NATAS: Children’s & Animation / Fiction & Lifestyle Daytime Emmy Awards

Reimagining the Daytime Emmy Awards Through Virtual Production

200+Remote Nominees and Presenters Managed

24Live Remote Feeds Integrated

2Hrs Runtime per Show

In This Case Study:

Services
Challenge
Solution
Impact
Deliverables
Key Information
Photo Gallery

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences partnered with BMG to support two live Daytime Emmy Awards programs produced on consecutive nights: the Children’s & Animation ceremony and the Fiction & Lifestyle ceremony.

Each program ran approximately two hours and streamed live to the web, requiring BMG to combine creative services, virtual set design, REMI production, remote contributor management, live transmission, and technical execution into one coordinated workflow.

The Children’s & Animation ceremony was produced entirely inside a custom-designed virtual environment, while the Fiction & Lifestyle ceremony used a hybrid approach that blended a physical set with virtual production elements.

One of the key factors in our search for production support for our 2021 events was finding an all-in-one shop. BMG certainly delivered, with a complete package of manpower, connectivity, and technology. Add in plenty of innovation as we embarked on the first-ever Augmented Reality, REMI award show and BMG proved that they are the industry leader.

Steve Ulrich — Senior Vice President, Production & Events, NATAS

The Challenge: Turning a Major Awards Show Into a Virtual Live Experience

NATAS wanted to bring variety and visual depth to its 2021 Daytime Emmy Awards programming while producing two live shows with remote nominees, remote presenters, and distributed production teams.

BMG needed to design the virtual environment, manage the live technical workflow, and keep the pace of an awards show moving while coordinating approximately 100 remote contributors per program.

Designing a Virtual Awards Environment

The Children’s & Animation ceremony needed to take place entirely inside a custom-designed virtual set, with hosts and presenters captured live on a green screen stage in Burbank.

The Fiction & Lifestyle ceremony required a different approach, combining physical staging with virtual set elements to create a hybrid visual environment.

Managing Remote Nominees and Presenters

Each show included approximately 100 remote nominees and presenters joining live.

BMG had to keep the current award category and upcoming categories ready at the same time, so presenters, nominees, and winners could be brought into the broadcast without slowing down the show.

Coordinating a Distributed REMI Workflow

The production was split across multiple BMG locations.

Camera and audio signals originated from Burbank, live production was handled through BMG’s REMI hub in Las Vegas, and graphics insertion and virtual set integration were supported remotely from Chicago.

Supporting a Fast-Moving Live Awards Format

Awards shows move quickly. Categories change, nominees rotate in and out, presenters need to be ready, winners need to appear live, and graphics, playback, audio, prompting, and transmission all have to stay synchronized.

BMG needed to build a workflow that could support that pace while managing dozens of active live feeds at once.

The Solution: Creative Services and REMI Production Working Together

BMG delivered a fully integrated production workflow that combined custom virtual set design, temporary studio engineering, remote transmission management, and REMI-based live production.

The project showed how creative design and technical infrastructure could work together to support a major live awards show in a virtual environment.

Custom Virtual Set Design

BMG’s creative services team designed and integrated custom virtual environments for the two Daytime Emmy Awards programs.

For the Children’s & Animation ceremony, BMG created a fully virtual awards environment. The host and presenters were captured live on a green screen set and composited into the virtual world in real time.

For the Fiction & Lifestyle ceremony, BMG helped create a hybrid production that incorporated both physical set elements and virtual set design.

Temporary Green Screen Studio in Burbank

BMG designed, engineered, and installed a temporary green screen studio at ATI Studios in Burbank, California.

This studio served as the live capture environment for the host and presenters, giving NATAS a controlled production space where talent could perform live while being integrated into the virtual set.

Remote Contributor Management

BMG managed live feeds for approximately 100 remote nominees and presenters per show.

Two dedicated transmission engineers handled the remote workflow using Skype and NewTek TalkShow hardware. To keep the show moving, BMG maintained three active nominee groups at any given time: the current award category and the next two upcoming categories.

Each category was assigned two TalkShow devices, creating eight incoming transmission paths per award category and allowing BMG to manage up to 24 concurrent live feeds during the broadcast.

REMI Production Through Las Vegas

BMG used a REMI workflow to support both programs.

Camera and audio signals from Burbank were transmitted via IP to BMG’s REMI hub in Las Vegas, where the technical team handled directing, switching, audio mixing, playback, teleprompting, and live transmission.

This allowed the core technical production team to manage both shows from a centralized control environment while the studio team in Burbank focused on talent capture and stage execution.

Graphics and Virtual Set Integration from Chicago

BMG personnel in Chicago supported graphics insertion and virtual set integration throughout the broadcasts.

This distributed model allowed the production to connect creative, technical, and graphics teams across multiple locations while keeping the final live program synchronized.

Impact

BMG helped NATAS produce two live Daytime Emmy Awards programs in a virtual and hybrid production environment at a time when major awards shows were still adapting to remote-first formats.

The project combined creative services, virtual set design, live green screen production, REMI workflows, remote contributor management, graphics integration, and live streaming into one coordinated operation.

Across the two programs, BMG managed more than 200 remote nominees and presenters, supported approximately 100 remotes per show, and maintained up to 24 concurrent live feeds during the live broadcasts.

For NATAS, the result was a new way to present the Daytime Emmy Awards while preserving the pacing, energy, and recognition moments that define a live awards show. For BMG, the project demonstrated the company’s ability to blend creative production and advanced REMI engineering for complex entertainment events.

Deliverables

Provide technical management and execution of two virtual award ceremonies

Creative design and integration of a custom virtual set environment

Design, engineering, and installation of a temporary green screen studio

Management of 200+ remote nominees and presenters

Creative consulting and technical guidance

Key Information

Category	Details
Client	National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS)
Event	Children's & Animation Daytime Emmy Awards / Fiction & Lifestyle Daytime Emmy Awards
Locations	Burbank, CA Las Vegas, NV Chicago, IL
Venue	ATI Studios
Year	2021