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    ESPN’s Connor Schell to receive NY Festivals’ Lifetime Achievement Award

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2276 Views
    Connor Schell
    NEW YORK --

    Connor Schell, executive VP, content for ESPN, will receive the 9th annual New York Festivals® Lifetime Achievement Award on Tuesday, April 9, at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas.

    The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes prominent industry leaders whose accomplishment have advanced their field and made a lasting impression on the industry.

    “For the past decade, the documentaries of 30 for 30 have earned multiple Grand Trophies and Gold World Medals from the New York Festivals Grand Jury and have won acclaim for their passionate storytelling, compelling journalism, and innovative techniques – all under Connor’s guidance. His commitment to excellence encompasses long-form and short-form and we are proud to honor him with the New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Rose Anderson, VP and executive director, New York Festivals Television & Film Awards

    ESPN Films’ prestigious 30 for 30 documentary brand marks its 10th anniversary this year. Schell is the executive producer and co-creator of the Emmy, Oscar, and Peabody Award-winning 30 for 30 documentary series and the Emmy-winning 30 for 30 Shorts digital series. The ESPN Films group continues to report to him and win awards. 30 for 30 received Sports Emmys, Producers Guild Awards, NAACP Image Awards, IDA Awards, Webby Awards and Edward R Murrow Awards. Schell also served as a producer and executive producer of the company’s first Academy Award-winning film, O.J.: Made in America. As a producer of the film, Schell was also a recipient of a DuPont Award for Journalism and his third Peabody Award.

    Schell is responsible for overseeing all aspects of ESPN’s content creation across television, digital and print platforms. He oversees management of all of ESPN’s event production domestically and internationally including the production of the NBA Finals, the College Football National Championship, Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Baseball, Wimbledon and the US Open. He also manages all of ESPN’s studio programming including SportsCenter and ESPN’s News & Information division. Schell oversees digital and print content creation covering ESPN.com, the ESPN App, ESPN the Magazine, The Undefeated and all off-platform ESPN branded content (i.e. SC on Snap). Additionally, Schell is responsible for ESPN Films, ESPN Audio, and the company’s Talent Office.

    Tags:ESPNNew York Festivals



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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