphics to designing an entire stage from scratch, every detail was carefully planned. But just to add another layer of complexity, we were also producing The Mobies, which filmed across two days leading up to the Esports Awards. Running two full-scale productions simultaneously with two different crews was no small feat, but it made the final result even more rewarding.

The incredible production team working on The Mobies, while physical and technical build for Esports Awards was on going

All of this came together at Thunder Studios, where we delivered one of our most technically ambitious productions to date.

Building a Stage From the Ground Up

For the first time in Esports Awards history, we designed and built our own stage—a major milestone for the production team. But this wasn’t just any stage. We incorporated a perspective-based design, using two massive LED Esports Awards trophies that stood taller than the LED back wall. This gave the illusion of greater depth, creating a stage presence that felt larger than the physical space allowed.

The Esports Awards first full physical stage build

A Technically Complex Production

This event introduced several key advancements in our production workflow:

• A 17-camera setup, one of the most extensive we’ve ever used, capturing every angle of the event.

• A 100-foot red carpet, our longest yet, complemented by a dedicated live drop-off area that extended the entrance experience.

• Awards Alley, a separate interview space and winner’s run-off area, designed with a refined, candle-lit aesthetic in the style of traditional award shows.

• A fully integrated Glambot system, utilizing an internal network to pre-speed-ramp videos and ingest them directly into EVS for near-instant sharing.

• A rotating Lexus showcase platform, allowing us to achieve dynamic shots of the car throughout the evening.

• A PUBG Mobile tournament, produced at the end of the night for Samsung Galaxy, seamlessly integrating live esports competition into the event.

This event was a true testament to the collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving that goes into every Esports Awards production. Seeing it all come together in LA was an incredible moment for the team, and a step forward in the evolution of the show.

Check out the album below to see it all in action. Until next time, LA!