Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

SVG All-Stars: Kendall Burgess, as VP, Local Media Technical Operations, Major League Baseball

01/10/2024

SVG All-Stars: Kendall Burgess, as VP, Local Media Technical Operations, Major League Baseball After 20 years in the business, she is a stalwart in regional sports production By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.

Tuesday, October 1, 2024 - 7:00 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

In an era when sports production is evolving faster than ever, a new generation of leaders is beginning to make its mark on the industry. Our new SVG All-Stars series explores the journey of the industry's rising executives, showcasing their experiences and career highlights in the business, overarching philosophy and leadership strategy, technological and creative innovation, and where they see the industry headed. Join us as we uncover the story behind their ascent and the impact they are having in an ever-evolving industry.

Kendall Burgess has more than two decades of experience in the sports-broadcasting industry and has made a name for herself as one of the stalwarts of the regional-sports-production sector.

In 2023, as seismic change began to shake up the regional-sports-rights landscape, Major League Baseball launched its own Local Media department to help navigate the changing industry. Today, MLB Local Media Department is responsible for all regional game broadcasts for the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Colorado Rockies and oversees broadcasts for the new national Roku MLB Sunday Leadoff package.

Kendall Burgess: The exciting things happening [don't] necessarily have an on-air impact, but they can make your workflows more efficient and might even save money that you can spend to enhance your broadcasts.

As VP of local media technical operations, Burgess oversees the operations team that manages and organizes all the technical details for these live productions. She coordinates with production teams in each city to provide mobile units, equipment, technical crew, transmission, and master-control integration. She also manages all related vendor contracts and invoice processing for these systems.

Prior to joining MLB Local Media, she was VP, technical operations, Bally Sports, working with production and engineering to provide direction for the 19 Bally Sports regional networks across the country, which produce more than 4,500 sports events annually. She shares her story, her philosophy, and advice for getting into the industry:

What is one key industry trend that you believe is having a major impact on your organization right now?

I believe there are several exciting things happening, with variations on centralized and cloud-based equipment integration. These aren't necessarily the things that have an on-air impact, but they can make your workflows more efficient and/or add equipment redundancy for backup purposes. Some of these systems might even save money so you can spend on the flashy things that enhance your broadcasts.

What is one core philosophy you try to live by when managing your team/operation?

Communicate, communicate, communicate. And then, when you think you have been thorough, communicate again. Operations is ultimately responsible for thousands of details in a live production, and all of them are important to the success of the broadcast.

What is your favorite event(s) you've ever worked?

In my current role, my favorite event was our first-ever MLB Local Media game with the Padres in Miami on May 31, 2023. Along with many talented people at the league office and MLB Network, we set up an entirely new system to produce these games in a very short time. It was extremely rewarding to finally get on the air and see all that hard work pay off.

How did you get started in sports production? What was your first real job in the business?

The summer before my senior year in journalism school at UGA, I interned at FOX Sports South in Atlanta. That summer, I took every opportunity I could find to learn about the business, including my first-ever visit to a production truck, where I was hooked right away. After graduation, they hired me back, and I stayed with that company in various capacities for over 20 years. I loved working in production at the beginning of my career, but, in some ways, I feel like my first real job was when I moved over to operations in 2004 because that became my career focus.

What's one piece of advice you have for someone just starting their career in this industry?

This business is incredibly small, so your relationships and your reputation are everything. The people in our industry are what makes it so special. Always try to be kind and work hard (in that order).
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/10/01/svg-all-stars-kendall-burgess-a...
See more stories from svg

North America Stories

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Appear Announces X5 General Availability, XM Management Tool, and SIx300 Module

Appear ASA (OSE: APR) will announce three additions to its X Platform at NAB Sho...

