The SVG Podcast

Working on the content side for a professional sports team can be a thrill. It can also be a grind. That’s where strong leadership becomes crucial to the health and productivity of an operation. In this special episode, Content Leadership in Pro Sports with The Gargano Leadership Group, produced in partnership with The Gargano Leadership Group, go in-depth on the philosophies and strategies of some of the industry’s top leaders. The conversation centers on the importance of continuous learning as a leader, connecting with the people you lead, empowering your team, and the overall development of people and culture within the content department of a professional sports organization. This webinar features: Jessica Ciccone, New York Jets, VP of Content Strategy – Marketing Vittorio DeBartolo, Oakland A’s, Senior Director of Marketing Rael Enteen, Washington Commanders, VP of Content Moderator: Chris Gargano, The Gargano Leadership Group, Founder Learn more about The Gargano Leadership Group at www.garganoleadership.com.

With the Daytona 500 set to explode onto screens this weekend, NASCAR - and its broadcast partner FOX Sports - are still buzzing from a wildly unique weekend earlier this month. As the weather forecast in Southern California continued to look bleaker by the hour leading into NASCAR's Clash at The Coliseum, the auto racing giant made the unprecedented decision to move the preseason race a full day earlier. That created a scenario almost unheard of in live sports production. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, you'll learn how FOX Sports and NASCAR worked together to bring viewers one of the sport’s most unusual events a full day before it was scheduled to run. We are joined by  Benjamin Baker, Managing Director, Domestic Broadcasting, NASCAR Steve Craddock, SVP, Production, NASCAR Production, FOX Sports George Grill, Field Technical Producer, Fox Sports This interview is conducted by SVG's Editorial Director, U.S. Jason Dachman. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that impact the industry.

The ratings for women’s sports continue to climb to record levels and that, in turn, drives the need for better and deeper productions. In celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, this episode of The SVG Podcast showcases leaders in women’s sports production. Their discussion centers around how their productions are evolving, why their programming is connecting with viewers, and how the data is now backing up that women’s sports on television is good business. The panel includes: Patricia Lowry, GameTime Productions, President Sara Gaiero, ESPN, VP, Production Emily Sisson, Octagon, SVP, Business Development Curtis Symonds, HBCU GO, President and Co-Founder This conversation was hosted at the SVG Summit in New York City on Dec. 12 and was moderated by Melissa Forman, Co-Founder of Impakt Partners. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that impact the industry.

When it comes to hot trends in sports production these days, the rise of alternate broadcasts is one of the preeminent ways to engage viewers uniquely. From betting-focused shows to alternate announcers, and even fully reanimated recreations of the action on the field, we dive into this topic to discuss goals, target audiences, and reasons for doing them with :  Danielle Cranin, NBC Sports, Senior Director, Content Integration & Partnerships Drew Gallagher, ESPN, Coordinating Producer Jon Klein, HANG Media, Co-Founder and CEO Michael “Spike” Szykowny, ESPN Creative Studio, Edit + Animation + Graphics Innovation + Production & Playout This conversation was hosted at the SVG Summit in New York City on Dec. 12 and was moderated by Brandon Costa, Director of Digital at Sports Video Group. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that impact the industry.

It’s well-known that the Hispanic population is growing across the U.S., and, in media and entertainment, the younger, multi-language shift is a trend that is changing the face of sports. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we are joined by Eli Velazquez, EVP, Sports for NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises to discuss how his company is uniquely positioned to serve the rising numbers of what he identified as “two-hundred-percenters”: bilingual speakers born in the U.S. but with deep ties to their family’s native country. During a 20-year career at Telemundo, Velazquez has played a key part in production decisions concerning some of the world’s biggest sports events: the World Cup, Olympics, Super Bowls, and more. In this episode of the show, he shares his belief in the growing Hispanic sports-viewing market in the U.S., his production philosophy, production plans for 2024, reflections on the World Cup, and much more. This conversation was hosted at the SVG Summit in New York City on Dec. 12 and was moderated by SVG's Executive Director, Editorial Ken Kerschbaumer. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that impact the industry.

