Chris Bevilacqua, Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures (BHV), Co-Founder

Chris Bevilacqua is a co-founder of Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures (BHV), a New York based sports and media advisory and investment firm. Over the past 30 years, Chris Bevilacqua has established himself as a leader in the sports, media, and technology business.

In the early 2000’s, Bevilacqua founded College Sports Television (CSTV), the first-ever 24-hour cable TV network dedicated to college and amateur sports. CSTV was acquired by CBS Corporation in early 2006 for $325 million and is now known as the CBS Sports Network.

Additionally, in 2006 as part of CSTV’s efforts, Bevilacqua created the first-ever 24-hour collegiate conference sports network, the MountainWest Sports Network, which served as a precursor model for the subsequent, highly successful Big Ten Network, Pac-12 Networks, SEC Network, and soon to be launched ACC Network.

Following CBS’ acquisition of CSTV, Bevilacqua brought his experience to the media advisory business. Beginning in 2008, Bevilacqua served as chairman and CEO of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Sports Media Ventures. CAA Sports Media Ventures served as a media rights advisor for a variety of sports and entertainment entities including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Tennis Channel, Big East Conference, Big 12 Conference, Conference USA, National Hockey League, Pittsburgh Penguins, and ION Television Network.

During an 18-month period in 2010-11, Bevilacqua led a slew of critical sports properties into agreements that broke conventional wisdom. First, the record breaking Texas Rangers deal with Fox Sports; second came the San Diego Padres and their new RSN with Fox Sports; and third, Bevilacqua was the architect of the Pac-12 Conference media strategy, including the Fox/ESPN media rights agreements, as well as the groundbreaking Pac-12 Network agreements with Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, and Brighthouse.

At BHV, Bevilacqua, along with his partner, Adam Helfant, continues to advise many premier sports and entertainment properties, including the IOC, WWE, NCAA, Rose Bowl, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, Big East Conference, American Athletic Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, USA Track & Field, IndyCar, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, Houston Rockets, University of Notre Dame, University of Texas, University of Washington, University of Miami, and University of Pittsburgh.

During the early 2000’s Bevilacqua was an early investor and advisor to online ticketing company, StubHub, which was acquired by eBay in 2007 for $310 million. More recently, Bevilacqua has invested in a series of early stage companies, including Viagogo, ActionX (sold to WPP in 2015), ThePostGame, Lyft, AirBnB, SpaceX, and Unscriptd (merged with The Players Tribune in 2018), among others. In April 2018, Bevilacqua co-founded SImpleBet, a New York based sports gambling company, where he also serves as chairman.

Earlier in his career, Bevilacqua worked at Nike as the Director of Global Negotiations and League Affairs and also held key roles at Major League Baseball, The Baseball Network, and NBC Sports, where he won a 1988 Emmy for his role in broadcasting the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Bevilacqua is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University where he was also an NCAA All-American wrestler. In 2012, he was elected into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK.

Matt Hutchings, KSE Media Ventures, President and CEO

Matt Hutchings became chief operating officer and EVP of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment in October of 2013. Reporting to the President and CEO, Hutchings supports all KSE business and venue operations. KSE owns and operates the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and Colorado Mammoth professional sports teams, the Pepsi Center, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, and Paramount Theatre sports and entertainment venues, as well as various additional affiliated and related businesses.

In addition to his role as COO of KSE, Hutchings is the president and CEO of KSE Media Ventures. This portfolio includes the Altitude Sports & Entertainment regional television network; four Denver based radio stations: Mix 100FM, Kool 105FM, Altitude Sports 92.5FM, and Altitude Sports Radio 950AM; the Outdoor Sportsman Group which is comprised of three national television networks: The Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, and World Fishing Network; 15 outdoor industry leading publications; as well as My Outdoor TV and Major League Fishing, a partnership with Professional Bass Anglers. Additional businesses under the media group include Skycam and Cablecam, Winnercom Productions, and the KSE Network Operations Center.

In 2003, Hutchings joined Kroenke Sports as chief operating officer and EVP of Altitude Sports & Entertainment, being promoted to president and CEO of Altitude in 2010. In 2012, he was appointed president and GM by Comcast / NBC Sports to launch their new sports network, Comcast Sportsnet – Houston, under a partnership with the Houston Rockets and Houston Astros baseball team. In 2013, Hutchings rejoined Kroenke Sports in his current roles.

From 1997 – 2004, Hutchings was president and CEO of HMG International, a global creative services and advertising firm. Prior to his role with HMGI, Hutchings spent six years overseas with stints in both Hong Kong and Rome, Italy, as an original team member launching and operating both STAR TV in Asia, and Orbit Satellite Television and Radio throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa.

Hutchings graduated from Texas A&M and attended graduate school at the University of Houston.

Scott Shapiro, Sinclair Broadcast Group, VP / Corporate Development

Scott Shapiro is vice president / corporate development for Sinclair Broadcast Group with responsibilities encompassing mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, sports, and emerging networks. He sits on the board of Marquee Sports Network, Stadium, Zypmedia, ScoreStream, and Burst.

Prior to joining Sinclair in 2011, Shapiro spent almost a decade in institutional equity research in New York with Morgan Stanley and Prudential Equity Group covering a variety of industries. He also founded and ran Proprietary Research, LLC, a company that provided custom research services to hedge funds.

Shapiro began his career as a CPA for PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG. He holds a B.A. in history from the University of Rochester and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Mark Shuken, Pac-12 Networks, President

Mark Shuken is a widely respected media, sports, and entertainment leader with a track record of driving business results at both major established and emerging sports networks. As president of Pac-12 Networks, Shuken is responsible for leading the country’s first national television network to be wholly owned by institutions of higher education.

