Katee LaPoff, Oak View Group, SVP of Project Management & Technology

Katee LaPoff is the SVP of project management and technology for Oak View Group. LaPoff’s personal and professional mission is to use her curious nature, skills, and ability to thrive in fast-paced, complex environments to serve others. Whether she is helping a friend, colleague, or client, her goal is to be a problem solver, relationship builder, and mentor to those looking for growth. Highlights from her career include:

• Executive with over 25 years of experience in multiple industries: creating cultures of empowerment and constant learning
• Focused on improving business performance by pragmatically working to solve common goals and driving strategy, service, and operational execution
• Advisor to organizations bridging the often-significant gap between business, emerging technologies, and industry trends
• Complete complex projects on budget on time with aggressive unyielding timelines
• Achieve business-critical objectives that create value (including proficiency in all parts of proposal, procurement, and contract execution)
• Master of Science in organizational leadership from Regis University

Chris Billotto, UBS Arena, Senior Manager of Digital Displays, IPTV Systems, & Arena Content

Chris Billotto, who is nearing his 10th year in the broadcast industry, is currently the senior manager of digital displays, IPTV systems, and arena content for UBS Arena.

Starting his career in TV and News production, Billotto made his way into the Arena AV world in 2018 at the Nassau Coliseum. At the coliseum, he started as a production coordinator/AV Tech and worked his way up to become the manager of creative production overseeing the control room operation for event days before moving over to UBS Arena. Billotto has been working closely with the New York Islanders since their 2018 return to the coliseum.

Billotto became a part of the opening AVB team for UBS Arena in August of 2021. He joined as the manager of IPTV systems and helps build/create the arenas IPTV and digital display infrastructure.

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.

Matt Coy, Madison Square Garden, VP of Event Presentation

With 25-plus years in sports presentation, Matt Coy has experience in every major sport including football, baseball, soccer, hockey, beach volleyball, and many more. His career has included three Summer Olympics, four Winter Olympics, five NFL Super Bowls, two FIFA World Cups, and many other large-scale events.

One of the most well-rounded producers in the industry, Coy has entertained fans for colleges, minor league teams, major league teams, and large-scale events including the New York Knicks & Rangers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Dodgers, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, Major League Soccer, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Padres.

Coy says his greatest success was producing the Men’s Ice Hockey venue at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.

He now oversees the Madison Square Garden Sports Event Presentation department which handles all production and entertainment for the NY Knicks and Rangers.

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.

Brooke Eveler, New York Red Bulls, Director of Event Production

Brooke Eveler is a former NCAA athlete turned live sports producer, with over a decade of game presentation experience. In her current role with the New York Red Bulls, she is responsible for developing and calling the show for Major League Soccer (MLS) matches, spearheading all AV and control room technology upgrades, and overseeing the production of major third-party events hosted at Red Bull Arena.

After graduating from Wilmington University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in studio production, Eveler started her career in Philadelphia as a member of the Phillies (MLB), Eagles (NFL), and Union (MLS) production crews. She then spent a few years in the world of NCAA DI athletics before returning to the pros with the Red Bulls in 2017.

Though “retired” from playing the beautiful game, Eveler has also produced events across the country for U.S. Soccer, Concacaf, and Soccer United Marketing.

Lee Field, Verizon Business Group, Managing Director – Global Solutions

Lee Field leads the 5G and Enterprise Solutions team for the Sports & Venue and Investment segment for Verizon based in Basking Ridge, NJ. Verizon’s Sports & Venue team supports professional sports leagues, teams, and large venues across the U.S.A. making use of Verizon technology innovation to transform the fan experience, open new revenue streams, and improve game day operations. The investment segment is responsible for new business development and works with enterprise customers who are new to Verizon, using the whole technology portfolio of Verizon to address business requirements. Field leads a team of professional technology architects that span wireless, wireline, security, unified communications and customer experience.

Eric Gazzillo, Quince Imaging, VP of Innovation

Eric Gazzillo is a vice president, and an experienced designer and media server programmer, specializing in emerging video technologies. He joined the team at Quince Imaging in 2013 after earning his M.F.A. as a member of the inaugural class of the Integrated Media for Live Performance program at The University of Texas at Austin. With over 10 years of experience, Gazzillo has worked across all market sectors of live performance, including events that host fortune 500 companies, Grammy award winning musical artists, and nationally televised athletic events.  Always one to push the envelope, he is perpetually researching and testing the most innovative new products, slowly amassing experience with over 10 separate media server platforms.

