Sandblast Productions to Provide Sound Design to 2014 ESPYS

At the 2014 ESPYS tonight in Los Angeles, entertainment and sports celebrities will gather to celebrate the year's major sports achievements. Sandblast Productions provided sound design and mixing services for nearly all the videos that will be shown at the awards ceremony to commemorate the most unforgettable sports moments and athletes of 2014.

The videos include "Image," the opening film montage of the past year in sports, nomination package roll-ins for each of the athletes and events voted on by millions of fans, and a video for the Jimmy V Perseverance Award honoring an individual who has shown the indomitable nature of the human spirit. Sandblast collaborated on the videos with Mandalay Sports Media (MSM), which produces sports-themed content for ESPN and other major television, digital, feature film and sports entities.

"Sound conveys the energy, unpredictability and drama of sports that images can't do alone. The amazing graphics packages and video effects of the ESPYS give Sandblast an opportunity to play with sound design in new and creative ways, and inspire us to bring something new to the process every year," said Michael Ungar, a Sandblast founding member. Co-founder Ralph Kelsey added, "Sandblast's experience with the ESPYS, dedication to the project and people involved, and most importantly our musicality, is why MSM and ESPN keep coming back to us year after year."

Sandblast began work on the ESPYS in late June. In less than two weeks, Sandblast designed and mixed sound for more than 35 minutes of video, almost one third the length of a feature film. Virtually every second required some sort of sound design. From enhancing music tracks with additional instrumentation to adding a thunderous roar to a slow motion slam dunk, Sandblast used sound to add impact to the most exciting footage and visual effects in sports entertainment.

"It's a challenging schedule since awards such as 'Best Play' and 'Best Moment' can be decided at the last minute, requiring nearly real-time production efforts," said John Hirsch, executive Vice president of production, MSM. "Sandblast never fails to give us something killer, something new and exciting, no matter what the schedule allows. They really are the best."

For almost 20 years, Sandblast has been working with Roadside Entertainment, which was acquired by MSM earlier this year, providing sound production for the ESPYS and other ESPN projects, such as Monday Night Football, the Indianapolis 500 and other packages that have become the signature sound of ESPN.

The 2014 ESPYS marks the show's 22nd telecast and the 18th time Sandblast has worked on the show. The ESPYS are at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles and will be broadcast at 9 p.m. ET tonight on ESPN. Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling recording artist Drake will host.
About Sandblast Productions

Sandblast Productions is an award-winning production company specializing in music, sound design, state-of- the-art mixing, audio restoration and audio post production for television, radio, film and theatre. Its long-standing clients include some of the biggest names in news and entertainment such as CBS, NBC, Showtime, HBO, Sesame Street, ESPN and many more. For information on Sandblast Productions, visit their website at www.sandblastproductions.com.

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