Andrew Abrams, Vegas Golden Knights, VP & EP, Entertainment & Production

Andrew Abrams has spent seven remarkable seasons with the NHL’s Stanley Cup Champions, the Vegas Golden Knights. He has spearheaded the video production and in-game entertainment team as vice president and executive producer.

In July 2023, The Vegas Golden Knights earned industry-wide recognition for their in-game production. In a remarkable achievement, Abrams and his team were honored with not one, but two prestigious Golden Matrix Awards in July. These accolades, awarded for “Best In-Game Production, Hockey” and “Best In-Game Production in All of Sports,” highlight his commitment to delivering top-tier entertainment and video production that resonates with fans. The Golden Matrix Awards hold particular significance as they are voted upon by sports peers.

Before VGK, Abrams worked with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he learned the touring, video technology, and storytelling from the best in the business.

Prior to WWE, Abrams spent five seasons with the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League. This was his first taste of video production in a live sports environment.

Abrams currently resides in Las Vegas with his wife Kathy and their 2 dogs Gucci and Louis.

Bob Becker, Van Wagner, President of Productions

Bob Becker is one of the most respected and influential producers in the sport presentation industry. Becker has overseen game presentation and video operation for some of the highest profile leagues, teams, venues, events, brands, and corporations in the world. He is credited with producing the nation’s most creative and entertaining stadium and arena shows, and has developed high-end digital control rooms that serve as the gold-standard for the global video/message board industry.

Becker’s long list of career accomplishments includes the development, production, and direction of some of the worlds most watched sporting events, including multiple Olympic Games and the past 29 NFL Super Bowls. The Golden Matrix Award winner has also served in lead production roles for the World Series, MLB Field of Dreams Game, MLB International Series Games, Kentucky Derby, US Open Tennis, F1 Miami Grand Prix, Ryder Cup, NHL Winter Classic, NCAA Men’s Final Four, College World Series, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement & Game, NFL International Series, USFL, and many more.

In 2016, Becker was inducted into the Information, Display and Entertainment Association’s Hall of Fame.

In 2020, Becker’s expertise was highly sought after as the world looked to connect people and businesses in new ways and elevate live and virtual events during the pandemic. Applying his event presentation and fan engagement experience to the virtual world, he led production for TV-broadcast events like the NFL Draft, large-scale conferences hosted by Fortune 500 companies, and the U.S. Department of State’s Summit of the Americas and Summit for Democracy.

Gene Canal, UNLV, Senior Associate Athletics Director, Marketing & Fan Engagement

Gene Canal has served as the senior associate athletics director for marketing and fan engagement at UNLV since August of 2022.

In his role, Canal oversees the promotions and fan engagement team and leads the efforts in marketing all of UNLV’s athletics programs. He has played a close role in the planning and execution of UNLV’s football’s game day, as well as the year-round promotional efforts for the program. Canal has led the promotions and fan engagement team to an increase in student attendance and engagement for both the Runnin’ Rebel and Lady Rebel programs.

Prior to his time with UNLV, Canal spent multiple seasons at Texas Tech University in the role of assistant athletics director for promotions and fan engagement. Prior to that, he served as the director of communications for Kent State University, where he oversaw athletics communications, social media, and video production. Canal has also served in prior leadership roles at the University of New Mexico and Nova Southeastern University.

A double major as an undergrad, Canal earned bachelor’s degrees in communication arts and religious studies from St. Thomas University in 2008. He would soon go on to earn his Masters of Education with a specialization in athletic administration from Nova Southeastern in 2011.

A native of the Tampa Bay area, Canal resides in Las Vegas with his family.

Aric Carpenter, Allegiant Stadium, Director of Production Technology

Aric Carpenter has been with Allegiant Stadium since May 2020, just completing his fourth season managing and directing the in-house show for the Las Vegas Raiders gamedays. In addition to Super Bowl LVIII, other events he has worked on include Pro Bowl, Pac-12 Football Championships, Concacaf Gold Cup, and League’s Cup, as well as the many concerts hosted at the stadium.

Prior to his time in Las Vegas, Carpenter worked full-time for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Big Ten Network, and the University of Minnesota Athletics department, as well as a freelance director for Minnesota United FC. He began his time in this industry as a student in 2012 at the University of Minnesota.