Ryan Halkett, New York Islanders, SVP, Event Presentation and Content Experiences

Ryan Halkett is an award-winning engagement specialist with 25+ years of experience in the development and execution of innovative fan programs for major sports leagues, teams, brands, and events all around the world. These have included such global events as the 2010 Olympics, Super Bowl XLIX and LII, and NHL Premier Games.

Halkett launched his career in 1997 with the Vancouver Canucks and Grizzlies with a focus on gameday entertainment. After working for a few years in Vancouver’s sports industry, he moved east to work with the New York Islanders and then at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” Madison Square Garden. While at Madison Square Garden, Halkett developed and oversaw the fan experiences for the Rangers, Liberty, and other sports properties such as college basketball, tennis, college hockey, and boxing.

Throughout his career, Halkett has always had an entrepreneurial spirit with a focus on innovation which led him to start a marketing agency in 2012 called Rooftop2 Productions.

Along with two business partners, Rooftop2 Productions was built on the foundation of connecting brands and consumers through innovative live experiences. Rooftop2 was proud to call major brands, such as the NFL, Toyota, FanDuel, Topps, and many sports teams across the NFL, NHL, MLS, and the NBA as their clients. Outside of sports, Rooftop2 also had a strong presence in automotive, wireless, broadcasting, and the non-profit industry.

In 2017, Halkett and his partners sold Rooftop2 to a global leader in sports and entertainment, Lagardère Sports, where he served as the SVP of sports experiences until 2020. While at Lagardère Sports, Halkett continued to work with major brands and sports clients across football, hockey, soccer, car racing, and esports. In addition, he was hyper-focused on using emerging technology to connect consumers to brands with cutting-edge fan-focused programming platforms that drove first-party data capture. This data that could be used by business intelligence teams to create new revenue opportunities.

Rejoining the New York Islanders in 2020, Halkett is the SVP of event presentation and content experiences for the Islanders and UBS Arena. In his role, he oversees the gameday presentation team, content production team, event operations group, and the arena AVB team. Halkett continues to work on next-generation technological advancements to redefine the fan experience and deliver new technologies to maximize game-day engagement.

Kevin Henneman, KMH Integration, President and Director of Engineering

Kevin Henneman started KMH Integration with one goal in mind: to reimagine every aspect of system integration and define his company’s role as a partner customers can rely on for the long term.

Henneman and the experienced KMH team support customers in sports, broadcast, education, finance, media and entertainment, and the arts – removing the complexity for any organization installing or upgrading an A/V system.

Henneman’s background also includes working as an audio recording engineer and educator, as well as designing and building A/V editing suites. His customer-first mindset extends to the entire KMH Integration team, which now includes more than 20 operations and engineering professionals based in two New York offices: the company’s headquarters in Brooklyn and a full-service fabrication and staging facility in Hauppauge, N.Y.

With KMH Integration experiencing rapid growth, Henneman keeps his focus on customers’ current needs while constantly anticipating emerging A/V requirements that mix traditional system integration with new digital media formats, the cloud and remote production workflows – matching the right technology to the right customer application.

Kristian Hernández, SVG, Senior Editor; SVG Venue Summit Program Director

Kristian Hernández is currently the senior editor of Sports Video Group. In his role, he is responsible for covering team-based and in-venue productions and various other sports technology topics within the industry. In addition, he is the program director for the annual SVG Venue Summit and SVG Teams Summit.

Before joining SVG, Hernández served as co-founder of CHC-TV, the first student-run television studio at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. While at CHC, Hernández produced a daily sports show named “On the Hill with Hernández” — covering all men’s and women’s athletics for the college. Also, Hernández spearheaded the college’s newspaper, “The Griffin”, as its Sports Editor. Hernández graduated with a BA in Communications. Born in Brooklyn, NY, he currently lives in Queens, NY.

Shawn Hutcheson, Ross Video, Business Development Manager – North American Sports & Live Events

Shawn Hutcheson is a seasoned broadcast professional with 17+ years of experience as a product trainer at Ross Video. In his most recent position, he specialized in optimizing sports workflows and helped dozens of professional sports teams across the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA to streamline their in-venue productions while creating the best possible experience for fans.  

With extensive hands-on experience in the world of sports and live event production, Hutcheson’s success lies in his ability to listen to the unique challenge of the customer to uncover new efficiencies in their workflows. He takes great pride in simplifying productions for customers while educating them on how to make the best use of Ross Video’s ecosystem of products to improve their operations.   

In his spare time, Hutcheson continues to fulfill the role of technical director for a range of sports broadcasts and corporate events. He believes it’s important for him to keep using Ross Video production tools in the field so that he can continue providing the best possible advice for customers and business partners.

