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2017 | Doing Business in Connecticut 31 Film, TV & Digital Media L egend has it that the idea for the Entertainment and Sports Pro- gramming Network, known more commonly as ESPN, came to Bill Rasmussen as he was driving down Interstate 84 in Waterbury with his son. Rasmussen, a former local news sportscaster just over the border in Massachusetts, was looking for a new gig aer losing his public rela- tions job for the Whalers hockey team. His original idea was to locally broadcast Whalers and University of Connecticut sports. But Mike Soltys, vice president of corporate communications for ESPN, says while sitting in a highway backup, the epiphany hit Rasmussen — he should create a nationwide, 24/7 sports network. On air On Sept. 7, 1979, Rasmussen's vision became a reality with the very first broadcast of SportsCenter. irty-eight years later, there have been more than 50,000 broadcasts of the show, more than any other program in television history. In the almost four decades since ESPN launched it has seemingly seen it all: From the fledgling days of cable television, to the expansion of cable and satellite TV, to the emergence of the internet and social media. With each change, the venerable ESPN has kept pace. It launched a radio station in 1992, an awards show in 1993, a website in 1995 and a magazine in 1998. In 2011 it launched a Watch ESPN App for the iPad; in 2016, 69.3 million mobile users spent 4.4 billion minutes consuming ESPN content on mobile devices. In 2015, ESPN announced a deal to distribute content on the social media plat- form SnapChat. "ere's a tremendous focus on making sure we're offering the latest in digital services to our viewers," says Soltys. Today ESPN is a worldwide leader in sports coverage, with 24 networks that air in 61 countries in four languages. "ESPN was really one of the first constituents of this industry in the state and we're very lucky to have them," says George Norfleet, director of the Connecticut Office of Film, Television & Digital Media. "ey have set the bar very high, not just in Connecticut, but globally, and we look forward to their continued success." Perhaps what is most remarkable about ESPN as it relates to the state of Connecticut is not just how it has turned into an international powerhouse of sports broadcasting, but rather the impact it has had on the media industry in Connecticut overall. PHOTO/MELISSA RAWLINS & ESPN From Small Screens to Big Screens Connecticut's TV, Film & Digital Media industry continues to chart new territory By Brandon Butler Bristol is the epicenter of the ESPN sports world, where they film many of their top programs. Pictured from left to right are: Rece Davis, Kara Lawson, Jay Williams, Andy Landers, Rebecca Lobo and Jay Bilas during the 2017 Tournament Challenge Marathon shot at ESPN's studios in Bristol. Continued on page 32 >