Shuken brings to Pac-12 Networks two decades of experience in growing revenue, distribution, and overall value for sports networks. His prior leadership roles include running sports networks for major media companies such as Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Liberty Media, and Fox Sports, including having worked directly with many Pac-12 universities.

At Time Warner Cable Sports Networks, Shuken led the creation of three regional sports networks for the Los Angeles Lakers, the LA Dodgers, and the LA Galaxy from the ground up. He was also responsible for crafting the brand strategy and brand identity of the nation’s first Spanish-language RSN. Additionally, Shuken led the management of TWC’s seven proprietary local sports channels.

As president and CEO of DirecTV Sports Networks, Shuken led branding, content, cross-promotional, and acquisition strategies to increase asset value and subscriber acquisition. Before that, as president and CEO of Liberty Sports Group, he created and led a stand-alone division of regional sports networks for Liberty Media Corporation, where he significantly increased earnings, resulting in a more than 60 percent increase in net asset value when the division was sold.

Prior to that, at Fox Sports Net Northwest, Shuken was responsible for a significant increase in distribution, ratings, and brand presence, including through programming strategies and partnership agreements with both professional and collegiate teams. For several years, he beat income targets by more than 30 percent annually.

Previously, Shuken also served as president of Rivals Networks, a leading digital network of over 600 sports websites, where he increased gross revenues by 400% and entered into distribution deals with major digital media companies.

A graduate of Santa Clara University, Shuken has also shared his expertise as an adjunct professor in communications at the University of Washington and Santa Clara University. Shuken additionally serves on the boards of two non-profit organizations: the Jim Mora Count on Me Foundation and NextStep Fitness.

Chris Bevilacqua, Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures (BHV), Co-Founder

Chris Bevilacqua is a co-founder of Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures (BHV), a New York based sports and media advisory and investment firm. Over the past 30 years, Chris Bevilacqua has established himself as a leader in the sports, media, and technology business.

In the early 2000’s, Bevilacqua founded College Sports Television (CSTV), the first-ever 24-hour cable TV network dedicated to college and amateur sports. CSTV was acquired by CBS Corporation in early 2006 for $325 million and is now known as the CBS Sports Network.

Additionally, in 2006 as part of CSTV’s efforts, Bevilacqua created the first-ever 24-hour collegiate conference sports network, the MountainWest Sports Network, which served as a precursor model for the subsequent, highly successful Big Ten Network, Pac-12 Networks, SEC Network, and soon to be launched ACC Network.

Following CBS’ acquisition of CSTV, Bevilacqua brought his experience to the media advisory business. Beginning in 2008, Bevilacqua served as chairman and CEO of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Sports Media Ventures. CAA Sports Media Ventures served as a media rights advisor for a variety of sports and entertainment entities including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Tennis Channel, Big East Conference, Big 12 Conference, Conference USA, National Hockey League, Pittsburgh Penguins, and ION Television Network.

During an 18-month period in 2010-11, Bevilacqua led a slew of critical sports properties into agreements that broke conventional wisdom. First, the record breaking Texas Rangers deal with Fox Sports; second came the San Diego Padres and their new RSN with Fox Sports; and third, Bevilacqua was the architect of the Pac-12 Conference media strategy, including the Fox/ESPN media rights agreements, as well as the groundbreaking Pac-12 Network agreements with Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, and Brighthouse.

At BHV, Bevilacqua, along with his partner, Adam Helfant, continues to advise many premier sports and entertainment properties, including the IOC, WWE, NCAA, Rose Bowl, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, Big East Conference, American Athletic Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, USA Track & Field, IndyCar, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, Houston Rockets, University of Notre Dame, University of Texas, University of Washington, University of Miami, and University of Pittsburgh.

During the early 2000’s Bevilacqua was an early investor and advisor to online ticketing company, StubHub, which was acquired by eBay in 2007 for $310 million. More recently, Bevilacqua has invested in a series of early stage companies, including Viagogo, ActionX (sold to WPP in 2015), ThePostGame, Lyft, AirBnB, SpaceX, and Unscriptd (merged with The Players Tribune in 2018), among others. In April 2018, Bevilacqua co-founded SImpleBet, a New York based sports gambling company, where he also serves as chairman.

Earlier in his career, Bevilacqua worked at Nike as the Director of Global Negotiations and League Affairs and also held key roles at Major League Baseball, The Baseball Network, and NBC Sports, where he won a 1988 Emmy for his role in broadcasting the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Bevilacqua is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University where he was also an NCAA All-American wrestler. In 2012, he was elected into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK.

Matt Hutchings, KSE Media Ventures, President and CEO

Matt Hutchings became chief operating officer and EVP of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment in October of 2013. Reporting to the President and CEO, Hutchings supports all KSE business and venue operations. KSE owns and operates the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and Colorado Mammoth professional sports teams, the Pepsi Center, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, and Paramount Theatre sports and entertainment venues, as well as various additional affiliated and related businesses.

In addition to his role as COO of KSE, Hutchings is the president and CEO of KSE Media Ventures. This portfolio includes the Altitude Sports & Entertainment regional television network; four Denver based radio stations: Mix 100FM, Kool 105FM, Altitude Sports 92.5FM, and Altitude Sports Radio 950AM; the Outdoor Sportsman Group which is comprised of three national television networks: The Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, and World Fishing Network; 15 outdoor industry leading publications; as well as My Outdoor TV and Major League Fishing, a partnership with Professional Bass Anglers. Additional businesses under the media group include Skycam and Cablecam, Winnercom Productions, and the KSE Network Operations Center.