Greg Huttie, Grass Valley, VP of Production Switchers

Greg Huttie is Grass Valley’s VP of production switchers. He is a broadcast industry professional from both the equipment vendor side and creative side. His experience includes time at Grass Valley (15 years); Videotek / Leitch / Harris; Primestar (DirecTV); QVC Network; and as a freelancer director and editor / writer.

Paul Jennings, New York Islanders, CTO

Paul Jennings has over 15 years of experience specializing in the design, procurement, and delivery of technology to optimize the guest experience and operation of large-scale developments in sport, hospitality, leisure, retail, and entertainment. He has worked internationally as far afield as Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Notable projects in the UK, where Jennings emanates from, include leading the delivery of technology for Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium (which incorporates purpose-built facilities for the NFL), as well as ensuring the UK’s 90,000 capacity National Stadium (Wembley) had the technology and people in place to open its doors and host a Cup Final, just nine days after the building was handed over.

Jennings began his career as a teacher, which he describes as one of his most demanding assignments! He later headed a business unit for an international software company and was head of business systems for a hospitality company. In 2006, Jennings set up his own consultancy, P Jennings Consulting.

In 2020, Jennings began working with the New York Islanders ice hockey team as their chief technology officer to support the design and opening of UBS Arena and the continued growth of the club.

Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial

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.

Joe Kuchie, New Jersey Devils, Senior Director of Live Experience and Production

Joe Kuchie, the senior director of live experience and production with the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center is responsible for the development and execution of all Devils game presentation elements. Additionally, he oversees the control room and AV technology throughout the arena. Kuchie was integral in the implementation of major AV upgrades at Prudential Center, most notably the installation of the world’s largest in-arena scoreboard in 2017 and a brand-new, state-of-the-art line array sound system in 2022.

Kuchie has been responsible for scripting and show-calling various National Hockey League (NHL) events including Kraft Hockeyville in 2017 and the NHL Global Series in 2018. He also served as a floor manager during the 2012 Stanley Cup Final and 2013 NHL Entry Draft at Prudential Center, as well as the 2014 NHL Stadium Series at Yankee Stadium.

Kuchie graduated from Rutgers University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and media studies. He is currently in his 12^th season with the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center.

Alex Leafer, New York Islanders, Director of Production

Alex Leafer is an award-winning director of production with 10+ years of experience in the development and execution of industry-renowned productions aimed at redefining the fan experience. With a background in physical, virtual, and OTT-streaming sports experiences, he looks to integrate next-gen technology into every production.

After graduating from Quinnipiac University in 2013, Leafer’s career started with the New York Islanders while simultaneously developing the new media and technology integrations for NeuLion, servicing the NFL, UFC, Univision, NHL, World Surf League, and MLS.

Leafer is currently the director of production for the New York Islanders.

Deon LeCointe, Sony, Director, Networked Solutions

Deon LeCointe is the director for networked solutions at the Imaging and Professional Solutions of America division at Sony Electronics. LeCointe works with television networks and broadcasters to design and build equipment that delivers live content to millions of homes around the world. He leads a team of solution architects, engineers, and marketing professionals that oversee development, sales, and marketing of products designed for news, sports, and entertainment.

After graduating from the University of Miami with a B.S. in electrical engineering and an M.S. in electrical and computer engineering in 2007, LeCointe joined Sony. He has taken on a number of roles involving post-production workflow technologies, A/V codecs and compression, IP Video transmission, 4K production, and content management systems for broadcast and news.

LeCointe has overseen the deployment of IP systems at CNN Studios at Hudson Yards in New York and Telemundo Studios in Doral, Florida. He also led the deployment of slow-motion video capture and replay systems for Sunday/Monday/Thursday Night Football, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, and the World Series.

Jamon Lomax, Canon, Senior Manager of Television Broadcast & Production Sales, U.S. and Latin American Markets

Jamon Lomax is senior manager of television broadcast and production sales for the U.S. and Latin American markets at Canon USA. He leads an experienced team of industry veterans focused on sales and support of their partners in all areas of television broadcasting, and live sports and entertainment production.

Lomax resides in the Chicagoland area, and is a graduate of North Central College, with a degree in broadcast communications. He has spent the last 23 years at Canon USA working in a variety of client facing roles focused on professional imaging product sales. Lomax’s time at Canon has allowed him to partner with, and support some of the most creative and influential people and companies in the world. As the broadcast landscape continues to evolve, he is confident that the Canon team will be there and ready to continue providing world class support for their partners.