Change is constant in the world of remote production. Never has that fact been more evident as the industry steams into 2024. There are more ways than ever to produce an event, thanks to cloud services, fiber connectivity, and IP, but there is still plenty of demand for trucks to be onsite. What is the current state of the business of the remote-production industry? In this episode of The SVG Podcast, top executives from the remote-production community tackle the key topics facing the business. The discussion includes: - Mary Ellen Carlyle, Dome Productions, SVP/GM - Robert Carzoli, Program Productions, Chairman - Nick Garvin, Mobile TV Group, COO - Pat Sullivan, Game Creek Video, President - Mike Werteen, NEP Broadcast Services, Global President This conversation was hosted at the SVG Summit in New York City on Dec. 12 and was moderated by SVG's Executive Director, Editorial Ken Kerschbaumer. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that impact the industry.

2023 was loaded with high-end live sports productions from the major networks. What major technology innovations are changing this game? In this episode of The SVG Podcast, leaders from FOX Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, WBD Sports, and MLB Network reflect on some of their favorite moments from the past year. Additionally, they offer their takes on the latest trends that are driving their productions, the challenges in continuing to do more as shows get larger, and what new technologies are really making a difference. The discussion includes: - Chris Brown, WBD Sports, VP, Tech Operations - Jason Cohen, CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network, VP, Remote Technical Operations - Susan Stone, MLB Network, SVP, Operations and Engineering - Tina Thornton, ESPN, EVP, Creative Studio and Marketing This conversation was hosted at the SVG Summit in New York City on Dec. 12 and was moderated by Mike Davies, Fox Sports, EVP, Technical and Field Operations; SVG Chairman. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that impact the industry.

From The International to League of Legends Worlds to CS:GO Major Championships and beyond, esports boasts some of the largest annual live-event productions of any kind. On today's episode of The SVG Podcast, we take a look at how the biggest of the tentpole esports events throughout the year are produced. What live-production workflows are being used today for elite esports events and what strategies are being implemented to serve both the tens of thousands of fans onsite and the millions more watching across the globe. The discussion includes: - Sebastian Honciuc, PGL ESPORTS, Broadcast Producer - Paul Kent, Esports Engine, Senior Director, UK Operations - Joseph Lynch, EA, Group Director, Esports Content and Programming This conversation comes from the stage of the 2023 SVG Esports Production Summit, which was hosted in Los Angeles on November 16, 2023. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that impact the industry.

The New Year always opens with one of our favorite productions of the year: the NHL Winter Classic. This year, the event visited the Pacific Northwest and T-Mobile Park in Seattle as the league’s two newest franchises – the Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken - met up outdoors. This is now the third year that the NHL on TNT and the team from Warner Bros. Discovery Sports have handled the production and, as usual, it was a feast for the eyes. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we reflect on the broadcast with Lee Estroff, Director of Technical Operations at WBD Sports to get his take on what made this baseball stadium a beautiful place to broadcast a hockey game from, what advice he would give to someone working on a live sports production in a unique locale, and much more. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that impact the industry.

Slimetime returned to the Gridiron as CBS Sports and Nickelodeon teamed up to bring the multi-Emmy Award-winning "Nickmas" alternate presentation to a Christmas Day game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Nickmas Game has become one of the marquee alternate broadcasts. This year's show featured Christmas-themed augmented reality (AR) graphics, a guest appearance by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the announce booth, Santa Claus running routes as a receiver, a giant Yetti tossing snowballs all over the stadium, a candy cane telestrator, and – of course – Slime Canons erupting all over the end zone. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, our Chief Editor Jason Dachman is joined by Coordinating Producer Shawn Robbins and Nickelodeon's VP, Animation/Motion Graphics Kurt Hartman to reflect on this latest chapter in this series. They share how it’s evolved and improved over the year and even give a bit of a preview of what’s to come when they do this all again for Super Bowl 58 next month. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that impact the industry.