In 2003, Hutchings joined Kroenke Sports as chief operating officer and EVP of Altitude Sports & Entertainment, being promoted to president and CEO of Altitude in 2010. In 2012, he was appointed president and GM by Comcast / NBC Sports to launch their new sports network, Comcast Sportsnet – Houston, under a partnership with the Houston Rockets and Houston Astros baseball team. In 2013, Hutchings rejoined Kroenke Sports in his current roles.

From 1997 – 2004, Hutchings was president and CEO of HMG International, a global creative services and advertising firm. Prior to his role with HMGI, Hutchings spent six years overseas with stints in both Hong Kong and Rome, Italy, as an original team member launching and operating both STAR TV in Asia, and Orbit Satellite Television and Radio throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa.

Hutchings graduated from Texas A&M and attended graduate school at the University of Houston.

Scott Shapiro, Sinclair Broadcast Group, VP / Corporate Development

Scott Shapiro is vice president / corporate development for Sinclair Broadcast Group with responsibilities encompassing mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, sports, and emerging networks. He sits on the board of Marquee Sports Network, Stadium, Zypmedia, ScoreStream, and Burst.

Prior to joining Sinclair in 2011, Shapiro spent almost a decade in institutional equity research in New York with Morgan Stanley and Prudential Equity Group covering a variety of industries. He also founded and ran Proprietary Research, LLC, a company that provided custom research services to hedge funds.

Shapiro began his career as a CPA for PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG. He holds a B.A. in history from the University of Rochester and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Mark Shuken, Pac-12 Networks, President

Mark Shuken is a widely respected media, sports, and entertainment leader with a track record of driving business results at both major established and emerging sports networks. As president of Pac-12 Networks, Shuken is responsible for leading the country’s first national television network to be wholly owned by institutions of higher education.

Shuken brings to Pac-12 Networks two decades of experience in growing revenue, distribution, and overall value for sports networks. His prior leadership roles include running sports networks for major media companies such as Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Liberty Media, and Fox Sports, including having worked directly with many Pac-12 universities.

At Time Warner Cable Sports Networks, Shuken led the creation of three regional sports networks for the Los Angeles Lakers, the LA Dodgers, and the LA Galaxy from the ground up. He was also responsible for crafting the brand strategy and brand identity of the nation’s first Spanish-language RSN. Additionally, Shuken led the management of TWC’s seven proprietary local sports channels.

As president and CEO of DirecTV Sports Networks, Shuken led branding, content, cross-promotional, and acquisition strategies to increase asset value and subscriber acquisition. Before that, as president and CEO of Liberty Sports Group, he created and led a stand-alone division of regional sports networks for Liberty Media Corporation, where he significantly increased earnings, resulting in a more than 60 percent increase in net asset value when the division was sold.

Prior to that, at Fox Sports Net Northwest, Shuken was responsible for a significant increase in distribution, ratings, and brand presence, including through programming strategies and partnership agreements with both professional and collegiate teams. For several years, he beat income targets by more than 30 percent annually.

Previously, Shuken also served as president of Rivals Networks, a leading digital network of over 600 sports websites, where he increased gross revenues by 400% and entered into distribution deals with major digital media companies.

A graduate of Santa Clara University, Shuken has also shared his expertise as an adjunct professor in communications at the University of Washington and Santa Clara University. Shuken additionally serves on the boards of two non-profit organizations: the Jim Mora Count on Me Foundation and NextStep Fitness.

Scott Beckett, AT&T, Director of Product Management, Global Video Services

Scott Beckett is the director of product management for AT&T’s Global Video Services (GVS), a leading provider of multi-media based fiber transmission services with up to 400 or more points of presence servicing both domestic and international sports and entertainment events. In his role, Beckett is responsible for developing AT&T’s strategic product direction for GVS as well as the introduction of new and innovative services. During his tenure, GVS has been the backbone service provider to some of the sports industry’s largest broadcast events, such as the 2018 Winter Olympics, 2018 World Cup, and the 2018 NASCAR Season.

Beckett has helped transform GVS through the introduction of new services while overhauling the core of the GVS network. In 2016, he oversaw the development, design, and introduction of AT&T’s industry leading Video Management Center in NYC – a 24/7 customer centric facility with the capability to monitor 288 simultaneous feeds, support 4K HDR, and deliver REMI. Beckett led the team that completed full time connectivity to all of the pro sports venues, as well as the SEC, ACC, and Big 10. He has been a leader in driving integration across technologies to enhance the overall fan experience for the sports industry including fiber transmission, satellite services, hybrid cloud, cloud computing services, and 4 & 5G technologies.

Beckett is a board member of the Video Services Forum (VSF) and AT&T is a platinum sponsor of the Sports Video Group (SVG). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Messiah College, Mechanicsburg, PA and a Masters Certification in project management from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Steve Berscheid, AT&T Sports Networks, Director of Broadcast Engineering

As director of broadcast engineering for AT&T Sports Networks, Steve Berscheid is responsible for the support of business goals and initiatives through the application of technology and directing a great technical team. Berscheid also has responsibility for vendor relationships with master control, production trucks, transmission, and affiliate distribution.

Berscheid’s career spans more than 30 years in technology across the industries of finance, construction, health care, telecom, and broadcast.

Alex Blanding, SNY, VP, Engineering and Technology

Alex Blanding is the vice president of engineering for SNY, the official television home of the New York Mets, New York Jets, and all things New York sports. In this capacity, he is the responsible for all of the broadcast technology behind SNY’s award-winning studio and remote productions.