Nima Malekmanesh, Evertz, Director of Business Development – Live Media

Nima Malekmanesh has been with Evertz since 2001, first joining the company as a software engineer and working on the company’s first line of modular products. In his current role, Malekmanesh oversees all aspects of business development for Evertz’ live media products.

Paul McAniff, Canon, Senior Technical Specialist

Paul McAniff began his career as an ENG camera operator and video editor, before pivoting into the vendor space. During that time McAniff covered the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA for local news outlets. Since then, he has worked for Canon, Panasonic, and Adobe where his focuses have included broadcast, digital cinema, and content development.

Now in his tenth year at Canon (minus a seven-year hiatus) McAniff is one of a team of technical experts in the Education, Field, and Sales Support Division. In his current role, he supports Canon’s BCTV and Cinema Optics, Cinema EOS Cameras, PTZ cameras, 4K Reference Displays, and Professional Video Camcorders.

Jeff McFadyen, EditShare, Regional Sales Director, Northeast

Jeff McFadyen is an industry veteran that has worked at some of the most influential and colorful media, audio, and live production solution providers. That journey continues with EditShare where McFadyen is the director of sales for the Northeast U.S. He prides himself on listening to and helping people to find the right tools to tell their particular stories, and returning their trust with quality products, partnership, value, and integrity.

Brendan McKeon, New York Mets, Executive Director of In-Game Operations

Brendan McKeon is entering his 18^th season with the Mets, beginning as an intern in the Shea Stadium days. He was part of the team that helped open up Citi Field and then detoured briefly to join the Opening Team at The Barclays Center in 2012. McKeon returned to Queens in 2013 and has been a part of the Mets family since then. A graduate of Syracuse University, he has produced and directed the in-game show at Citi Field since 2020. McKeon resides in Westchester County with his family.

Dan Pack, Silver Spoon Animation, Founding Partner and Managing Director

Dan Pack has been working in NY production and post for the past 20 years. As a founding partner and managing director of Brooklyn-based Silver Spoon, Pack oversees all production, client relationships, and R&D, notably in the ever-expanding field of AR and virtual production. Pack and his team have contributed their motion capture and animation services to numerous commercials, video games, television shows, and features, with recent innovations in real-time character animation, broadcast AR, and XR/LED production.

Prior to Silver Spoon, Pack held the position of director of business development for Click 3X, and served as an executive producer for ASB, a global 3D previz shop.

Brock Raum, BeckTV, Senior Project Engineer

Brock Raum came to the BeckTV engineering team from the University of Notre Dame where his most recent position was director of live production and broadcast technology. While at Notre Dame (2017 – 2020) his duties included:

• Acting lead for the department’s overall technical vision, direction, and implementation
• Debuted the first videoboard in Notre Dame Stadium for the 2017-18 season
• Acting liaison for Notre Dame and ESPN (ACC Network broadcasts/launch)
• Director of NBC’s College Hockey coverage and NBC’s coverage of the Notre Dame Spring Game

Prior to his work at Notre Dame, Raum was employed by the Kansas City Chiefs from 2013 – 2017 as a producer/lead producer for their game-day productions. His duties included:

• Managing the department’s technical efforts and overall direction
• Managed and maintained systems including videoboard, LED fascia boards, central storage systems, control room equipment, and cameras
• Managed large technical capital expenditure programs and yearly budgets
• Created content for and directed the Chiefs’ in-venue live experience
• Led the department’s intern program including the hiring and management of staff
• Helped create content for TV, social media, and commercial campaigns

Raum functions as a broadcast design and implementation engineer at BeckTV. In his short time, he has proven to be a valuable addition, using his production and engineering experience on several projects. He has expertise in IP broadcast infrastructure along with specific knowledge of Ross, Evertz, Grass Valley, and Sony equipment, among others.

Shawn Reilly, Fortinet, Regional VP, Vertical Sales

Shawn Reilly is a regional vice president at Fortinet with responsibility for revenue growth and team management of their U.S. Vertical Sales Practice. This includes their Retail, Operational Technology, and Healthcare businesses. Reilly has 27 years of experience working in strategic business development and sales leadership at several companies. He has earned a keen ability to educate customers and team members on complex products to ensure they are well educated about the associated value his company brings to the table. Prior to joining Fortinet, Reilly spent six years at Dell SonicWall leading the Northeast business. His greatest strengths are his positive thinking, drive, and thought leadership. Reilly thrives on challenges, particularly those that expand the company’s reach.

Reilly studied business law and accounting at Nassau Community College in Garden City, NY. He currently lives in Hicksville, NY on Long Island with his family.