16/04/2026

CentralCast Deploys Harmonic XOS Media Processor for Public Broadcasting

Harmonic has announced that CentralCast, a centralized master control facility for U.S. public media, has deployed Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor t...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Encompass Digital Media Integrates Interra Systems BATON into Cloud-Based Altitude Flow Platform

Interra Systems has announced that Encompass Digital Media has integrated its BA...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Grass Valley to Showcase Expanded Media Infrastructure Capabilities

Grass Valley will demonstrate its Media Infrastructure capabilities at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C2408, Central Hall), bringing routing, signal processing, and orche...

16/04/2026

Verizon Readies Robust Network Infrastructure Plans for FIFA World Cup 2026

As preparations ramp up for the FIFA World Cup 2026, Verizon has outlined a sweeping connectivity and infrastructure initiative that will underpin broadcast ope...

16/04/2026

Advanced Image Robotics Joins 2026 MLS Innovation Lab

Advanced Image Robotics (AIR) has announced its selection for the 2026 MLS Innovation Lab. AIR will work with MLS clubs, players, and executives on automated vi...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: JWX Acquires True Anthem, Adding AI-Powered Social Publishing to Publisher Platform

JWX has announced the acquisition of True Anthem, an AI-powered social publishin...

16/04/2026

Jomboy Media and Fubo Launch 24/7 Creator-Led Channel

Jomboy Media and FuboTV Inc. have launched the Jomboy Media Channel, a 24/7 channel available to FuboTV base plan subscribers. The channel, timed to the start o...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Wave Central and EVS Announce SMPTE ST 2110 Interoperability Validation

Wave Central, a Domo Broadcast Company (Booth C2820), and EVS Broadcast Equipmen...

16/04/2026

Tata Communications and Formula 1 Release Race Before the Race, First Film in New Content Series

Tata Communications and Formula 1 have released Race Before the Race, the firs...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: DPA Microphones N-Series Firmware Update Adds Duplex Gap and Guard Band Access for North American Users

DPA Microphones has released a firmware update for its N-Series Digital Wireless...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: See Sony's Live Stage Presentations at NAB Show 2026

Sony's Live Stage at NAB Show 2026 is the place to hear directly from the content creators, end users, and technology experts who are pushing boundaries in ...

16/04/2026

Perfect Game and Youth Prospects Announce Broadcast Rights and Content Partnership

Perfect Game and Youth Prospects have announced a partnership covering broadcast...

16/04/2026

National Collegiate Rugby Partners with All Womens Sports Network for 2026 National 7s Championships

National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) has announced a media rights partnership with Al...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Audio-Technica Introduces BP350ST-UB and BP350ST-UL Mid-Side Stereo Broadcast Microphones

Audio-Technica has announced two new mid-side (MS) stereo broadcast microphones:...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: PSSI Global Services Acquires Beagle Networks

PSSI Global Services has announced the acquisition of Beagle Networks, a provider of IT infrastructure and onsite technical support for media and enterprise cus...

16/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Releases Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3

Blackmagic Design has released Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3, a free update available now from the Apple App Store. The update will be demonstrated at NAB Show ...

16/04/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: 4Wall Entertainment's Dave Caulwell on Scaling Live Event Production for Sports

As live sports production continues to expand across linear, digital, and in-ven...

16/04/2026

ESPN Enters First HDR Postseason With REMCO Support in New Bristol-Based Control Rooms

Part of an infrastructure upgrade, the recently constructed spaces accommodate n...

16/04/2026

NBC Sports Tips Off First NBA Playoffs Campaign in 23 Years With Six-Truck Fleet, Interchangeable Production Model

NBC has added NEP's Supershooter 11, which only just came online in time for...

16/04/2026

Reimagining Earth Measurement for the AI Era: L3Harris and Xoople Develop a New Spaceborne Capability

For decades, understanding the physical world from space has required a trade-of...

16/04/2026

Locality and Nielsen Announce Landmark Integration of Media Data Engine, Transforming Local TV Measurement

The integration accelerates demographic audience delivery across local markets a...

16/04/2026

Quickplay Deploys Gray Medias New Streaming Platform

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

Spectrum TV App Launches On Google TV and Other Android TV Devices

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

Telestream Enables Multi-Cloud Media Workflows with Oracl...