SNY is a regional sports network seen on 11 million homes throughout the New York, Metropolitan area and nationally on DIRECTV, Verizon FiOS, and AT&T U-Verse. The network features unparalleled access to the New York Mets, with live games and shoulder programming; 300 hours of year-round, in-depth New York Jets content; and is New York’s leader in local sports coverage, airing nightly sports and entertainment programs.

A 20-year veteran of the industry, Blanding started in the broadcast integration business designing and building projects for a wide range of clients including National Geographic, Sirius Radio, MTV, VH1, Oxygen, ABC, and QVC. From there he moved onto the manufacturing side with NVISION (now Grass Valley) supporting a wide range of routing and master control solutions for broadcast companies including PBS, ABC, ESPN, Comcast, NBC, and TV Globo.

Blanding is a three-time New York Emmy Award winner and a graduate of the Institute of Audio Research.

Steve Byrd, Sportradar, Head of Global Strategic Partnerships

Steve Byrd is head of strategic partnerships at Sportradar.

A thirty-year veteran of the sports industry, Steve joined Sportradar’s U.S. operation as chief commercial officer in May 2015. After building out the U.S. sales team, Byrd transitioned into his current global role in May 2017.

This follows a stint during which he served as a consultant and advisory board member for a number of global digital sports firms. Previously, Byrd was co-chief operating officer at STATS, leading their growth and relationships with leagues, federations, broadcasters, brands, and technology firms for nearly two decades.

Byrd is a founding board member of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association and serves as an executive-in-residence for his alma mater, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Byrd is based in Minneapolis, U.S.

Robert Carzoli, Program Productions, Chairman and CEO

As a second-generation owner, Robert Carzoli has overseen 15 years of astronomical growth at Program Productions and now runs the broadcast industry’s largest labor management firm. A current consecutive 11 year run on Inc. Magazine‘s 500/5000 List of the Fastest Growing Privately-Held Companies is a testament to the outstanding customer service and employer-of-choice status that Program Productions has enjoyed under Carzoli’s leadership.

Carzoli brings over three decades of diverse labor management expertise to Program Productions and its customers. His experience in managing union relationships, implementing national employee benefit programs, developing employer-side liability and risk mitigation platforms, and navigating complex federal and state labor laws has helped Program Productions grow into an organization that handled almost 6,000 event days and paid over 10,000 technicians in 2016 alone. In recent years, he has established an Advanced Media Division which specializes in “at-home” production and labor needs. Carzoli has also expanded the company’s reach north of the border into Canada. The company’s recent acquisitions of smaller, local labor management firms and the next-generation launch of its proprietary enterprise resource management system, ProCrewz, are signals that neither Carzoli nor Program Productions are resting on their collective laurels.

Carzoli is involved in a number of local and national charities and has spearheaded Program Productions’ participation in the Sports Broadcasting Fund through the Sports Video Group.

Aaron Charlton, STATS, Research Manager

Aaron Charlton is a 14-year veteran of STATS’ Broadcast Research department. In his role as manager, Charlton is responsible for leading a group of researchers to produce statistical and editorial content for broadcasts of MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, CFB, and CBK games. He has been in the broadcast booth providing statistical support for over 1,000 MLB games, including over 50 World Series games, and several hundred NFL, NBA, NHL, CFB, and CBK, including two Super Bowls and the Final Four.

Frank Coll, NEP Broadcast Services, Senior Account Manager, US Mobile Units

Frank Coll is an experienced television industry executive with a hands on approach to management. His 35 plus years in the mobile television facilities industry have given him a very broad background in all facets of this business. From engineering to finance to operations to sales and marketing, there’s not a role that he hasn’t played or wasn’t comfortable in.

Coll’s current role is to manage and maintain multiple major RSN contracts for the NEP Group in the Western United States. Among his clients are NBC Sports Bay Area/California, Pac-12 Networks, Spectrum Sports Networks in both LA & Hawaii, and Root Sports Northwest. His primary focus is to ensure that a “platinum” level of service is provided on every event for every client. In his view, are new sales and business development for NEP, particularly in Northern California, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii. Representing NEP at industry functions and on-site at events, as well as providing insight to senior management and mentorship to developing team members round out his responsibilities.

Prior to joining NEP with the acquisition of MIRA Mobile Television in 2014, Coll had been the director of operations and business development at MIRA since 2009. This followed a 19-year stint as the senior vice president of operations for National Mobile Television in Los Angeles. He is a 1981 graduate of Ohio University where he was awarded a B.S. in communications, Summa Cum Laude.

Michael Connelly, Fox Sports Regional Networks, SVP and EP

Michael Connelly is senior vice president and executive producer of Fox Sports Regional Networks, responsible for the day-to-day production of Fox Sports Networks’ 22 regional sports networks. He manages partnerships with the NHL, NBA, and MLB with more than 7,800 productions that include 12 NHL teams, 17 NBA teams, and 15 MLB teams.

Over the past 7 years, Connelly has led the transition of the regional networks to the Fox Sports brand, overhauling staging and sets in more than 54 arenas and studios across the country. He also has integrated new graphics systems, on-air talent, producers, directors, executives, and content to grow the Fox Sports brand in each of the 22 markets. Connelly oversaw the launch of Fox Sports San Diego, STO and the acquisition of YES Network productions into the Fox Sports family.