The FIFA Women's World Cup Final comes to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday and one of the countries - England or Spain - will hoist the trophy for the first time. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, what goes into the complete production of the global tournament? What new broadcast workflows have been instituted by FIFA and its outfit Host Broadcast Services in Sydney this summer? We’re joined on the program by Florin Mitu, the Head of Host Broadcast and Production for FIFA. He’ll take you through their efforts in this conversation with SVG’s Executive Director, Editorial Ken Kerschbaumer. This conversation was recorded on August 9 at the SVG Australia Summit at the Telstra Customer Insight Centre in Sydney. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

It's Super Bowl Week and preparations are humming along with FOX Sports down in Arizona. This Sunday will mark the fifth Super Bowl at the front bench for FOX Sports Lead Director Rich Russo. Prior to the Big Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Russo chatted with SVG’s Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services, Ken Kerschbaumer. What’s it like calling the shots for the biggest show on television? How does he prepare the broadcast? What was his job at the first Super Bowl he ever worked back in 1987? What’s on his bucket list of events to direct? To catch up on more of the behind-the-scenes happenings at Super Bowl LVII, visit the SVG SportsTechLIVE Road to Super Bowl LVII Blog at sportsvideo.org. Thanks to our sponsors TAG Video Systems, IHSE, MediaPro, and Marshall Electronics. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

It's Bengals-Chiefs Round Two as, for the fifth consecutive season, CBS Sports is in Kansas City to broadcast the AFC Championship Game (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS). The CBS Sports production and operations teams are bringing with them more than 80 cameras, including Trolley Cam, Sky Cam, a live drone, fixed wing aerials, Pylon Cams, 15 super slow-mo cameras, the Sports Emmy Award-winning “RomoVision,” and much more. We are joined on The SVG Podcast by Jason Cohen, VP, Remote Technical Operations for CBS Sports to offer an exclusive look at the work going into this Sunday's big show. What should viewers expect? What was it like producing last week's Divisional Round game in snowy Buffalo? How has Trolly Cam emerged as a signature camera angle for CBS in the Playoffs? That and much more. NOTE: This conversation was recorded on Thursday, January 26 in advance of the AFC Championship Game. Since the recording, Jason has updated that the Fujinon HZK25-1000mm lens has been moved to a Sony 4800 shooting at 8X. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

Women’s sports leagues in the U.S. and beyond continue to gain traction, especially among younger demographics. 2022 saw numerous professional and collegiate women's sports set new ratings highs. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, industry leaders discuss the growth of women’s sports programming and how technology and workflows are upping the quality of productions across the board. Our guests are: - Sara Gaiero, ESPN, Coordinating Producer - Brian Gordon, NWSL, SVP, Media and Executive Producer - John von Stade, Women’s Sports Network, Head of League Partnerships This panel discussion took place at the SVG Summit on December 13, 2022 in New York City and was moderated by SVG's Director of Digital Brandon Costa. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

It's been another big year at ESPN. At the 2022 SVG Summit, we got the opportunity to reflect on that year that was with ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, Pitaro sits down with SVG’s Editorial Director Ken Kerschbaumer for a discussion about the future of the sports TV industry, ESPN’s linear and digital strategy, his thoughts on the production highlights of the year, and a look ahead to 2023 and beyond. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

On a special episode of The SVG Podcast, three members of the SVG Editorial Team report from the grounds of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar. SVG's Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services Ken Kerschbaumer, Senior Editor Kristian Hernandez, and SVG Europe's Editorial Director George Bevir review for you their conversations with major broadcasters like Host Broadcast Services, FIFA, FOX Sports, Telemundo Deportes, and many more. They discuss the technological advancements they've witnessed, offer a compelling take on the state of IP at this World Cup, and much more. For more coverage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, visit the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 SportsTech Live Blog now at sportsvideo.org. Thank you to our blog sponsors Dolby, EVS, Intelsat, and Ross Video. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

