2016 Sports Venue Production Summit

Speakers

Marc Bauman, The Madison Square Garden Company, SVP and Executive Producer, Creative and Technical Production Services Group

Marc Bauman is the Senior Vice President and Executive Producer of the Creative and Technical Services Production Group at Madison Square Garden. Bauman serves as the senior creative and technical advisor across multiple MSG divisions and is responsible for the creative content and the production execution of In Game Event Presentation for all NY Knicks, NY Rangers, NY Liberty and Westchester Knicks home games.

Prior to joining Madison Square Garden, Bauman was the Supervising Producer of Live From Lincoln Center, the highly lauded PBS television series he joined in 1981. He supervised all live television broadcasts presented by the 12 constituent companies at Lincoln Center including the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Opera, the New York City Ballet, the Lincoln Center Theater, the Juilliard School, The Film Society and Jazz at Lincoln Center. For his work, Bauman has received 59 Emmy Nominations and 8 Emmy Awards.

Bauman has also been successful in his work outside of Lincoln Center. In 2000 he produced the Broadway play Death of a Salesman for which the Producers’ Guild of America honored him with The David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award. In 2002 he produced True West starring Bruce Willis for Showtime and in 2003 he produced Our Town starring Paul Newman, the first collaboration between Showtime and PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre. For A&E networks, he produced the Evergreen children’s special Cathy Rigby Is Peter Pan, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Best Children’s Program. Bauman has also worked on U2 Elevation Tour Live from Boston and the U2 Vertigo Tour Live from Chicago for VH-1, Radio City Entertainment Presents An All Star Tribute to Brian Wilson for TNT, Musicians for Bravo, The 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 20th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies for VH-1, The GQ Men of the Year Awards for the Fox Network, Dixie Chicks On The Fly for NBC, Ellen DeGeneres in the Beginning for HBO, and The Oxygen Custom Concerts for the Oxygen Network.

Additionally, Bauman has served as a Producer/Director for the Office of Film and Television of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as The Barnum Museum, The Mariners Museum, The New York State Council on the Arts, National Audubon Society, The Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Pensacola Public Television, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Thames Television and Channel 4-London. Bauman began his professional career at EUE Screen Gems where he was the production manager for over two hundred and fifty commercials for clients including Proctor and Gamble, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, General Foods, Lever Brothers and many more.

Bauman has a Master’s degree in Television and Radio Production from Brooklyn College and a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Massachusetts. He has taught broadcast production at the college level and has lectured at various colleges and universities including Yale University, New York University, Rutgers, University of Pennsylvania, University of Connecticut and Boston University.

Kevin Bonner, La Salle University, Associate Athletics Director

Kevin Bonner is in his seventh year at La Salle and his fourth as Associate Athletic Director after spending three years as the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and Promotions. He has oversight of many of the external areas of the athletic department, including communications, video, marketing & promotions and community service. Bonner also has a role in alumni relations.

In athletic communications, Bonner handles the publicity efforts of the nationally-prominent men’s basketball team and the La Salle golf squad. He was the primary media contact during La Salle’s 2013 Sweet Sixteen journey, successfully pitching stories to the New York Times, ESPN’s Mike and Mike, ESPN.com and other national outlets. In addition, Bonner was the primary contact for the ESPN GameDay visit prior to the 2014 La Salle-Temple game at the Palestra and was the host media coordinator for the NCAA East Regional at the Wells Fargo Center.

Ryan Christiansen, Villanova Athletics, Video Coordinator

Ryan Christiansen is a Multimedia and Production Coordinator at Villanova University. In his current role, Christiansen manages the multimedia presence of Villanova Athletics. This includes video production, live streaming, and coordinating arena video boards. Prior to Villanova, Christiansen worked as a Video Producer at Harvard University.

 

Kevin Copp, Temple University, Assistant Athletic Director, Video Services

Kevin Copp was named Assistant Athletic Director for Video Services at Temple in July, 2015. In his role at Temple, Copp oversees the newly-launched video services department, which provides on-demand video content on OwlsTV as well as in-venue video boards at Lincoln Financial Field, the Liacouras Center, and Pearson-McGonigle Hall. Copp also oversees production of all live broadcasts for numerous sports on OwlsTV, and serves as on-camera talent and as a play-by-play broadcaster on occasion.

