CSVS Q&A: Nate Flannery, COO, Horizon League Network, and VP, WebStream Productions

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, Nate Flannery, COO of the Horizon League Network and VP of content strategy for WebStream Productions, explains why CSVS is important to the industry and how attendees can get the most out of the event.

Why are you involved with the College Sports Video Summit?
CSVS really gives me a chance to catch up with and meet colleagues from around the nation. The interaction at the event is vital to the growth of college sports video as tips and tricks are shared. The collective knowledge of the attendees makes me look forward to attending the event again this year.

What do you hope the event will accomplish?
This year, I would like to see a focus on individual needs. Rather than keeping to predetermined topics, I’d like to see attendees drive certain portions of the program with questions. While there is some “magic” in what all of us do, everyone needs to come with the mindset of sharing information and enhancing each other’s video content.

Give us a feel for the state of the college sports industry when it comes to video. Where are we?
College video has come a long way with the use of online video portals for content delivery. Schools now have the ability to control content on their Website, which has greatly increased the amount of video in the college sports industry. I think CSVS will show the many different ways schools and conferences are utilizing these newer technologies to create the best video experience for their fans.

With budgets constantly tightening, how can colleges (and conferences) use video to become more cost-effective?
I envision video as the new press-release medium for college sports. Instead of producing media guides and other promotional content, and incurring the printing costs associated with doing so, a great deal can be accomplished online and through video. I also imagine that most fans would rather sit back and watch a video than read to consume content, especially in the younger demographics.