Bureau Producer

This position will work closely with the Content Production teams to integrate event and studio crews and occasionally produce individual elements and/or studio shows.

Responsibilities:

• In coordination with the assigned Coordinating Producer, creates or participates in suggesting stories and events to cover to support all ESPN Platforms including television, dot com, radio, and mobile.
• Presents coverage ideas and plans in a timely fashion to be available for show planning meetings.
• Participates in relevant planning meetings and conference calls to create coverage plans.
• Coordinates with assigned reporter in researching, preparing and reporting on news and feature elements for all ESPN networks.
• Creates or participates in producing on-air news and features, including communicating with reporters, assignment editors and news editors on both content and logistic details.
• Provides additional content to support other initiative, including, but not limited to social media
• Ensures that content is available for air when requested.
• When working with a hired crew, coordinates the scheduling of field production crews assigned to producing specific features and stories.
• When working with a hired crew, coordinates with field photographers and technicians assigned to coverage.
• When utilizing a bureau kit, shoots video, interviews and reporter standups for taped or live use within coverage.
• When utilizing a bureau kit, coordinates delivery of material back to Bristol utilizing feed, FTP or other means of transfer.
• Work is reviewed by the responsible Coordinating Producer at regular intervals and milestones.
• Participates in ensuring that the content of all assigned news stories and features adhere to all editorial and logistical concerns of all ESPN platforms.
• Reviews and approves all scripts that are submitted from the field, regardless of who takes the lead in writing.
• Creates and adjusts assigned news stories and features to reach the largest possible number of viewers and to increase ESPN’s market penetration, ratings and viewership and financial results.
• Recommends decisions regarding what news stories and features will be presented.
• Decisions are guided by ESPN’s sports news strategies as they apply to assigned sports news shows and the positioning of assigned sports news shows vis-à-vis the sports news marketplace.
• Participates in ensuring that the content and accuracy of selected news stories and features adhere to all editorial, accuracy and content standards of ESPN.
• Applies standard creative and investigative skills in developing the news stories and features concepts and content of ESPN’s sports news programs.
• Participates in research on news stories and features content.
• Participates in interpreting the concepts and content of assigned sports news stories and features for the responsible Coordinating Producer, the assigned producers and related production and technical staffs.
• Communicates with coordinating producers to produce coverage schedule plan for each assignment.
• Communicated with assignment desk and news editors to book logistic options that are the most fiscally responsible while delivering the content with the time needed.
• Interacts with news sources, athletes, leagues and conference representatives and other news makers to gather information and insight for news stories.
• Participates in resolving issues with technical staff and outside resources related to the creation and development of news stories and features and related production issues.
• Creates and builds relationships with assigned Coordinating Producers to ensure close coordination of assigned news stories and features with program content.
• Provides feedback to management and coaching to support the growth and development of fellow producers and reporters.
• Interprets the needs from Bristol to the reporters and technicians in the field.
• Interprets standard information received from news sources for others.

Basic Qualifications:

• A minimum of 6 years of progressively complex related studio or related production experience
• Has good production skills related to sporting events
• Has a good appreciation of popular culture, e.g., “what’s cool” and assists with defining the tastes of ESPN’s viewers
• Fluent in twitter, Facebook, YouTube and a wide variety of social media websites
• Has a good understanding of ESPN’s marketing and strategies
• Has a established knowledge of sports and sports history
• Detailed technical knowledge required, must have knowledge of what “works” on television and what is realistic to accomplish in time allotted for show production
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Good writing and copy editing skills
• Knowledge of televisions production and video editing in digital and analog environments
• Specific knowledge of television production technique used in a digital control room
• Has good expertise to interpret and create compelling news stories and features for sports news programs; able to create and execute compelling news stories and features, from inception to execution
• Has working mastery of the sports production processes and the ability to research and create compelling news stories and features for ESPN’s sports news programs
• Had working mastery of real-time sports news productions processes
• Has good knowledge of what news stories and features to use for sports news programs
• Has a good level of investigative and reporting skills related to sports news content
• Needs to have high level knowledge of current technology used on remote sites and is committed to learning new technologies and sharing that information to help the group benefit with potentially new coverage plans
• Open to being trained to use the bureau kit, which includes an HD camera, laptop and editing software, if not experienced already

Required Education

• High School diploma or equivalent

Preferred Education

• Bachelor’s degree

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