Copp came to Temple after six months as the Director of New Media for Towson University Athletics where he produced and/or supervised the production of all video content for TowsonTigers.com and the Towson Athletics YouTube channel. Copp also produced and directed live video broadcasts and in-venue video boards at Towson’s arenas and served as a broadcaster for basketball, lacrosse, gymnastics, baseball and softball.

Prior to his time at Towson, Copp spent five years at the University of Georgia, first as a video production assistant and then as the video production manager for Georgia IMG Sports Marketing. He was responsible for producing and editing video while also serving as on-camera and play-by-play talent. He supervised the staff that produced the live broadcasts for six sports, and also cut video for highlight films and produced weekly shows.

Copp started his career at Georgia as an intern for Georgia IMG Sports Marketing. During that time he also worked as a play-by-play broadcaster for the SEC Network and ESPNU for various events, and did weekly interviews and play-by-play for the Georgia Bulldog Radio Network.

Copp earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Georgia in 2010. He is not a stranger to Temple, having been an intern in the athletic communications departments at both Temple and UMass-Dartmouth while working toward his degree at Georgia.

Copp married the former Kate Burkholder in June, 2014.

Brandon Costa, SVG, Senior Editor

Brandon Costa is senior editor for the Sports Video Group, where he covers the college sports broadcasting and technology. He also writes on various sports production topics ranging from mobile live production trends to future technologies, including 4K. As program director of the SVG College Sports Summit, Costa assists in the design and execution of the summit’s itinerary.

Prior to his time at SVG, Costa spent five years hosting programs, producing voiceovers, and writing editorial content for MLB Advanced Media in New York City. He has also served as Community Sports Editor at the Asbury Park Press in Neptune, New Jersey. He began his career at WRHU Radio in Hempstead, NY as a sportscaster. A native of Hazlet, NJ, Costa is a graduate of Hofstra University. He currently resides in Jersey City, NJ. 

Jason Dachman, SVG, Chief Editor

A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman covers a wide spectrum of sports-production and technology topics. As Managing Editor, he oversees all aspects of the thrice-weekly SVG Insider newsletter, as well as SVG’s annual print publications, including the SportsTech Journal and Remote Sports Production Yearbook.

Prior to joining SVG, Dachman spent three years covering high school, college, and pro sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and spent two years on the production staff of The Ron & Fez Show on SirusXM Satellite Radio. Jason began his career in the Sports Information Department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he also earned a degree in Media Communications and Cinema Studies. A native of Denver, CO, Jason currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. 

Karen Hogan, SVG, Senior Editor and Editor, Venue Production Journal

Joining the SVG team in 2011, Karen Hogan focuses on the venue industry while also reporting on a variety of sports-production and -technology topics as senior editor. She oversees SVG’s print publications and drives the company’s Venue Initiative, coordinating the program for the Sports Venue Production Summit and Venue Production Seminars and serving as editor for SVG’s annual Venue Production Journal. In addition, Hogan is the director of the Women’s Sports Media Initiative.

Hogan began her career in sports at Fordham University with WFUV Sports, serving as Supervising Producer of “One on One,” WFUV Sports’ weekly call-in show. After graduating in 2009, Hogan spent the 2009-10 season in the public relations department of the Trenton Devils (ECHL) before taking on a freelance copy editor assignment with Professional Sports Publications. A New Jersey native, she currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.

Chris Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles, VP and Executive Producer

Chris Johnson is entering his tenth season with the Philadelphia Eagles. As Executive Producer, he oversees the team’s broadcast, stadium, digital and social content development and production. With his leadership, the Eagles have taken an aggressive approach to building out their facilities and infrastructure. Johnson and the Eagles Network staff now leverage a highly efficient content pipeline to feed the passion of Eagles fans year-round.

Rob Johnson, Philadelphia Flyers, VP, Business Development

Rob Johnson joined the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) as Vice President of Business Development in 2013. He is responsible for digital media and partnership marketing, and in 2014 his team earned a Webby Award Honoree for excellence in sports social media. Johnson was also named to Philadelphia Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” in 2014.