Justin Casserly, Las Vegas Raiders, Senior Director, Game and Event Presentation

Justin Casserly attended Florida State University, where he graduated with dual-degrees in sport management and business management. Upon completing his Masters of Sport Administration from Georgia State University, he was hired as the manager of event presentation for the New York Rangers, and eventually promoted to director of event presentation. His time in NYC included a Stanley Cup Final, a Winter Classic, two Stadium Series outdoor games, and multiple playoff runs and player milestone ceremonies.

In November 2018, Casserly joined the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium as director of event presentation. While there, he helped launch the Miami Open tennis tournament at Hard Rock Stadium, produced international soccer matches and Dolphins home games during the NFL’s 100th season, and concluded his short stint by hosting Super Bowl LIV in February 2020.

Shortly after SB54, Casserly accepted the role of director of game and event presentation for the Las Vegas Raiders as the team relocated to Nevada, and helped open Allegiant Stadium. Since opening its doors to fans, Raiders Gamedays have featured some of the best halftime performances featuring the biggest names in music and entertainment.

Austy Champion, Allied Esports and HyperX Arena, Brand Ambassador

Austin “Austy” Champion is a passionate esports enthusiast with an undeniable flair for entertainment. He currently leads brand initiatives for Allied Esports after having performed and produced events for hundreds of thousands of people through various fields of production.

Kevin Cottam, Ross Video, VP, Global Sports & Live Events

Kevin Cottam is the VP of global sports and live events at Ross Video. A graduate of Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology, he began his television broadcasting career in 1996 with CTV News. In 1998, he began working with CTV Sportsnet (now Rogers Sportsnet) in Toronto, Canada. Cottam was at Sportsnet for 13 years as a technical director/studio director, working on studio and live sports productions.

Cottam began freelancing with Ross Video in 2006 as a demonstration artist and trainer, with a focus on professional sports and entertainment productions. He joined Ross Video full-time in 2011 and has been working extensively with professional and collegiate sports teams for game day productions, as well as high-profile entertainment productions. In 2013, Cottam was promoted to head up Sports & Live Events for the U.S. and Canada. In 2018, he started to take on global responsibilities and in 2020 was promoted to VP of global sports and live events. Cottam’s team of solutions experts create cutting-edge designs and manage projects from conception to completion in the traditional sports venues, esports, and live event venues vertical markets.

Lee Field, Verizon Business Group, Managing Director Global Solutions

Lee Field leads Verizon’s 5G and Enterprise Solutions team for the Sports & Venue and Investment segment based in Basking Ridge, NJ. Verizon’s Sports & Venue team supports professional sports leagues, teams, and large venues across the USA 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.

Hugo Gaggioni, Sony Electronics, Chief Technology Officer, Sony Imaging Products and Professional Solutions – Americas

Hugo Gaggioni is chief technology officer of Sony Imaging Products and Professional Solutions – Americas, a division of Sony Electronics.

Gaggioni, who joined Sony in 1988, holds several patents and has authored more than 40 technical publications in the areas of video compression, digital filter banks, HDTV, and UHDTV devices and systems. Prior to joining Sony, he worked at RCA Corporation and Bell Communications Research.

Gaggioni was a member of the Advanced Television Advisory group to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission from 1987 to 1994. He is also a fellow of SMPTE and the recipient of the 2004 Leitch Gold Medal award and the 2018 David Sarnoff Medal Award. In 2008, Gaggioni received the U.S. Broadcasting and Cable Technology Leadership Award. In addition, in 2019, he received the Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award and in 2021, he became a member of the Sports Video Group’s Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Gaggioni holds degrees in telecommunications, systems engineering, and electronic engineering from the University of Essex in Colchester, England, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University, respectively.

Ryan Haberman​​​​, Forecast Consoles, CEO

Ryan Haberman​​​​ grew up in the Forecast shop but chose to pursue other adventures, swearing he wanted nothing to do with the family business. In 2010, following his mother’s passing he returned to help his father run the business and discovered it was something he loved. In 2016, Haberman took over as CEO and since then has worked tirelessly to continue his parent’s legacy of providing the best possible product and customer service to clients.

