June 3, 2016
Irish Connection, the signature video documentary series from Fighting Irish Media, was honored as the `Outstanding Program Series’ in the Collegiate Athletics Category at the 2016 Sports Video Group/National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics College Sports Media Awards held in Atlanta, Ga., on June 2, 2016.
Also knowns as `ICON,’ Irish Connection documents each Notre Dame football game with unprecedented behind the scenes access from the Irish sidelines, locker room and coaching booths.
“The late president of NFL Films once said the locker room is a laboratory of human emotions and without the support of the Notre Dame football coaches and staff, we would not be able to show the human side of sports,” said Fighting Irish Media Producer Josh Long, who accepted the award and was the main editor of the series throughout the year.
“It is about the people, not the plays.”
The award marks the first earned by Fighting Irish Media for a full in-house production. With more than 400 entries submitted in five categories, the SVG/NACDA College Sports Media Awards are the `best-of-the-best’ for college athletic video production.
“I would like to thank the Sports Video Group for this honor,” said Fighting Irish Media Executive Producer Jodain Massad.
“And thanks to (University Vice President James E. Rohr Director of Athletics) Jack Swarbrick and (Senior Associate Athletic Director) Dan Skendzel for believing in the power of telling your own story.
“Fighting Irish Media’s goal is to tell the best stories of the special people on this campus that inspire us. SVG is such a great event because it helps us know how far we can go by the mutual inspiration of our field.
“Fighting Irish Media is thrilled and humbled for this year’s honor. Technologically it is easier than ever for anyone to make stuff and content is in high demand. This is a great place to be for all of us as creators. Let’s keep creating content that stands out from the noise.”
You can view the entire 2015 ICON series below via the WatchND YouTube playlist. The series will return to document the 2016 Notre Dame football season.