Prior to his current position with the Flyers, Johnson was Vice President of Marketing for XFINITY Live! where he oversaw the opening and ongoing marketing strategy for one of the highest-grossing dining & entertainment districts in North America. He previously held marketing positions with the Flyers from 2008 to 2011, during which he created the nationally recognized “Relentless Pursuit of the Cup” marketing campaign leading up the the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.

A graduate of Marietta College and a National Champion in the sport of Rowing, Johnson began his professional career as the Marketing Coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL). While in Jacksonville, he earned his MBA from the Davis College of Business at Jacksonville University.

A native of Margate, New Jersey, Johnson currently resides in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services

Ken Kerschbaumer is co-executive director of editorial services for the Sports Video Group and SVG Europe. He was a co-founder of SVG along with Paul Gallo and Marty Porter in 2005 and has been writing about how sports networks and leagues use video and audio technology to deliver a quality TV experience since 1991. Kerschbaumer began his career in 1991 at Television Broadcast magazine before joining Cahners where he was founding editor of Digital Broadcasting magazine. In 2000 he joined Broadcasting & Cable magazine as Senior Editor of Technology where he covered all aspects of broadcasting, cable, and Internet content creation and distribution.

Ryan Koletty, Penn Athletics, Video Content Creator

As head of video for Penn Athletics, Ryan Koletty has helped lead the digital storytelling transformation of the department’s content over the last three years. Arriving in September 2012, Koletty immediately began expanding the department’s student-internship program, lifting the quality of 120+ live broadcasts and several hundred video content projects produced each year for Penn. In the 2015-16 academic year, Penn saw the fastest growing subscriber base on the Ivy League Digital Network. In addition, Koletty oversaw fiber installation connecting two of the nation’s oldest college venues (The Palestra and Franklin Field) to a central video control room which debuted during the 2016 Penn Relays. Most recently, his team’s work was honored as a 2016 College Sports Media Award finalist in the category of Outstanding Promotion, PSA, Tease, or Marketing Campaign.

Craig Laliberte, Vizrt Americas, West Coast Operations Director

Craig Laliberte is in charge of Business Development for Vizrt in North America. Laliberte came to Vizrt from Meredith Broadcasting in Hartford, CT. He joined Vizrt in 2007 as West Coast Operations Manager, opening the Los Angeles satellite office. He was instrumental in launching Fox Sports on the Vizrt graphics platform in 2010.

In his current position, Laliberte oversees the expansion of Vizrt’s digital content technology into new markets. Over the last 2 years, he has installed Vizrt at many high profile Sports arenas, including Texas Motor Speedway, Churchill Downs and many other college and professional venues.

He has supervised for Vizrt many high profile sporting events including the Superbowl, the Daytona 500, Formula1 races, the Soccer World Cup, the U.S. Open Golf, and the Kentucky Derby.

Mark Leblang, Philadelphia Eagles, Studio/Live Manager

Mark Leblang has worked for the Philadelphia Eagles since July 2012 and was recently promoted to the role of Studio/Live Production Manager. Leblang came to the Eagles from the University of Georgia, where he spent five seasons managing the live and on-demand video operations for the UGA Athletic Association.

His prior experience includes freelance work covering Atlanta-area sports teams on behalf of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Comcast SportsNet affiliate in that market. Leblang also holds two degrees from UGA, including a Master’s of Arts in Journalism, and is married to the former Kendra Hibler.

Eric Long, Philadelphia Eagles, Director of Production

Eric Long serves as Event Production Manager for the Philadelphia Eagles and is in the midst of his sixth season with the organization. He recently oversaw the multi-million dollar renovation of the LED videoboards and the control room of Lincoln Financial Field, which included the installation of over 20,000 square feet of LED surfaces, the highest resolution displays in the NFL, and the incorporation of ten 4K cameras as production sources. His responsibilities with the team include producing the in-venue live broadcast of all NFL games, and managing production logistics and staffing for all events at Lincoln Financial Field including Eagles football, Eagles training camp, Temple University football, the Army/Navy football game, NCAA Lacrosse Championships, international soccer, concerts, and other special events. Prior to joining the Eagles, Long held positions in minor league baseball, minor league hockey, and as a production consultant. 

