CSVS Q&A: Jerry Wetzel, Director of Electronic Media, University of Florida

In anticipation of the second-annual College Sports Video Summit, to be held June 8-9 in Atlanta, SVG has assembled a distinguished group of college sports-video experts to serve as the advisory board to help shape the event and ensure its relevance to the industry. Leading up to the two-day summit, SVG will check in with all the members of the board to discuss their involvement, what they hope the Summit will accomplish, and how CSVS can help the industry move forward. This week, Jerry Wetzel, director of electronic media at the University of Florida, discusses why, after a successful 2009 event, he’s back on the CSVS agenda in 2010.

Why are you involved with the College Sports Video Summit?
I’m involved because I think it’s a terrific opportunity to exchange ideas with some of the top professionals in our field. It’s a terrific learning opportunity, and, in this business, you never can stop learning new things and getting new ideas. There are always different ways to approach the obstacles that you may come across throughout the process of putting together a video department or creating a new way of recording. It’s important to find new ways to deliver your services to your fans, and CSVS is a great way to exchange ideas about that.

What do you hope the event will accomplish?
I hope it gathers ideas and helps me see what different people are doing throughout the industry. I also hope that this event educates some of the folks that may not be aware of some of the technical things that are out there to help them do their jobs better.

Give us a feel for the state of the college-sports industry when it comes to video. Where are we?
I think everybody’s energized because of the advent and the movement towards HD. I think that, for most schools, the movement into the HD spectrum is exciting. It’s exciting to experience new equipment and new ways of producing video and getting better quality out to your fans.

With budgets constantly tightening, how can colleges use video to become more cost-effective?
Everybody has a budget that they need to work within. It’s important to see what products are out there and find new ways to not only utilize your video efficiently but also repurpose your video in many different forms. And that can be from televising an over-the-air broadcast to finding a new way to use video with Web applications. How you can you use that content, within your rights, in commercials and promoting your programs? That’s important to find out.

What are you most looking forward to at CSVS?
I’m always excited to see old friends in the business and meet new friends. I’m excited for the exchange of ideas and to see my colleagues and, hopefully, learn something new.

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