CNN election night: How holograms, the Magic Wall, and will.i.am changed broadcast history forever.

CNN’s presidential election coverage in 2008 continues to be etched in the collective memories of millions of Americans. While the moment Obama took the stage at Chicago’s Grant Park to deliver his acceptance speech might be the photo that the history books use to commemorate the event, viewers at home may still have the searing visuals of correspondent Jessica Yellin and Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am being beamed into the network’s New York studio in “hologram” form imprinted in their recollections of the night. Jason Odell, inventor of the hologram effect for CNN’s 2008 election night: David and I worked together at TechTV … and we always stayed in touch and would have breakfast at NAB and talk. Initially intended to debut on presidential election night along with the holograms, Bohrman said the technology was “too good to wait,” and it made its first appearance during January’s Iowa caucuses. David was just walking around the floor of a defense show and he saw this technology, and he’s the one who had the vision to say, “Gosh, you know it would be really great to tell the story of the data on election night.” Obviously, John King has taken that to the extreme level, beyond what David imagined, but he knew that technology would change the way we told the story.