Stephen Remich, Riedel Communications, Senior IP Specialist, System Consultant

Stephen Remich is the senior IP specialist and system consultant for Riedel Communications, Americas and has an extensive background in IP video and IP system configuration. Remich got his start in video production as a camera operator. From there he advanced to production engineer for Azusa Pacific University Media Services where he designed, integrated, and maintained video, audio, lighting, and intercom services for large corporate, concert, and sporting events. During this time, he discovered Riedel products such as MediorNet media distribution and Artist intercom systems. Remich then made the move to Riedel Communications full time as a system consultant, managing and designing large customer projects, as well as giving technology presentations and training sessions. He holds Arista ACE certifications.

Daniel Riess, WJHW, Associate, Video Production Design Lead

Daniel Riess joined WJHW in 2015 after working as a broadcast and venue engineer for Texas A&M’s Sports Broadcast and Production Department, 12th Man Productions. He has experience in college and professional environments working with both end users and project teams. Riess has extensive experience in both traditional format video production and productions for non-standard aspect ratio video displays.

Riess has worked on some of the largest and most innovative displays in professional sports, such as Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Progressive Field, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and SoFi Stadium. He was also involved with the system design and workflow development of the first continuous 360° video displays at Fed Ex Forum and State Farm Arena, as well as the Broadcast Production Facilities at Texas A&M and the University of Notre Dame.

Adam Sabh, New York Islanders, Director of Media Art & Design

Adam Sabh is a multi-Emmy Award-winning creative lead.

His expertise revolves around a space where art, design, storytelling, and technology converge. Sabh was born in New York and raised in Chicago where he graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a BFA in advertising and graphic design.

Since moving back to New York in 2011, for his MFA in design and technology at Parsons The New School of Design, Sabh has been creating award-winning media from kickstarter videos to large-scale branding packages to music videos/media content all the way to national television spots and arena creative solutions for Madison Square Garden Networks, NBC Sports, Barclays Center, and the New York Islanders/UBS Arena.

Sabh is currently the director of media art & design with the New York Islanders.

Don Sperling, New York Giants, VP and Executive Producer

In 2007, Don Sperling was named VP and executive producer of Giants Entertainment – the media, events, programming, production, and marketing arm of the New York Football Giants. Sperling oversees all content on television, radio, digital and social media, publishing, and creative services. He also is charged with events, and Game Day stadium event presentation. Sperling was formerly the president of D&L Media, a full-service production, development, and consulting company, specializing in new media and digital strategy across all platforms, branding, live events, television and film production, broadcasting, entertainment, news, sports, and media training.

Sperling was SVP and executive producer of NBA Entertainment for 15 years, responsible for the overall branding, development, programming, promotion, and creative direction. He also fostered the NBA’s global success and expansion; created and developed NBA Inside Stuff – NBC’s and now NBA TV’s extremely successful and longest-running weekly sports and entertainment show airing 52 weeks a year; and helped develop the NBA’s award-winning “I Love This Game” image campaign, public service announcements, and a wide array of promotions.

Prior to working at the NBA, Sperling worked as a producer and writer in the News and Sports Department at CNN. He also worked for CBS News, NBC, WCBS-TV, and IBM.

Fritz Stillings, New York Islanders, Sr. Manager of Game Presentation & Events

Fritz Stillings has been entertaining fans in professional hockey for more than 10 seasons and is currently the senior manager of game presentation and events with the New York Islanders.

He has been with the Islanders since 2016, previously directing the floor while the team played at Barclays Center, Nassau Coliseum, and UBS Arena before moving into his current role of show-calling each game, focusing on leading a team to consistently create a first-class entertainment experience.

A 2012 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, Stillings also brings a wealth of production and game presentation experience with the New York Mets and the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs.

Steve Stubelt, Diversified, VP of Sales, Media & Entertainment

Darren Whitten, Alpha, Sports Account Executive

Darren Whitten has 22 years of industry experience and has been with Alpha for the past 12 years. He started in the Broadcast Department at Alpha before moving into a sales position within the Sports & Entertainment Group in 2011.

With a primary focus on collegiate control rooms for ESPN+, ESPN 3, and video shows, Whitten has been instrumental in growing Alpha’s collegiate business. He has worked directly with the Sunbelt Conference and Missouri Valley Conference on the roll-out of ESPN+ and ESPN 3 systems, both fixed and portable, to member schools.

Whitten has recently expanded his focus to some of Alpha’s most high-profile major league projects including the Detroit Lions, Sporting KC, and Minnesota United FC.