Haberman likes cats, dogs, and sea creatures. His hobbies include amateur plumbing, refinishing old furniture, and listening to his record player. Haberman’s favorite saying is “Everything will be fine.”

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.

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 Philadelphia, PA

Matt Heuer, 3 Point Productions, Creative Director

Matt Heuer serves as the creative director of 3 Point Productions after co-founding the company back in 2012. His expertise lies in producing first class fan experiences through entertainment, script writing, content creating, soundtracking, and developing unique sponsorship activations. Heuer has been an influential creative producer and director for events like the WNBA All-Star Game, and NBA Global Games & All-Star Weekend events, as well as shows like the NCAA March Madness Music Festival. He has spearheaded the creative process for game presentation over the last 20+ seasons for various WNBA teams highlighted by the Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream, and Las Vegas Aces.

Jesse Janosky, JPM Technology Consulting, Principal and Co-Founder

Jesse Janosky, the founder and principal of JPM Technology Consulting, leverages over 15 years of invaluable experience as both an end-user and design engineer to support engineering staff in navigating the transition to SMPTE 2110 and IT-based workflows. His notable contributions include collaborating on a pivotal two-year DAS and Wi-Fi 6 initiative for the previous Super Bowl in Phoenix, AZ, bringing unparalleled expertise to the convergence of in-venue videoboard and stadium IT design.

At JPM Technology Consulting, the core focus is on designing and implementing cutting-edge 2110 systems, while also empowering other’s internal staff to excel and fostering strategic partnerships with leading academic institutions.

Erin Januchowski, Verizon Business Group, Director, 5G & Enterprise Solutions

Erin Januchowski leads Verizon’s 5G and Enterprise Solutions team within the Verizon Business Group, leading Solution Architecture for the Sports & Venue and Investment segment. Verizon’s Sports & Venue team supports professional sports leagues, teams, and large venues across the USA 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. Januchowski leads a team of professional technology architects that span wireless, wireline, security, unified communications, and customer experience.

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.

Angus Mackay, Matrox Video, Product Marketing Manager

Angus Mackay hails from a family of filmmakers and grew up around film sets. After studying psychology and communications, Mackay delved into post-production, eventually becoming an in-house producer. His journey continued with impactful roles in content production, product marketing, and customer relations, working for companies like Autodesk, Avid, and more. Mackay enhanced his skills with a McGill mini-MBA. Fluent in English and French, he enjoys skiing, hockey, and motorcycling.

Ryan Middlemiss, The Fuse Technical Group, Director of Media Servers

Ryan Middlemiss has a diverse work experience in the technical and production industry. Ryan’s career started in 2008 as a consultant for Superior Stage Crew and later joined EPIC Production Technologies as a technical director. In 2011, Middlemiss worked at Control Freak Systems as the vice operations manager before becoming the sales director. From 2016 to 2020, Ryan worked as the operations manager for Earlybird Visual. Currently, Middlemiss is the director of media servers at Fuse Technical Group.

Daniel Riess, WJHW, Associate Principal, Video Production and LED Design Lead

Daniel Riess is an associate principal at WJHW, where he also serves as the discipline lead for video production and LED. Since joining WJHW in 2015, Riess has worked on a wide range of projects that spans both professional and collegiate facilities, playing a role in shaping the current generation of technology deployed in sports and entertainment venues, including iconic venues such as SoFi Stadium, Citi Field, Lambeau Field, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Through these and other projects, Riess has been privileged to be involved in significant technological advancements, including the initial stages of SMPTE 2110-based facilities, the early adoption of 4k-based production in fixed venues, and the introduction of continuous radius primary LED displays in sports.

Jonny Sehloff, Alpha, Broadcast System Design Engineer

Jonny Sehloff is a broadcast system design engineer that has left a positive impact on high-profile projects since joining the Alpha team in 2023. With an EVS Cerebrum Professional certification and Audinate accreditations, Sehloff brings a level of expertise to his role, that allows him to design exceptional fan and guest experiences.

Sehloff has made significant contributions to notable projects, including equipment and control room upgrades for D1 programs such as the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas. He also played a key role in the Van Wagner Production Studio in Raleigh, NC and the design of Hybrid SMPTE 2110 systems.

