Dream job: Premier League Productions' Anna Ward on the road to becoming director of production and operations By Heather McLean, Editor
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 - 11:35
Print This Story
Premier League Productions' director of production and operations, Anna Ward
When she took a gap year from university to Australia, Premier League Productions' director of production and operations, Anna Ward, scored a dream job which took her into the world of sports broadcasting for the first time.
Ward, who is a member of the SVG Europe Women Advisory Board, explains: I worked on a Tour called Grand Prix Sailing' which featured 18 foot-long skiffs racing against each other in various harbours around Australia. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to land that job; fresh out of uni and being paid to travel around Australia to sailing events. I spent a lot of time on observer and hospitality boats in Sydney Harbour which seemed so glamourous to me at the time!
She continued the trend when she got back to the UK: After returning from Australia, I got a job at European Tour Productions here at IMG. I couldn't believe I had that job either now I was being paid to fly around the world, not just Australia, and stay in nice hotels.
From there I took a job with IMG's facilities provider, CTV OB, and working there did mean I worked on more than just sport which was a draw as I wanted to expand my repertoire, but I always missed production and ultimately came back to IMG after a short stint freelancing.
I've been really lucky throughout my career at IMG to work on some great projects, Ward continues. The Paralympics always stands out to me as it felt like we really were changing society's view of disability. Then there were the various multi-sport events I worked on: the Asian Games, Asian Beach Games, the Asian Winter Games. Asia has played quite a role in my career. Notably moving out to Singapore for a year as part of a joint venture with the Asian Tour Golf which was my first head of production role.
Onwards and upwards
Ward studied Film and Media at the University of Stirling, and she says, I think that was the first university course in the UK of that nature at the time . The degree, sounded fun and exciting, but sports wasn't in my thinking then, she goes on. I'd always enjoyed playing sports but I'm not a mad keen sports fan to be honest.
As to how she got her current role, Ward had been working as a head of production at IMG on various projects when the opportunity came up to move over to Premier League Productions.
She went for it: For some people Premier League Productions is synonymous with IMG but I'd never worked on it despite being at the company on and off for so many years. In my opinion it's our biggest and most prestigious project and well resourced, so what's not to like?
One of the reasons I am proud of working for the Premier League is the positive impact the League has on the world around it, and our part in amplifying those messages, adds Ward. Their involvement with initiatives such as Rainbow Laces and No Room for Racism are more exciting to me than the latest bit of tech.
I'd worked on big OBs, such as the Open Golf, the Paralympics and various Asian Games but I'd not worked on such a large production that is ongoing as opposed to a one-off event, says Ward, commenting on what was challenging about getting into the role of PLP director of production and operations. Getting my head around everything the department produces - and the budgets - was tricky to begin with as was understanding how each part affects another part of the operation. I soon realised you couldn't make decisions in isolation as it would likely impact another part of the department.
I found that frustrating to begin with as it slows down the decision making process, she notes. And my lack of football knowledge made things difficult at times; it took me a while to understand the schedule and how that impacted on budgets and deliverables. I've just about got there now!
She adds: I find the pace quite challenging at times. Everyone works at 100 miles an hour and, especially in my new role which has more of a focus on culture, I think it's difficult to get people to stop and reflect on how and why we operate the way we do.
There is a lot to enjoy about the job, which she started in June 2021. Ward comments: I like the variety of what comes across my desk. I also like that in my new role as director of production and operations I need to think more strategically; I'm moving away from implementation and more into thinking about how we can continuously improve what we do. I really enjoy researching the latest thinking on management and leadership principles and considering how we might bring that to PLP, although finding the time to do that research can be challenging.
Negotiating being typecast
Ward says that being typecast into certain roles when she first started out in sports broadcasting was something she had to negotiate. The biggest challenge I faced when I was younger is that women were typecast into production manager (PM) and organisational roles. Originally, given my degree in film studies, I wanted to produce programming, but it was very difficult to cross over from an admin role to an editorial one. Thankfully I don't think that divide and stereotype is as severe anymore; although I think it still exists.
However, she adds that there were bonuses to being a PM: When I was younger travelling was always an attractive part of the job for me and I loved working on big events; the challenge of organising all those people plus I liked being in the middle of what was going on. As a PM you have so many touch points in the process that you understand it end to end, that was a draw for
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
15/10/2025
Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...
15/10/2025
St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...
15/10/2025
Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...
15/10/2025
By Paige Bethmann
Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...
15/10/2025
Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...
15/10/2025
People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...
15/10/2025
Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...
15/10/2025
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...
15/10/2025
At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...
15/10/2025
New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...
15/10/2025
SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...