A 29-year veteran of the sports television profession, Connelly has worked with five different regional sports networks and five different television networks during his time in the industry. Prior to his current position, he spent six years as SVP and general manager of Fox Sports Arizona, which marked a homecoming for him. From 1997-2001, he served as Fox Sports Arizona’s first-ever executive producer and spearheaded efforts to start the network’s production department in the summer of 1997.

Brandon Costa, SVG, Director of Digital

Brandon Costa covers the sports video production industry with a focus on live streaming, over-the-top (OTT), social media, and other digital distribution technologies and platforms. He also directs SVG’s internal digital strategies launching the company’s video outfit, ‘SVG On Demand,’ designing and overseeing its mobile application, ‘SVG Mobile,’ and serving as executive producer and host of The SVG Podcast. Costa serves as program director of networking events serving the SVG College and SVG Digital communities. Prior to his time at SVG, Costa spent five years producing digital content for MLB Advanced Media.

Jason Dachman, SVG, Chief Editor

Jason Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations, including the thrice-weekly SVG Insider newsletter and SVG’s annual print publications. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as program director for SVG’s RSN Summit, Sports Content Management Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT event. Prior to joining SVG, he spent three years covering local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and two years on the production staff of SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s The Ron & Fez Show. Dachman began his career in the Sports Information Department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he also earned a B.A. in media communications and cinema studies.

Craig DeWit, Midco Sports Network, Production Technology Manager

Craig DeWit is production technology manager for Midco Sports Network in Sioux Falls, SD. DeWit is responsible for all things technical for the network. He leads a team of technicians, broadcast engineers, master control staff, and staff technical directors that support MidcoSN’s broadcast equipment. From newsroom software implementation to the transmission of live sporting events, this team covers all of the equipment in between.

Since joining Midco, in 2003 DeWit has led many technical transitions. His pride and joy is the research, development, project management, and implementation in 2017 of a centralized production (CP, REMI, At-Home, Home-Run) model of broadcasting live sporting events in the upper mid-west. During DeWit’s tenure, MidcoSN has grown from broadcasting one live sporting event in 2007 to now doing 250 live events broadcast on MidcoSN 1 and 2 and 28 affiliates in the Dakotas and Minnesota, plus 40 live events for MidcoSN Kansas in the Lawrence region, totaling nearly 300 live events across three channels during the 2018-2019 sports season.

Rich Eilers, Canon, Nationals Accounts Sales Director, TV Production Sales Division

Rich Eilers is the national accounts sales director for Canon U.S.A.’s Professional Products Sales and Engineering Group. A veteran of the broadcast business and Canon, he has been leading the company’s strategic approach to the sports production market. Serving in a number of field and sales management positions over his tenure, Eilers has been coordinating and managing the support efforts by Canon for over 25 years at the largest sports events the industry handles.

Nick Garvin, Mobile TV Group, Chief Operating Officer

Nick Garvin is the chief operating officer for Mobile TV Group (MTVG). This includes all strategic partnerships, management of all day-to-day operations for its mobile unit fleet covering over 4,000 live events annually, and its audio/video manufacturing facility called Colorado Studios. MTVG has led live 4K HDR productions in the U.S. covering the PGA Tour, NBA, NHL, UFC, college football, entertainment, and corporate events for many of the top Fortune 500 companies.

Garvin is also the founder of Stackup, an education technology company that uses artificial intelligence to deliver metrics on students reading and learning on the web to K-12 school districts around the United States. Stackup is among few certified Google partners, and his work on this technology put him into the Forbes “30 under 30″ class of 2018.

Garvin holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the Eller College of Management, along with an executive education from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Phil Garvin, Mobile TV Group, Founder and CEO

Phil Garvin is the founder and CEO of Mobile TV Group (MTVG), responsible for the production of over 4,000 live events a year and the main provider to regional sports networks. He is also the president of Colorado Studios which is an audio/video manufacturing facility specializing in building mobile units and supporting live video transport. Garvin has built his businesses around his experience as a creative producer and technologist. By combining both skills, he has been able to offer cost-effective production solutions that are unique in the industry.

A graduate of Yale University, Garvin started his career as a photographer, publishing multiple books and producing various documentaries before moving into television in the mid-70s. In 2001, he co–founded HDNet with Mark Cuban, the first all high-definition national television network. He was its general manager for twelve years. Garvin also serves on the board for various technology start ups.

MTVG has led live 4K HDR productions in the U.S. covering the PGA Tour, NBA, NHL, UFC, college football, entertainment, and corporate events for many of the top Fortune 500 companies.

Steve Grigely, Fox Sports Networks, VP Technical Operations

Steve Grigely began his television career in 2002, freelancing while attending Arizona State University. After graduating in 2006, he was hired by CBS Mobile in Los Angeles. Grigely and a small team helped launch the start of CBS Mobile, streaming network content to mobile phone subscribers. After a year at CBS, Grigely had the desire to return to the sports broadcast industry. In 2007, he was hired at Fox Sports as a production coordinator and immediately made an impact on Fox’s biggest shows. He managed production services and crewing for Super Bowls in Arizona and Dallas, as well as the Daytona 500 and World Series.

In 2009, Grigely was promoted to manager of field operations at Fox Sports and began taking on technical responsibility. With Fox’s growing number of sports properties, Grigely assumed additional responsibilities in project management. He started overseeing mobile unit and vendor equipment deals, as well as the NFL on Fox and its soccer properties.

In 2013, Grigely was promoted to director of technical operations and continued to flourish in managing major jewel events such as Super Bowl XLVIII in New York and the World Series. In 2015, he transitioned to the RSNs, overseeing operations for Fox Sports Regional Networks as vice president of technical operations. Grigely continues his role at Fox Sports Networks today, focusing on improving mobile unit equipment, finding production efficiencies, and expanding technology in Fox Sports Regional broadcasts.

