A career path is not always a straight line, even if your desire is to work in sports TV your first industry opportunity could come from someplace else.
"I started out after college shooting video for law firms and now I’m directing 40 camera live broadcasts at the Belmont" recalls Brian Hegner, Sports TV Director II at ESPN "In many ways working in Sports TV has exceeded what I ever expected, but I find the longer I am in the industry my personal achievements can’t keep up with what I want to do."
I originally thought I would go into radio, but all the toys and different aspects of television drew me in that direction. I changed my major from Marine Biology to Broadcasting in my freshman year and off I started.
I have a family history of theater and was involved in stage work, both on stage and technical. Television production has a lot of the same aspects as stage, but with more moving parts. I caught on to lighting and presentation pretty fast and that helped spur me forward.
Education: University of Miami
Production Jobs held: Video Editor, Cameraman, Technical Director, Freelance Director, Director I, Director II
Stations: CNN, CNN/Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports Net South, ESPN
Years in Sports TV: 18 years industry experience
Best piece of advice: Get a thick skin – there is so much stress involved with putting a production together that tempers flare often, as a newbie everything will get directed at you.
I did have fears as my many resumes went into the abyss, but I literally took the first job I was offered and then worked towards getting the job I wanted. I was lucky to find something the day I graduated.
It was by far the most important part of the television growth. Being able to touch equipment, develop stories, produce shows, direct, run camera and anything else I had an interest in doing gave me confidence applying for production jobs. We had a good program with lots of opportunity, for that I’m lucky, but it took me taking an interest that gave me a lot of the chances I got in school.
At Miami you could go for a degree in Broadcasting (more technical) or Broadcast Journalism (more writing), but you took the same classes throughout, with only a few differences. So even though I took a technical route I learned ethics, theory and writing. It helped that I doubled in English as well, but both types of students were in every class – we all weren’t talented at both things, but at least we were educated in them.
My first production job was at a consumer level production house called Broadcast Quality Video in Miami. I heard there was a production job open and I applied the day I graduated and got the job the next day. What I would call my first real production job would be at CNN, which I started in October of 1993 as a VJ.
Within the first few months I had learned two new editing systems and was shooting items for law firms and corporate customers. When I started working in production at CNN it became an infinite list of attainable goals, since it was so large. It was scary at first, but once I got my feet underneath me, it became fun and you really felt that you were doing work that people were watching.
Getting yelled at is never fun and not something you expect at work. Unfortunately, there is so much stress involved with putting a production together that tempers flare and as a newbie everything gets directed to you. Once I got used to that part I only had to learn to work at all hours in the day, to which I am still getting accustomed.
I would have done some work with film as well. There is so much TV that is shot like film, it would be nice to have that background.
At one time or another I’ve held just about every production job there is. I started as a Video Editor at Broadcast Quality in Miami, then a Video Journalist, Master Control, Cameraman, Technical Director then Director at CNN and CNN/Sports Illustrated in Atlanta.
I was then a freelance Technical Director for many companies which led to becoming a Senior Director at Fox Sports Net South, still in Atlanta.
After Fox, I became a freelancer again as a Director which led to a full time position with ESPN in New York as the Director of Cold Pizza (Now: First Take). Once Cold Pizza was moved to Bristol, CT from NYC I moved as a Director (no specific show), then I was promoted to Director II, still with ESPN.
My responsibilities once I left CNN have been greatly varied. I have managed 25 full-time employees, built new studios, directed 4-camera women’s softball games and 40-camera races at the Belmont. Each job had its different amounts of management compared to directing, but all of them had some of each.
The hardest thing in television is the hours and days you must work. It gets easier working 6-day weeks over holidays, but it never feels good. But you have to do what is needed to promote your industry or company. You usually get rewarded or compensated somehow, but it’s never fun when you are doing it.
Go to school; get a degree in communications and on your way do as much as can in your free time to learn more about the industry. Once you graduate, do not be afraid to take the first production job presented to you as you can always move on and up. There are lots of production jobs for young, talented people. Your first production job is unlikely to be the right one – but it is the most important one!