CSVS 2010 Serves as Industry Meeting Point

Nearly 500 industry professionals convened in Atlanta on June 8 and 9 for SVG’s second-annual College Sports Video Summit, and the overwhelming sentiment was that CSVS has become a critical industry meeting place for the college sports-video community.

“I really enjoyed being a part of the College Sports Video Summit and meeting so many people that share the same passion for what we all do,” said J. Stern, assistant athletic director for Ole Miss Sports Productions. “You put on a great conference. The thing that was most impressive to me was the number of college sports-video professionals that came from all over the country to share their thoughts, ideas, and how-to’s. It also made me feel good to see one of our former student workers on the program. I hope to be coming to the CSVS for years to come.”

CSVS was made possible by support from many SVG sponsors: Sony, Bexel, Crawford Communications, Ericsson, Orad, NewTek, Abekas, AJA, Broadcast Pix, Clear-Com, EVS, Fujinon, Grass Valley, JVC, Panasonic, Rimage, Ross, SOS Global, SpectraLogic, TVIPS, Telecast Fiber Systems, Tightrope Media Systems, Vitec Group, Vizrt, XOS Digital, Ascent Media, Canon, and STATS Inc.

“The CSVS was a great conference and one we hope to take more colleagues to next year,” said Randy Ray, director of broadcast engineering at West Texas A&M University. “Let me say how well the event was organized. It was one of the smoothest and most professional conferences I have ever attended (and I’ve attended a bunch!).”

A keynote address by NCAA SVP of Basketball and Business Strategies Greg Shaheen set the tone for two days of panel discussions, workshops, and networking. He addressed the audience with a look at the past and future of the March Madness broadcast-rights deal, as well as a glimpse into what he sees a future of “co-opetition” between rightsholders.

Three panel discussions on opening day pointed the way to three tracks of focused workshops on Day 2. The first panel, focused on defining a media strategy, gave directors of successful video departments an opportunity to share tips and tidbits from their experiences in building their departments, from social-media suggestions to the beauty of “flipumentaries.”

The second panel, titled “Running Your Athletic Video Department: From Staff to Stuff,” paved the way for the second track of workshops, focused on cost-effective technology. The panelists, representing collegiate video departments from five schools with five different philosophies, discussed their challenges and the success they found in running their departments, from how to keep a staff of students motivated to where to turn with questions about gear and formats.

The final panel of the day provided a chance for marketing and communications directors to get into the conversation. “Ties That Bind: Making Video Invaluable” primed the group for a track of workshops stressing the importance of video in marketing the entire university, not just inside the football stadium and basketball arena.

Day 1 concluded with the presentation of the College Sports Media Awards, which were put into perspective by an address by Dr. Harvey Schiller. Schiller, whose credits include executive positions with Turner Sports, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the Southeastern Conference, congratulated all of the winners and explained how they can, indeed, change the world.

In a non-traditional awards ceremony, each of the winners of the 2010 College Sports Media Awards took the stage to share with the audience tips and techniques from their winning entries. A full list of the award winners and credits can be found on the CSVS home page.

In addition to three concurrent tracks of workshops and case studies, Day 2 featured two general sessions. The opener delved into the pros and cons of forming a conference-specific network. The event’s closing session took a look into the future to see what comes next in the world of college sports video.

Stay tuned for more information on CSVS 2011!