Phil Grossman, Imagine Communications, VP, Solutions Architecture and Engineering

Philip Grossman is an internationally recognized photographer and cinematographer and one of only a handful of photographers to have had a solo exhibition at the United Nations. He most recently produced and hosted Discovery Science Channel’s Mysteries of the Abandoned: Chernobyl’s Deadly Secrets, and is currently working on a documentary about the Soviet Space Shuttle program in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Grossman began his professional career as an illumination engineer for Grenald & Associates in Philadelphia, where he designed and engineered lighting systems for clients including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil and architectural engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Georgia.

Fahad Haider, NESN, CTO & VP, Engineering

Fahad Haider serves as CTO & VP of engineering at New England Sports Network (NESN), home of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins. Haider is part of the network’s strategic leadership team, responsible for research, development, and execution of technology initiatives at NESN’s studios in Watertown, MA and NESN’s broadcast facilities at Fenway Park and TD Garden. He has led efforts to implement new strategies to enhance operations, engineering, and production workflows and efficiencies utilizing established and emerging products. Most recently, Haider is leading the network’s development of a 4K / UHD HDR channel, audio over IP, and is in the process of transforming NESN from baseband to 2110 IP video.

Haider joined NESN after working at Spectrum SportsNet and Sportsnet LA (former TWC Cable Sports) since its launch in 2012. He has also worked at DirecTV and Verizon FIOS. Fahad has a B.S. in computer engineering and a M.S. in information engineering and management from SMU.

Michael Harabin, Gearhouse Broadcast, President

Michael Harabin is the president of U.S. operations for Gearhouse Broadcast. He is responsible for managing day-to-day operations, which included the integration of the Proshow Broadcast acquisition in 2018. His role also includes strategic direction setting for revenue growth and business expansion. Harabin is a recognized industry leader in the areas of workflow optimization and applying innovative solutions to remote, live event sports productions.

Before joining Gearhouse Broadcast, Harabin was part of the founding executive team at the Pac-12 Networks managing engineering, remote operations, and media management efforts leading to the successful launch of the networks. Prior to Pac-12 Networks, he held management positions at the Tennis Channel, the Italian State Broadcaster RAI, DIRECTV, and NBC.

Harabin holds a B.A. (Seton Hall University) and M.B.A. (Pepperdine University) degrees.

Doug Johnson, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, VP and Executive Producer

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.

Matt Krol, Altitude Sports and Entertainment, Senior Coordinating Producer

Matthew Krol has worked with Altitude Sports & Entertainment for the past 13 years, producing various games and shows for the network related to the Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, Los Angeles Rams, and more. In 2016, Krol was named the senior coordinating producer and is responsible for assisting in the day-to-day operations, as well as managing staff and content creation for the network. In addition to his work with Altitude, Krol is a two-time Emmy winner and has produced content around the country for other networks that broadcasted the Miami Heat, Florida Marlins, and Green Bay Packers.

Kent Krosbakken, Colorado Rockies, Senior Director, In-Game Entertainment and Broadcasting

Kent Krosbakken enters his 15th year working for the Colorado Rockies, and his 20th year in Major League Baseball.

Krosbakken is responsible for the oversight and management of the club’s in-game entertainment produced for RockiesVision productions and working with the clubs television (AT&T) and radio (KOA) partners.

Krosbakken officially joined the Rockies front office in March 2005, after five years working as the manager of scoreboard operations for the Seattle Mariners. During his time in Seattle, he also did work for the Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Supersonics, and Emerald Downs Horse Racing Track.

Krosbakken, 47, resides in Highlands Ranch, CO with his two boys.

Joseph Maar, NECF, Co-Founder and CEO

Joseph Maar is co-founder and CEO of NECF, a consortium bringing together international media, business, and finance executives deploying a new economy model with broadcast, OTT, and digital video producers. The firm’s proprietary platform increases video production capacity and improves business margins while saving time and dramatically reducing expenses.

For over two decades, Maar has worked as a broadcasting executive overseeing business development, production, programming, digital, and technical operations both internationally and in the U.S. His executive positions include NESN (VP), two Fox Sports RSNs, ESPN (co-founder of Entertainment Division, 20+ shows, and 12 new studios), and KTVU-TV (San Francisco).

Maar has created more than a dozen media and broadcasting partnerships across North America. Internationally, he consulted for the country of Qatar (Doha-based) and led international media executives planning a pan-Arab, young-adult television network.

In technology, Maar conceived/deployed the first three generations of At-Home/Remi productions for live events (2006 with CSTV, 2007 at FOX Sports North, and 2013 at NESN). He also co-developed Production Automation with the president and team at ParkerVision (now GVG Ignite). In collaboration with Silicon Valley-style startups, Maar created the first four generations of multi-camera productions via cellular bonding (LiveU, 2008-present); co-developed viewer-to-broadcast interactive graphics (Phizzle, 2008-present); and helped create crowd sourcing mobile video-to-broadcast (Burst, 2013-present).

Maar has been awarded three national Emmy Awards and 30+ regional Emmys in content and technical innovation categories. He is currently the treasurer for NATAS-Boston/New England and past vice president of NATAS Upper Midwest.

Larry Meyers, Pac-12 Networks, EVP, Content

Ken Miller, Altitude Sports and Entertainment, EVP and General Manager/Executive Producer

Ken Miller joined Altitude Sports and Entertainment in January 2016 overseeing all aspects of game and show productions for the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth, and Colorado Rapids. In his expanded role as EVP and general manager/executive producer, Miller continues his duties overseeing all game and show productions, as well as overseeing the television network as a whole.

