New York Festivals®, International Television & Film Awards will honor Geoffrey Mason with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
One of sports television’s most accomplished executives, he has more than 40 years of domestic and international production experience, including seven Olympic Games, six World Cups, and multiple America’s Cup races. The consummate freelancer, Mason has worked for ABC, NBC, Fox, ESPN, and NFL Network over five decades in the business, mentoring hundreds of co-workers along the way.
He will be honored on Tuesday, April 17th at the Television & Film Awards ceremony taking place at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas. The NYF Television & Film Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes prominent industry leaders whose accomplishments and contributions have advanced their field and made a lasting impression on the industry.
“I am blessed to have been assigned - for most of the past 40 years – to big events, all over the planet. This good fortune has immensely broadened my understanding of our industry, and of our world - and the people in it. Who's luckier than I?” commented Geoffrey Mason, Senior Production Specialist, ESPN.
Mason currently serves as head of production planning for UEFA EUROs and FIFA World Cup soccer. He was head of production planning for the award-winning 2010 FIFA Men’s World’s Cup soccer tournament in South Africa as well as the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup from Germany. Previously, Mason was executive producer of ESPN’s international and regional production.
“Geoff Mason’s list of accomplishments, the events he has overseen and the impact he has had on the television sports industry cannot be overestimated,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “Spanning five decades, his managerial and creative achievements are simply remarkable, encompassing many of the greatest sports events of our time. And yet he has somehow found the time to give back to society in a major way, through his tireless work for 20+ years on the Board of Directors at the Betty Ford Center. Not many of us can say that we have changed for the better both the history of sports television and the lives of so many people. Geoff Mason certainly can.”
As executive producer at ABC Sports, Mason was involved in some of the sporting world’s most exciting events. His extensive production background includes Super Bowls, Monday Night Football, World Series, Triple Crowns, Indianapolis 500s, golf and tennis majors, the Tour de France, and multiple America’s Cup events in Australia and New Zealand. He has witnessed some of sport's most iconic moments: Borg and McEnroe’s epic final at Wimbledon in 1980, Franz Klammer earning the Gold Medal for his dramatic downhill in the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics, the tragic murders perpetrated by terrorists during the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and the 1989 earthquake that rocked the World Series in San Francisco. Mason has earned more than two dozen Sports Emmys, and was inducted in to the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2010.
“By selecting Geoff Mason as the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, New York Festivals honors a man whose work has had a major impact in broadcasting, not only for his achievements in sports television, but also for his influence on hundreds of colleagues who have gone on to prominence in their own careers,” commented Rose Anderson, NYF Television & Film Awards Executive Director.
“We are pleased to be in our second year, hosting NYF's prestigious Television & Film Awards ceremony at the NAB Show," said NAB Executive Vice President, Conventions and Business Operations, Chris Brown. "This partnership illustrates NAB Show's commitment to the content community across all genres and platforms. Sports production is a core component of the NAB Show and we are thrilled to welcome Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Geoffrey Mason to our program. We know his vast knowledge of international production will be an inspiration for the thousands of creative professionals and amateurs who attend each year.”
The New York Festivals Awards ceremony will shine the spotlight on the 2012 World’s Best TV & Films, as well as present the Lifetime Achievement Award, Broadcaster of the Year, Production Company of the Year, and United Nations Department of Public Information Awards. Award winners and ceremony attendees will have access to The NAB Show, content conferences, speakers, exhibitions, and screening of the Grand Award winners in the Content Theater.
New York Festivals and the NAB Show will host a conversation with Geoffrey Mason on Tuesday, April 17th. Award winners will be announced and trophies will be presented at the 2012 Television & Film Awards ceremony taking place during the evening of April 17th at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas April 14th-19th.
For more information about the NAB Show go to: www.nabshow.com.
For more information about New York Festivals go to www.newyorkfestivals.com
All press inquiries are welcome and should be directed to Gayle Mandel: gmandel@internationalawardsgroup.com, Ph: 1 212 643 4800
About International Awards Group
International Awards Group (IAG) organizes advertising and programming competitions for the following brands: AME Awards for Advertising Marketing Effectiveness; Midas Awards for Financial Services Communications; The Global Awards for Healthcare Communications; NYF Advertising Awards; NYF Television & Film Awards; and NYF Radio Programs & Promotions. Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. Founded in 1957, IAG and their brands now have representation in 75 countries. For more information, go to www.InternationalAwardsGroup.com.
About the NAB Show
The NAB Show, held annually in Las Vegas, is the world's largest electronic media show covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums. With more than 90,000 attendees from 151 countries and 1,500+ exhibitors, the NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for digital media and entertainment. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, the NAB Show is home to the solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and embrace content delivery to new screens in new ways. Complete details are available at www.nabshow.com.
About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.