15/10/2025
One of humanity's most profound questions continues: Is there any place in our galaxy suitable for life beyond Earth? NASA intends to find out, with the hel...
15/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
15/10/2025
Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage software for the AI era, today announced the advancement of its comprehensive AI ecosystem certification pro...
15/10/2025
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today unveiled key highlights of the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, scheduled for Feb. 15 19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Go...
15/10/2025
At NAB Show New York 2025 (Stand 244), Interra Systems will showcase the future of media QC, monitoring, and captioning, highlighting its award-winning, AI- and...
15/10/2025
Grass Valley today announced that RMC BFM, part of the CMA-CGM Group and France's third-largest private media group, has chosen Grass Valley's productio...
15/10/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future of hybrid, s...
15/10/2025
Rakim to Join Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame at Signature Series Concert The rap icon becomes the latest inductee, following luminaries such as Roxanne Sh...
15/10/2025
Berklee Brings Live Music to the Head of the Charles Student artists will perform on multiple riverfront stages during the 60th anniversary of the world's...
15/10/2025
CobbTV, the government access television channel for Cobb County, Ga. recently acquired an automated playout system from Pebble, a global provider of automation...
15/10/2025
OSLO, Norway Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future...
15/10/2025
NEW YORK The NBA is making major changes to the NBA App and NBA TV as it takes control of them from TNT Sports, which has long managed the league's digital ...
15/10/2025
SAN MATEO, Calif. In what promises to be a major expansion of interactive features and personalized content on the DirecTV platform, the operator and Glance hav...
15/10/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has launched changes to its user interface (UI) that the streaming platform says will better showcase original programming on the platform...
15/10/2025
LOS ANGELES Software-defined data storage and data services provider OpenDrives has elevated Alex Dunfey to chief technology officer, responsible for driving th...
15/10/2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE October 15, 2025: Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-powe...
15/10/2025
Sheldon Nichols and Will Trickett to find and prepare more classic cars for budget conscious would-be owners from Wiser Films
UKTV have recommissioned the clas...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
Nick Cave
JPEG (275 KB)
Explore the creative univer...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
From breaking up with your partner to quitting your job - new polling shows some messages are just too scary to send
Over a fifth (...
15/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz unveils compact MXO 3 oscilloscopes with 4 and 8 channels: Advan...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Revenge Series The Resurrected' Captivates Audiences Across Asia
Entertainment
15 October 2025
GlobalTaiwan
Link copied to clipboard
...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Bringing the Best in VFX and Virtual Production Together as Eyeline
Jeffrey Shapiro
CEO, Eyeline
Business
15 October 2025
GlobalCanadaInd...
15/10/2025
Deployed by Astound Business Solutions, Harmonic's Primary Distribution Solution Ensures Outstanding Video Quality and Seamless Ad Insertion at the Edge
SA...
15/10/2025
Collaboration extends a trusted relationship as RMC BFM invests in scalable, fut...
15/10/2025
Series coming in 2026 stars Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'Mara released today
RT today released first look images of new comedy-drama ...
14/10/2025
SVG Europe Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYNetworking event that preceded IBC2025 shone a light on elite live sports innovation acro...
14/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Author Rich Podolsky on Writing Madden & Summerall: How They Revo...
14/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Michael Reiners, Coordinating Producer, FloRacingThe Illinois State grad steers a vast schedule of motorsports events at tracks across the countr...
14/10/2025
Content protection: Getting the right management for your DRM By Neal Romanek
Friday, October 10, 2025 - 10:11
Print This Story
Eluvio power the EPCR'...
14/10/2025
As League Takes Over Ops, NBA TV and NBA App Add 60 Games, Weekday Studio Show, ...
14/10/2025
Time and effort: World's largest student-led broadcast prepares to go On Air...
14/10/2025
(L-R) Guest, Kimberly Robinson Jones, Geeta Gandbhir, Pamela Dias, and Takema Ro...
14/10/2025
Lossless ist jetzt mit Spotify Premium verf gbar.
Verlustfreies Audio war eine...
14/10/2025
La qualit Lossless est disponible sur Spotify Premium.
Le format sans perte de...
14/10/2025
For the seventh edition of Spotify and FC Barcelona's artist jersey series, ...
14/10/2025
Spotify is committed to bringing the best listening experience to all our users, and that includes parents and families. That's why we're expanding mana...
14/10/2025
Since its debut, the Spotify Original podcast Caso 63 has been more than just a story; it's been a cultural sensation. The science fiction thriller captivat...
Dream job: Premier League Productions' Anna Ward on the road to becoming director of production and operations By Heather McLean, Editor 