Prior to Altitude, Miller spent 12 years as VP and executive producer for Fox Sports/Root Sports. He joined Altitude with over 25 years of experience in the production industry and has been recognized as one of the industry’s best, winning 17 regional Emmy Awards and one National Cable Ace Award for producing/directing. 

Miller was born and raised in Denver, CO and attended John F. Kennedy High School. He graduated from Fort Hays State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications.

Brian Mitchell, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, Executive Producer

Shawn Oleksiak, NBC Sports Philadelphia, VP and EP of Live Events

Shawn Oleksiak currently oversees all aspects of live event production for NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus. This includes games and pre/post studio coverage of Flyers hockey, 76ers basketball, and Phillies baseball, plus college and high school sports. Among his special projects, Oleksiak most cherishes the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Parade and the Phillies 2008 World Series Championship Parade. He was promoted to VP in 2014 after serving as executive producer since 2008.

From 1999 to 2007, Oleksiak served as executive producer and senior director of broadcasting for the Philadelphia 76ers, overseeing all aspects of the team’s radio and television production. He also served on the NBA’s Broadcast Advisory Committee. Oleksiak’s career began in 1986, interning for Prism Television in Philadelphia. Upon graduating Cum Laude from Temple University in 1987, Oleksiak worked simultaneously for Prism, Philadelphia Park, and WCAU-TV (CBS), covering the Phillies, Flyers, and 76ers, as well as horse racing, college football, college basketball, and boxing. He produced the Sunday Night Sport’s Final and Eagles Warm-up/Wrap-up shows. In 1994, Oleksiak became producer of 76ers Basketball at Prism. In 1997, he was part of Comcast SportsNet’s launch, producing 76ers telecasts and Daily News Live.

Oleksiak’s 32-year career spans the medium: intern, editor, cameraman, writer, studio producer, event producer, director, reporter, and executive producer. He has received nearly 40 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Nominations and captured ten Emmy Awards. Oleksiak was honored with a Philadelphia Addy Award and is a member of Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater Hall of Fame.

Clay Pahlau, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, Coordinating Producer

Clay Pahlau serves as the coordinating producer for AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. The network delivers over 350 live events including Colorado Rockies, Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Jazz, and Mountain West college football and basketball games to viewers across the ten-state region.

At AT&T SportsNet, Pahlau is privileged to work with a group of people who pride themselves in creating interesting, original, unique content that adds value and deepens interest in all their productions. Their games and shows have won multiple Emmy’s and Ace Awards over the years.

Pahlau brings a blend of professional experience, having worked televising live sports events, as well as creating effective videos for business marketing over his 30+ years in production.

Deven Persaud, NBC Sports Regional Networks, Director of Product

Deven Persaud was named the director of product for the NBC Sports Regional Networks in January 2018. A seasoned digital product professional – an expert in shaping digital products, product strategy and roadmaps, and product management teams – Persaud is responsible for all creating, building, and maintaining digital products and the digital roadmaps across the NBC RSNs, including the wildly successful MyTeams by the NBC Sports app.

Prior to joining NBC, Persaud worked across entertainment and sports, heading up the Product team at Entertainment Weekly and People Magazine (Time Inc.), the Authentication (TVE) and Personalization teams at Viacom, the Product and Digital Production team at WNET (PBS), and the Digital Analytics group at the NHL.

Maurice Peebles, SNY, Digital Editor-in-Chief

Maurice Peebles is the digital editor-in-chief for SNY, the official television home of the New York Mets, New York Jets, and all things New York sports. In this capacity, he leads digital content initiatives across SNY’s owned and operated platforms, as well as the network’s social platforms and video properties.

A digital media veteran with nearly 10 years in the industry, Peebles began his career in sports media writing for Barstool Sports. Over three years and thousands of blogs later, he returned to Complex Media—where he earlier interned as a college student—and was later named deputy editor for all sports content. From there he moved on to Bleacher Report, accepting a role as a senior deputy editor, before eventually becoming senior managing editor of B/R’s “Trending” team, a group of writers dedicated to reporting and extrapolating on pop culture-related sports topics.

Peebles is a graduate of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Kyle Reischling, Pac-12 Networks, VP, Remote Events

Kyle Reischling has served as the vice president of remote events at Pac-12 Networks since April 2018. Prior to this role, he was the senior coordinating producer at Pac-12 Networks from 2012 – April 2018 and the coordinating producer at Fox Sports West & Prime Ticket from 2006 – 2012.

Stephan Shelanski, VSiN, EVP, Distribution and Strategy

As executive vice president for strategy, Stephan Shelanski focuses on the company’s video distribution partnerships, which have included deals with FuboTV and Sling. Shelanski has more than 30 years of senior executive roles in the TV industry, including as EVP/head of programming for Starz, as well as HBO and AXS TV. He joined Starz before it launched and was instrumental in growing it into a $4 billion asset. Most recently, Shelanski served as a consultant to media companies in the OTT space.

Sam Silverstein, Pac-12 Networks, VP, Editorial

Veteran content executive Sam Silverstein has led newsrooms at major media companies including Pac-12 Networks, Yahoo!, and NBCOlympics.com. He currently is VP of Editorial at Pac-12 Networks, where he sets the content strategy and directs day-to-day operations for linear studios and shoulder programming, the Pac-12’s social media channels, and the Pac-12 Now app.

