Maura Kathleen Mandt was a legendary producer, pioneering innovator, fearless and television army general, born on September 16, 1966.
As the longtime executive producer of the ESPYs, ESPN’s annual awards show, Maura was one of the most powerful and influential people in sports and entertainment for years.
Maura Mandt worked on the ESPY Awards for more than two decades and eventually became the show’s executive producer.
She died unexpectedly on February 28, 2020 at 53.
Mandt began working on the ESPYS as a production assistant in the 1990s, became a producer on the show later in the decade and was named executive producer in 2002.
She eventually produced ESPN’s annual awards show through her company, MaggieVision Productions.
Among the other numerous projects her company worked on were the NFL Honors show and projects for The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN. Mandt was among the winners of a Primetime Emmy Award in 2014 for the ESPN 30 for 30 Short “Arthur & Johnnie.”
She also won two Sports Emmys for documentary work. She even produced a 2014 short film that won the first-ever Prime Time Emmy for 30 for 30.