It's been a big year in the world of live esports production. In addition to a big spike in the number of events, the industry has undergone a seismic shift in the way those events are produced. In this episode of The SVG Podcast, hear from top esports-event leaders on the latest production and technology trends, how they are embracing cloud-based and remote-production workflows, and what it all means for your operation as in-person LAN events return in big numbers. The panel discussion features: - Andrew Lane, ESL FACEIT Group / EFG, Senior Director of Broadcast & Production - Joseph Lynch, EA, Group Head of Content and Programming - Ryan Thompson, Esports Engine, Co-Founder and Chief Production Officer This panel discussion is moderated by SVG's Chief Editor Jason Dachman and comes from the stage of the 2022 SVG Esports Production Summit, which was hosted in Los Angeles on November 10. This episode of The SVG Podcast is supported by Blackmagic Design. DaVinci Resolve 18.1 is a major update packed with amazing new features to let you quickly edit, enhance and deliver video content to your audiences! The AI-based voice isolation tool effortlessly improves dialogue levels and removes background sounds like crowd noise and traffic while the Dialogue Leveler can fix and mix levels for smooth-sounding results. Visit blackmagicdesign.com to download DaVinci Resolve 18.1 free of charge and try it today. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

As the digital world moves towards Web 3.0, the sports media world is wrapping its head around an era where NFTs allow for the creation of one-of-a-kind collectibles and experiences, the Metaverse allows for fan avatars to explore virtual stadiums, and cryptocurrency can be used to purchase everything from content to experiences. These are topics we have yet to truly dive into on The SVG Podcast as it's yet to make a tangible impact on the world of live sports production, bu that day is coming. In this episode, we tackle these trends with a team of sports executives whose companies are experimenting in this new world of digital sports content. The panel features: - Luis Goicouria, PAG TOUR, SVP, Media - Samuel Westberg, LiveLike, CCO and Co-founder - Joe Caporoso, Team Whistle, President This panel discussion was hosted at SPORTEL Monaco on October 25 and was moderated by SVG's Co-Executive Director Editorial Services Ken Kerschbamer. We thank our friends at SPORTEL for allowing us to share this session with you. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

REMI. At-home. Home Run. Remote. Whatever you call it, it’s the live production workflow that’s reshaping the business. It's the act of taking camera and audio feeds from the venue and producing the event from a control room maybe hundreds of miles away in a control room in a broadcast facility. At-home production has broadcasters and vendors rethinking their facilities, gear purchases, staffing, and everything in between. Depending on who you ask, it’s the greatest trend in the business or the worst. Rather than discussing the technology making at-home production possible, on this episode of The SVG Podcast we will, instead, get the opinions of some of those working on the front bench of these shows. The true storytellers of the live sports industry. Here's the panelists: - Keith D’Alessandro, NASCAR, Senior Coordinating Producer - Bill Herbstman, Director - Dan Maloney, Matrox Video, Technical Marketing Manager - Rick Seegull, Riedel, VP, System Consulting - Bob Whyley, Tennis Channel, SVP, Production, and Executive Producer We discuss how using an at-home model changes the nature of the live show. What steps need to be taken to ensure the broadcast is not compromised? How they prepare their crews different for an at-home show versus a traditional on-site show. That and much more. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

The start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is less than 40 days away. Broadcasters from around the globe are preparing their production efforts in Qatar to deliver one of the biggest live events in all of television. In the United States, the Spanish-language broadcasting rightsholder is Telemundo Deportes and the network is putting the finishing touches on its preparations at the IBC in Doha, as well as back at its home facility in South Florida. On this episode of The SVG Podcast, we get into the nitty gritty of broadcasting a World Cup with EVP, Sports Content Eli Velaquez; VP, Sports Production Operations Chris Suarez; Director, Technical Programs and Media Systems Donatto Punyed; and NBCUniversal’s Senior Director of Production Engineering Jorge Duarte. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.