Prior to joining the Pac-12 in 2012 to help launch Pac-12 Networks, Silverstein held a number of influential positions at Yahoo! including: senior director of editorial events (Olympics, World Cup, Super Bowl, Royal Wedding, Oscars), managing editor of the Yahoo! front page, and managing editor of Yahoo! Sports.

Jon Slobotkin, NBC Sports Regional Networks, SVP, Content and Live Programming; RSN Summit Chair

Theresa Spencer, NESN, Digital Technology Manager

Theresa Spencer is a leader and technical expert in the digital sports industry. In her current role as digital technology manager at New England Sports Network (NESN), she manages, develops, and leads the expansion of NESN’s digital presence on a technical level. Since 2017, her work has included the launch and product management of NESNgo, NESN’s TVE product. Spencer began working for NESN in 2013 and before that worked as a web developer for Bridgewater State University. She is a graduate of Bentley University with a degree in computer information systems.

Jared Stacy, Spectrum Networks, VP, Production and Strategy

Jared Stacy is vice president of production and strategy for Spectrum Networks, the series of 24/7 news and sports networks owned and operated by Charter Communications. Stacy oversees production and strategy for Charter’s regional sports networks in Los Angeles and Hawaii.

Stacy joined Time Warner Cable in 2012 as coordinating producer and was elevated to his current role after Charter’s transactions with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks were completed in 2016. Stacy helped build the Remote Production Department in anticipation of the launch of Spectrum SportsNet (previously Time Warner Cable SportsNet), as the exclusive home of the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2014, he was part of the strategic leadership team that launched SportsNet LA, the new 24/7 home of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Earlier in his career, Stacy spent a decade in remote production leadership roles working on both Lakers and Dodgers broadcasts, as well as collegiate events for Fox Sports and ESPN.

Stacy received a B.A. in economics from Stanford University.

Eric Vasgaard, Midco Sports Network, Executive Producer

Eric Vasgaard oversees staff and operations for live broadcasts, original programming, and sponsorship opportunities for Midco Sports Network, based out of Sioux Falls, SD. MidcoSN covers collegiate and high school sports across the Midwest in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Kansas. The network has NCAA Division I contracts with North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, and South Dakota State, and also provides Division II coverage. During his time at MidcoSN, Vasgaard has been involved with major projects including new studios and set design, improving post-production infrastructure, implementing a flexible at-home production model, and increasing live game productions to over 250 per season.

Before joining MidcoSN, Vasgaard was with Daktronics covering the South Central and Southwest U.S. working with pro and college teams, as well as venues, sponsors and agencies to create content for their game day productions. Some of his clients included MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, and NHL teams in the region; NCAA programs such as the University of Arkansas, University of Hawaii and Mississippi State; and national sponsors including Kia, Dr Pepper, 7UP, and Chevy.

Vasgaard has also been a part of video board and broadcast productions at the College World Series, Cotton Bowl, and Regional NCAA Basketball Tournaments. He has coordinated and produced the video presentations for the Learfield IMG Director’s Cup Luncheon, James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon, and the John McLendon Awards Reception at the annual NACDA Conventions.

Matt Williams, KSE Digital, Vice President

Matt Williams joined Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) in 2001 and was promoted to lead the Digital department in 2010.

Williams leads development of many of KSE’s digital properties including Altitude Sports, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth, and Pepsi Center. As the KSE Digital department head, Williams oversees various production teams, including: website and app development, organic and paid social content, web, social and live video, display and social graphics, original written content, and web and social reporting.

Most recently, Williams led the development team for the company’s live streaming TVE platform, AltitudeNOW.

Prior to joining KSE, Williams worked for MatchLogic as a Unix system administrator. Williams graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Bonnie Wilson, Spectrum Networks, Director, Remote Operations and Crewing

Bonnie Wilson oversees remote operations and crewing for Spectrum Networks in El Segundo, CA. Her responsibilities include managing technical requirements, logistics, and personnel needs nationally for remote broadcasts. Wilson joined Charter Spectrum (formerly Time Warner Cable SportsNet) in 2012, and was fortunate to be involved with the team that launched Spectrum SportsNet and SportsNet LA.

Wilson previously worked for Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket in Los Angeles, where she oversaw remote operations and crewing. Prior to Fox her career began working for MTV’s Real Word and Road Rules.

Wilson is originally from New England, and holds a degree in communications from Northeastern University in Boston, MA.

Dave Zur, KSE Media Ventures, SVP, Operations and Engineering

Dave Zur became general manager of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment’s Network Operations Center in 2014.  Zur oversees all operations, engineering, and facility activities surrounding channel originations for Altitude Sports, World Fishing Network, Outdoor Channel, and Sportsman Channel.

Since 2008, Zur also has served as senior vice president of operations and engineering with technical oversight supporting all KSE Media Ventures assets. Zur joined Altitude as vice president of operations at the launch of the network in 2004 having worked previously as the chief engineer of Pepsi Center Broadcast starting in 2001.

During his tenure, Zur has been involved in almost all aspects of venue and network operations and growth initiatives including the acquisition, build-out, and live-transitions of multiple national and regional sports networks to and from the KSE Network Operations Center. Starting in 2008, the 40,000sq ft. KNOC building in Centennial, Colorado was transformed into a multi-channel origination and uplink facility. It currently hosts the four KSE Networks servicing approximately 50m homes, complete studio facilities, and over 50 technical bays of edit and media prep supporting linear, live streaming, app, and social media deliveries.

Zur holds a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and media communications from Metropolitan State University of Denver. He is also a Sports Video Group Board Member and serves on the MSU Board of Academic Advisors.