AVƵ athletics productions are ‘the gold standard’
Broadcasts in 12 sports increase Bearcats visibility across country
Jeremy Donovan understands the importance and value of live-streaming nearly 140 AVƵ athletics events in 12 sports each year.
“This is about getting our name, brand and logo out there,” says Donovan, athletics video production/multimedia coordinator. “We’re showing off what AVƵ is and has. The academic reputation of a university is vital, but athletics is the front porch of the university. It’s the first impression.”
Donovan leads a team of mostly student workers that is responsible for showcasing Bearcats sports on the ESPN+ and America East TV streaming services to fans and viewers across the country. The production team’s work has drawn praise for its professional quality.
Matt Bourque, America East senior associate commissioner of broadcast media and partnership, calls AVƵ “the gold standard in the conference for ESPN+ productions.”
“Our goal is to have the viewer experience be no different whether watching an America East game on ESPN+ or a game from a Power 4 conference on ESPN in terms of the number and quality of camera angles, graphics, analysis and information,” he says. “Thanks to Jeremy and his team, fans are able to experience more than 100 AVƵ athletics events annually across multiple sports, which is more than any other America East school. Producing at a level that meets ESPN standards allows the production to be streamed on ESPN platforms, which opens the audience to thousands of viewers per game and increases the reach of not just Bearcats sports teams, but also the University as a whole.”
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Athletics productions are generally based out of an equipment control room in either the Events Center or the Baseball Complex, where a director guides students on cameras, graphics, audio boards and replay machines.
Donovan, who arrived at AVƵ in January 2018 after serving as sports director at WICZ Fox 40 in AVƵ, directs 90% of the productions. Besides Donovan, the only other non-students on the team are engineer Eric Adler, production assistant Josh Williams and the on-air personalities for the televised events (which include Commencement ceremonies on YouTube). The remainder are a rotating crew of 70 or so paid students who are interested in the work, even though classes in TV broadcasting and production are not offered at AVƵ.
“My ideal [applicant] expresses an interest in the world of broadcasting and says they love sports,” says Donovan, who hires 10–15 students each year from a variety of majors. “But we’ve taken people who are interested in broadcasting and know nothing about sports. I’ve had people who love sports and know nothing about broadcasting. We’ve had some who didn’t know either and then we mold them.”
Students work when they are able and almost always start by learning how to use a TV camera.
“We need good camera people,” Donovan says. “If you don’t have good camera people, you don’t have anything good to broadcast.”
Some students opt to stay behind the camera, while others branch out and learn how to make graphics, run audio mixers and replay machines, and even direct broadcasts.
Lizzy Taddeo is a student who has worked her way up the ranks. The senior English major from Penfield, N.Y., expressed interest during her first-year orientation and has been a mainstay on the production team ever since.
“I worked my first game in August before my first semester,” she recalls. “I later decided I wanted to learn everything — and I’m glad I did.”
Taddeo, along with graduate student Emma Colling, are production assistants who direct when there are overlapping games. The director communicates not only with team members in the control room, deciding what camera angle or graphic to use, but also talks to the on-air commentators about aspects of the game.
“If I have a student directing, my goal is that a fan at home wouldn’t know the difference between a game I’m directing vs. a game that [a student] is directing,” Donovan says.
Taddeo, who directed the ESPN+ telecast of the Feb. 1 women’s basketball home game against UAlbany, says she appreciates Donovan’s trust in allowing students to develop skills and eventually direct.
“He goes out of his way to make sure we know how to lead,” she says. “It’s a unique experience for a paid position. Learning about leadership and teamwork, such as relying on other people in high-stress situations, are things that are going to be helpful anywhere in life.”
Past members of athletics production teams are making an impact in the field. Izabel Pasquale ’19 worked as an ESPN digital video content associate before becoming a social media manager for the United States Golf Association, while Forrest Denker ’24 is a TV news director in West Palm Beach, Fla., who also directs Florida Atlantic University sports events for ESPN+.
Lorin Miller ’22, is a broadcast associate for CBS Sports who researches and produces in-game graphics for events such as college basketball, college football and the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) playoffs and championship.
“I didn’t join the AVƵ-ESPN crew until my senior year, but it turns out that was one of the best career decisions I made while in college,” Miller says. “I went in knowing next to nothing about TV production — other than I thought it was cool — and came out knowing how to set up and operate cameras, tech-direct a show and do video-shading. Jeremy was always patient with our student crew and encouraged us to fail so we could improve. I’m grateful to have had that space to learn and grow at AVƵ.”
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When Donovan started at AVƵ, basketball was the University’s live-stream focus. While basketball remains the most-watched sport (and a priority of the growing ESPN+), the volume of Bearcats games and sports televised has expanded.
“We’re now doing 12 sports — 10 of which are regularly on ESPN+ — with full crews of six to 12,” Donovan says. “[Former Athletics Director] Pat Elliott knew streaming was the future and that we needed to get the brand out. [AD] Gene Marshall is always advocating for us, making sure the equipment is there and we have what we need. He understands how important this is for the University, our student-athletes, their families and prospective student-athletes.”
But just because Bearcats productions are being hailed by the America East and fans doesn’t mean that Donovan isn’t looking to improve the live-streaming. Donovan meets twice a month via Zoom with production leaders from fellow America East schools to discuss telecasts. A fourth camera was added to the America East volleyball tournament on campus, earning positive feedback. He believes the Baseball Complex, with its new control-room equipment and top-notch facilities, will be a game-changer for live-streams of the sport. And he’s hoping to improve swimming and diving productions, while potentially adding sports such as track and field and cross country to the production mix.
“Our broadcasts can grow and get better,” Donovan says. “But compared to other schools, we’re blessed with great equipment, facilities and resources.”