EDITOR’S NOTE: ESPN platforms will present nightly coverage of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games this week through Aug. 2, with special related programming airing on ESPN Aug. 7 and ABC Aug. 8. The SOWG opened Saturday and continued Sunday in Los Angeles, as illustrated in the photo gallery above. Front Row spoke with Mandy Murphy, a Special Olympics official who has worked in conjunction with ESPN on coordinating the partnership.
LOS ANGELES – Mandy Murphy, who serves as the day-to-day liaison between ESPN and Special Olympics, joined Special Olympics International in 2009. She started out as the senior manager of media and public awareness and in 2013 was chosen to be the first account manager for ESPN and Special Olympics as the more than 30-year relationship between the two organizations grew.
Murphy has been handling the daily coordination between Special Olympics and ESPN for both the Special Olympics Unified Sports program, which brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities, and also ESPN’s involvement as the global media partner for the World Games, which opened Saturday in Los Angeles.
Part of that coordination includes working from her office at Special Olympics headquarters in Washington, D.C. as well as regular travel to her office at ESPN in Bristol, Conn., where she works closely with Vice President of ESPN Corporate Citizenship, Kevin Martinez, and his team.
“There couldn’t be a better partner for Special Olympics when you’re talking about perfect brand synergy. It’s an awesome and deserved opportunity for our athletes,” Murphy said.
In the video below, she explains why she feels Special Olympics and ESPN form a “perfect” collaboration.
Video produced by Samantha Baron