Carl Mandell, Philadelphia Union, Director, Broadcasting and Video Production

This is Carl Mandell’s 7th season with the Philadelphia Union; he has been with them since before their 2010 expansion season. Mandell oversees all broadcasting, in-stadium, and online production needs for the Philadelphia Union and Talen Energy Stadium. In 2010 he oversaw the design and installation of the control room and video screens at Talen Energy Stadium (Formally PPL Park). Prior to joining the Union, Mandell held various video production positions in minor league baseball, MLS, and MLB.

Mandell is a native of Philadelphia, a graduate of Penn State University with a B.S. in Telecommunications. He currently resides in Philadelphia.

Jay O’Brien, Baltimore Ravens, Director of Broadcast & Gameday Productions

Jay O’Brien enters his 12th season with the Baltimore Ravens after joining the club as an intern in 2004. As Director of Broadcasting and Gameday Productions, O’Brien directs operations for the team’s broadcasting department, Ravens Productions. Ravens Productions develops original content for the Ravens’ digital and social channels, as well as three weekly television shows and all productions at M&T Bank Stadium.

Since 2004, Ravens Productions has earned 11 regional Emmy Awards for excellence in original content production, including for television shows Ravens Wired and Ravens Report. O’Brien is also the Executive Producer of Ravens preseason football television broadcasts and the RavensVision video boards at M&T Bank Stadium during Ravens home games.

A New Jersey native, O’Brien earned a master’s degree in business administration from Towson University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Loyola College in Maryland. He and his wife, Alex, have a daughter, Siena.

Sean Rainey, Philadelphia Phillies, Manager, Video Production

Sean Rainey started with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009 with the video services department as an intern and in 2015; he was promoted as the Video Production Manager. He is responsible for video production throughout the Phillies organization, focusing on PhanaVision (Scoreboard) production, commercials, social media, and website video content. During Phillies’ games, Rainey produces and directs the live scoreboard presentation for the fans in the ballpark. Currently, Rainey and the video services’ department utilize the Adobe Creative Cloud for their content creation.

Michael Rocha, Panasonic Xperiences, Director of Content Services

For over 2 decades Michael Rocha’s career has focused on interactive media and digital storytelling. Primarily working with large displays featured at sporting venues, he helped pioneer many of the ways fans enjoy events. This experience includes Olympic Games, Super Bowls, and several NFL teams. As director of content services with Panasonic, he continues to develop new software platforms and workflows which continue to add levels of interactivity and capabilities, but with a 360 degree approach that moves beyond the venue. Some recent innovations include gesture control kiosks, social media integration, and new in-venue graphical data presentations.

Rocha has 25 years of experience in digital media production. He spent 21 seasons directing and creating content with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as five seasons directing, engineering, and creating content with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Rocha has feature film credits of associate producer, second unit director of photography, editor, and visual effects. His short films credits include producer, writer, and director.

Dave Simon, Diversified, Media Solutions Architect

Dave Simon is a Media Solutions Architect, joining Diversified in 2011, bringing a wealth of knowledge in both the baseband SDI and file-based workflows worlds. He specializes in systems integration, media asset management, transcoding, scale-out storage and archive. Notable projects include: MAM in sports (Miami Dolphins, Sacramento Kings, San Jose Sharks, Stanford Athletics), MAM in enterprise (Facebook, Kaiser Permanente, McKesson), scale-out storage and archive strategies (Kings, Sharks, Stanford, Pulse Entertainment), and traditional systems integration (Microsoft, Apple, Pimco, McKesson, Workday Inc.).

Simon comes to Diversified with 17+ years in engineering and operations management experience. Prior to joining Diversified, Dave was working as the Director of Broadcast Engineering at Current TV. During his time at Current, he oversaw the engineering team, managed the technology stack, helped develop the file-based production and broadcast pipeline, and was part of the build and startup of the Current UK & Current Italy studios and broadcast centers.

After spending most of his life in the Boston and New England area, Simon moved west to the Bay Area in 2005.  He currently lives in Oakland with his wife Jennifer, two year old daughter Livia, and their rescued pitbull Ellie.