Additionally, Sehloff’s involvement in projects for well-known entities like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Marlins, and the University of South Carolina highlights the caliber of his work and why he has quickly become a trusted resource for Alpha when working with high-profile clients.

Peter Skorich, Chief Content Officer

Peter Skorich is an award-winning event presentation and broadcast executive with a diverse background in all facets of sports and entertainment. For over 25 years, he has delivered expertise in content creation, brand marketing, programming, and development.

Skorich is comfortable on the technical side of entertainment offerings, as well as delivering creative compelling content. He is a true hybrid talent that has developed innovative moments through large scale event presentation and broadcast production.

Skorich has a truly wide ranging spectrum of experiences having spent time with the NBA (Detroit Pistons), MLB (Detroit Tigers), college athletics (University of Michigan), the NHL (Detroit Red Wings), motor sports (National Hot Rod Association), international events (The Olympics and Pan Am Games), and the music industry producing concert videos for Ringo Starr, Bob Seger, Grand Funk Railroad, and Kid Rock.

James Stellpflug, EVS, SVP, Community Engagement, Live Ecosystem

James Stellpflug boasts over thirty years of expertise in facility design, engineering integration, and overseeing live event TV production operations. Originating from a background in sports coverage and venue operations and design, Stellpflug has played a pivotal role in shaping the media industry’s evolution, contributing insights from both the media production and vendor perspectives, including significant tenures at EVS, as well as Vizrt. His impactful journey involves assisting numerous sports organizations globally in enhancing their storytelling and media workflows, including more than 20 Super Bowls and 12 Olympics alongside dozens of professional and collegiate championships. Presently, Stellpflug spearheads EVS’s focus on the community of production users and technical engineers for their live ecosystem of products.

Josh Stoner, Canon, Senior Specialist, Pro Rep Team, Broadcast and Cinema Lenses

Josh Stoner is a senior specialist for Canon’s Pro Rep Team focused on broadcast and cinema lenses. For a majority of his career at Canon, Stoner has served as a repair engineer and field support for customers on the front line of productions, and often the sidelines of major sporting events. He has served as the face of Canon for most broadcast customers and done his utmost to ensure no customer ever misses a shot. Stoner’s intimate knowledge of customer needs, equipment operation and Canon technology now help drive product development and lifecycle management as part of Canon’s headquarters, Pro Rep Team. Stoner continues to serve Canon customers by driving implementation of the technology and solutions that modern productions and live streams require as he continues to ensure Canon customers never miss a shot.

Tim Tubito, NFL, Director of Event Presentation & Content

Tim Tubito is an Emmy award-winning producer and seasoned live events executive, boasting over two decades of unparalleled production and event presentation expertise. Tubito commenced his career with the New York Jets, where he held various pivotal roles, including spearheading football video operations; curating sponsored and marketing content; directing Jets broadcast, digital, and social media content; pioneering virtual and augmented reality initiatives; and orchestrating experiential production endeavors.

Subsequently, Tubito transitioned to Madison Square Garden, where he assumed a leadership position overseeing event presentation.

Currently in his fifth season at the NFL League Office, Tubito holds a paramount role, directing event presentation, entertainment, and concert production and creative on a global scale for NFL flagship events, including the Super Bowl, NFL Draft, and International Series. In his current capacity, he meticulously crafts event entertainment strategies, and selects a diverse set of vendors, partners, talent, and executes production across all NFL events.

Sasha Zivanovic, Nextologies, CEO and Co-Founder

Sasha Zivanovic grew up in logistics, passing up the opportunity to attend MIT to take the helm of his family’s trucking business. A decade or so later, he began transferring that knowledge of goods logistics into revolutionizing the management of digital logistics, but first he had to pay his dues. Zivanovic began by fetching coffee for the head of digital at Canada’s largest multicultural broadcaster, and soon he was promoted to engineer, then chief engineer, and ultimately, CTO.

In 2009, he and the Ethnic Channels Group (ECG) partners decided to start a new company, Nextologies, to offer the digital video delivery system Zivanovic had built for ECG to broadcasters all over the world. Today, Zivanovic is the CEO and co-founder of Nextologies, a multinational company that develops its own hardware and software to create a lens-to-screen suite of video delivery solutions.