SVG Campus Shot Callers: Andrew Kurtz, Director for Broadcast Production, Monmouth University

The 10-year vet blends high-quality broadcasts with hands-on student development

The pool of production and operations talent in sports media runs much deeper than the national networks. SVG Campus Shot Callers spotlights the behind-the-scenes leaders powering the massive wave of college sports productions available to fans today. Across athletic departments nationwide, these administrators manage teams, oversee technology investment, mentor students, and ensure that hundreds of live broadcasts make it to air each year. This series highlights their journeys, philosophies, and the vital role they play in shaping live sports production.

Down the shore, everything’s alright. In one of the most crowded media markets in the world, Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ, has become a consistent presence on screens across the Northeast.

With 100 FloSports streams and 40 linear-television broadcasts annually, the school’s production arm — Monmouth Digital Network (MDN) — delivers live coverage of 11 varsity sports while providing hands-on training for dozens of aspiring producers, directors, and operators. The department’s reach continues to expand: recent Monmouth Football victories not only were streamed live but also aired regionally on SNY and NBC Sports Philadelphia as the Hawks climbed to No. 11 in the FCS rankings.

Guiding it all is Andrew Kurtz, associate athletic director, broadcast production, Monmouth University, who has spent the past decade shaping MDN’s growth from its earliest ESPN3 roots to today’s multiplatform operation. Overseeing a team of roughly 50 students and one full-time staff member, Kurtz emphasizes both technical excellence and mentorship. Under his leadership, the 2021 opening of the Parton Broadcasting Center gave Monmouth a centralized home for live production, backed by strong institutional support and designed to serve equally as classroom and control room.

In this edition of SVG Campus Shot Callers, Kurtz reflects on his decade-long journey from intern to department leader, his philosophy of learning through hands-on experience, the power of communication in live production, and how Monmouth continues to prove that big-time broadcasts can come from programs of any size.

Andrew Kurtz has been a fixture in Monmouth University Athletics for more than a decade.

What are the key responsibilities of your current role?
My key responsibilities are to ensure we produce high-quality broadcasts and cover as many sporting events as possible.

What is one core philosophy you try to live by when managing your team/operation?
I truly believe in hands on experience. I can sit down with any student and show them how to do something, but [their actually getting] their hands on the equipment [demonstrates] if they can operate the machine. In live sports, everything moves so fast, and your heart starts racing; it’s hard to replicate that in practice. With saying all that, there is no such thing as perfection. There is no need to scream at a student for trying their best and making a mistake. We are all always learning; if we aren’t, then we aren’t doing a good job. The goal is to have conversations about those mistakes so that we learn how to correct them and, hopefully, not make them again.

What is one key technology investment that your department has made that you feel has greatly improved your productions, workflows, or how your team operates?
One key technology investment that is key to what we do is our new production room. The Monmouth Digital Network is truly fortunate to have great support from President Patrick F. Leahy and Athletics Director Jen Sansevero. MDN is also incredibly lucky to have supporters like Charlie and Trudy Parton, who made the idea of a centralized production room possible. The Parton Broadcasting Center was built in 2021, allowing us the space to not only produce at a high level but also be able to teach at one, too.

How did you get started in sports production? What made you want to pursue this career?
I started in the sports-production world when I started as an intern here at Monmouth. Before Monmouth, I had never touched a piece of broadcast equipment. I decided to come to Monmouth to do my internship to graduate from York College of PA, because I grew up in Eatontown, NJ, which is 10 minutes from campus. I graduated from York College as a sports management major knowing I wanted to do something in sports. When I got to Monmouth, I was open to doing anything regarding sports, and the timing was perfect. Monmouth was just starting to build their production trailer, which ended up being used for ESPN3 broadcasts. I asked to be a part of the learning process and learned some invaluable information from some amazing people.

[Ross Video Manager, Solution Services and Project Management, Global Sports and Live Events] Andrew Lahey taught us how to use Xpression, and we still have him help us with Xpression. After we learned how to use the equipment in the trailer, we produced our first game for ESPN in December 2014. After my internship was over, I graduated in mid December. Monmouth opened a position, and I got it in July. I was named the multimedia director. Since then, I have had multiple titles but have been producing games for Monmouth since 2015.

Kurtz directs a women’s-basketball broadcast from Monmouth’s centralized control room, the Parton Broadcasting Center.

What is your favorite event(s) you’ve ever worked?
I couldn’t name just one game/event that is my favorite. We have had some amazing games and athletes come through Monmouth. For example, I got to produce the majority of Justin Robinson’s (Monmouth Basketball all-time leading scorer) games during his time at Monmouth. I got to produce games during a nine-year stretch when Monmouth Field Hockey won a regular season every single season despite moving to three different conferences. Currently, I’m getting to produce Monmouth Football games, where Monmouth is ranked in the Top 25 in the FCS Polls, and getting to produce games on local linear-TV networks like SNY and NBCSP, where our broadcasts reach millions of households. It is impossible to pick just one moment or game or event. Monmouth is full of favorites!

Kurtz (third from right) with Monmouth University graduates at Monmouth Digital Network Alumni Day in 2024.

What’s one piece of advice that you regularly give your student workers?
Communication is key! If I tell a student how to do something and they just nod but don’t really understand what I was saying, they are going to struggle with that task. Instead speak up and ask me to go over it again. True leaders don’t get frustrated when asked questions; they take the time to answer the questions and make sure the person fully understands what is being explained.

If you would like to nominate someone in collegiate athletics administration to be featured in SVG Campus Shot Callers, please email SVG Director of Digital Brandon Costa at brandon@sportsvideo.org.