Carson Smucker, Philadelphia Eagles, Producer

Carson Smucker has been with the Philadelphia Eagles since April of 2014. He has previously worked for Temple University Athletics, the Philadelphia Union and North Carolina State University athletics. In his current role as Producer with the Eagles, Smucker’s main responsibility is developing and producing the in-stadium content for Eagle’s game day as well as helping conceptualize and produce content for TV and web programming. He also produces outside events at Lincoln Financial Field such as Temple University Football, Copa America Soccer Matches, Concerts and stadium special events. Carson works on a freelance basis with the Phillies, 76ers, Union, and Temple University Basketball.

David Sullivan, Philadelphia Eagles, Building A/V Engineer

David Sullivan joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 where he serves as the Building AV Engineer. Sullivan oversees engineering of the scoreboard video & audio systems, cable & satellite TV systems, broadcast facilities, and integrated AV systems. Previous positions include Senior Engineer at La Salle University, Director of IT & Webcasting for IMS Technology Services, and freelance work including the 2006 Torino Olympics with NBC Sports. Sullivan is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and earned his B.A. in Communication from La Salle University.

Jennifer Terbosic, Philadelphia Eagles, Digital Asset Manager

Jennifer Terbosic has been with the Philadelphia Eagles since November 2014. In her role as Digital Asset Manager she has spent the last year re-working metadata and defining metadata fields and their values with her team. Terbosic has also worked closely with integrators at Chesapeake Systems to automate manual processes and develop workflows that have been able to improve our delivery time to social channels and our affiliates. Before joining the Philadelphia Eagles, Terbosic held the position of Digital Asset Manager at DePuy Synthes, a Johnson & Johnson Company.

Chris Wagner, NeuLion, Co-founder and EVP of Marketplace Strategy

Chris Wagner has been a driving force in the technology industry for over 20 years and has worked closely with executives from many major corporations and entrepreneurs who have relied on technology to support the growth of their businesses.

His current position as Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of NeuLion targets the revolution currently underway as the television and internet video industries converge.

Wagner has held numerous executive positions in the technology sector. Over the last seven years the growth of internet television on computers, tablets, mobile, and internet connected devices, has given Wagner an opportunity to work closely with the largest brands in the sports and entertainment industry; the NFL, NHL, UFC, NBA, Rainbow Media, Dish Network and many others.

He has also worked with several private equity and venture capital firms as their Chief Executive Officer, which includes Metiom, MetaMatrix, Exchange Applications and Digital Harbor. Wagner has been on the Board of Directors of all of these companies.

Wagner has worked with some of the top names in technology. At Forstmann Little he worked with Erskine Bowles, former Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton; while at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, he worked with Ray Lane, Managing Partner; and for 20 years has worked with Charles Wang, founder of Computer Associates.

Wagner’s relationship with Charles Wang, and Computer Associates’ former Chief Technology Officer, Nancy Li, created an opportunity to form NeuLion, where he is responsible for the strategy and execution of the company’s marketplace efforts.

The world is changing as it relates to digital media. Content owners have more leverage than ever as they move to IP based distribution. NeuLion has become a leader in creating new experiences for consumers with a fantastic array of interactive services delivered over the internet.

Wagner has been a frequent speaker at conferences, tradeshows, and industry events. Specialties include: sales and marketing, competitive analysis, financing, franchising, mergers and acquisition.

Jason Whetstone, Chesapeake Systems, Workflow Architect/Engineer

Jason Whetstone is a Workflow Architect/Engineer at Chesapeake Systems, and cohost of their well-known audio podcast, The Workflow Show. From a very young age, Whetstone was curious about what makes computer processes tick behind the scenes, and how we can harness their power and efficiency to help us work, learn, and play. As he developed his professional skills, Whetstone learned that he has a great propensity to build and create, which serves him well in the field of workflow development and media platform integration. Whetstone specializes in media asset management customization, workflow automation, and platform integrations.

Charlie Widdoes, Philadelphia 76ers, Director, Digital Content and Media

Charlie Widdoes joined the Sixers as Director of Digital Content and Media after 10 years of working in the field in New York — first with MLB Advanced Media and MLB Network, and then for parts of four seasons with the New York Knicks.

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