As of today, innovation has a new home in Winter Park, Fla.  ESPN and Full Sail University debuted the new Full Sail University Sports Lab Powered by ESPN.  ESPN will utilize this state-of-the-art facility for research and development of various new studio and remote technologies. This will be ESPN’s first and only sports technology lab at any Florida college or university.

“ESPN has long been an industry leader in utilizing cutting-edge technology to bring fans the best content,” said Anthony Bailey, vice president, emerging technology, ESPN.  “The energy and creativity the students and staff at Full Sail University will bring to this facility make this a natural location for this lab and will help us develop new tools to provide fans the best on-air coverage of sports.”

The mission of this joint collaboration will be to not only develop new technology enhancements such as virtual applications, but to provide students at Full Sail University the opportunity to work alongside ESPN’s emerging technology team to gain real-world experience.  Students who are selected to work in the lab will have the ability to design and execute new studio and remote technologies for ESPN.  This program comes on the heels of the announcement this week of Full Sail University’s new Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Marketing and Media.

“Full Sail has always believed that the closest and most engaged relationship with industry leaders drives optimal student and graduate outcomes because it aligns our curriculum with industry expectations. The opening of the Full Sail University Sports Lab powered by ESPN, a global entertainment industry leader, is a prime example of our educational approach in action and it is a compliment to our students that ESPN has chosen Full Sail to help guide the development of future sports technology,” said Ken Goldstone, Chief Operating Officer, Full Sail University.

This new lab will complement the current ESPN Innovation Lab located at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World.  That lab has been critical in the development of ESPN 3D, Ball Track, NBA Player Card and Ultimate Uplink.

Full Sail University is an award-winning educational leader for those pursuing careers in the entertainment and media industry. Founded in 1979, Full Sail has been recognized as one of the Top Five Game Degree Programs by Electronic Gaming Monthly, one of the Best Music Programs by Rolling Stone Magazine, and one of the Best Film Programs by UNleashed Magazine. In 2011, Full Sail received the “21st Century Best Practices in Distance Learning Award” from the United States Distance Learning Association, was named the “School/College of the Year” by the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges, and was recognized as one of the Top 100 Social Media Colleges by Studentadvisor.com.

Full Sail offers Master, Bachelor, and Associate campus and online degree programs in areas related to animation, art, business, education, graphic design, film, marketing, web development, music, recording arts, sports, and video games. Full Sail graduate credits include work on OSCAR®, Emmy®, GRAMMY®, ADDY®, MTV Video Music Award, and Spike Video Game Award nominated and winning projects.

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