Telestream Cloud Services, including Vantage Cloud, UP, and SENTRY monitoring tools, are now optimized for OCI, powering flexible multi-cloud media orchestratio...

16/04/2026

Fox Corporation Names Amazon Web Services its Preferred A...

Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX; FOX or the Company ) today announced a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), naming AWS as its preferre...

16/04/2026

Triveni Digital Introduces New StreamScope Analyzer to Br...

Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, today announced an ISDB-Tb capabilit...

16/04/2026

Synamedia and SoFast team up to accelerate FAST and OTT

Synamedia and SoFast announce strategic go-to-market partnership to accelerate FAST, pay-TV, and VOD At the NAB Show 2026, Synamedia and SoFast are announcing ...

16/04/2026

Imagine Builds on a Decade of ST 2110 Leadership at 2026...

Showcases New, Open-Standard IP Solutions Across Its Portfolio, From Production to Playout Imagine Communications is marking a decade of leadership in ST 2110 ...

16/04/2026

Roku Marks 100M Milestone

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

Sportway and Broadcast Solutions acquire Studio Automated...

Sportway Media Group, a world leading AI-automated sports production company and Broadcast Solutions, a leading system integrator and provider of innovative sol...

16/04/2026

AJA to Acquire Video Encoding Software Company Comprimato

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

NAB Show 2026: Sony Announces New Cameras, Virtual Production Tools

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

Synamedia launches GO Shorts

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

Clear-Com Introduces Arcadia and Eclipse HX Updates

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

AJA Enters into Agreement to Acquire Video Encoding Software Company Comprimato

AJA Enters into Agreement to Acquire Video Encoding Software Company Comprimato Brie Clayton April 15, 2026 0 Comments Deal will expand AJA's video ...

16/04/2026

Deity Announces PR-4 Compact Field Recorder with Pre-Orders Launching April 14

Deity Announces PR-4 Compact Field Recorder with Pre-Orders Launching April 14 Brie Clayton April 15, 2026 0 Comments Deity Microphones today announce...

16/04/2026

Berklee's First Homecoming Brings Global Alumni to Boston for a Block Party Celebration

Berklee's First Homecoming Brings Global Alumni to Boston for a Block Party ...

16/04/2026

Tribeca Festival Unveils 2026 Feature And Short Film Lineup For Milestone 25th Anniversary Year

April 16th, 2026 Press Materials Available Here TRIBECA FESTIVAL UNVEILS 2026 ...

16/04/2026

One Unforgettable Night in an Unfamiliar Place Shakes Everyday Life to Its Core in Netflix's New Series The Facade of Love'

Back to All News One Unforgettable Night in an Unfamiliar Place Shakes Everyday...

16/04/2026

The Law According to Lidia Pot': How Italy's Beloved Legal Show Left a Mark on the Country

Back to All News The Law According to Lidia Po t': How Italys Beloved Lega...

16/04/2026

No Need for Space Gear - Capcom's PRAGMATA' Joins GeForce NOW on Launch Day

Head straight for orbit with GeForce NOW - no space helmet required. PRAGMATA,...

15/04/2026

BBC World Service TV Selects Open Broadcast Systems IP Decoders for Global Distribution

Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BBC World Service has selected its IP ...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: LiveU Expands Collaboration with Sony to Include File-Based Workflow Integration

LiveU has announced an expansion of its collaboration with Sony Corporation, add...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Ateme and NVIDIA Announce Immersive Video Workflow for Apple Vision Pro

Ateme has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to support live Apple Immersive ...

15/04/2026

Professional Fighters League Renews Multi-Year Partnership with DAZN DACH

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced a multi-year partnership renewal with DAZN DACH, covering Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, and...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Canon Sets New Benchmark with CINE-SERVO 40-1200m Lens; New Remote Camera Controller Supports Up to 200 Cameras

Canon U.S.A. (NAB Booth C3825) today took the lid off of the CINE-SERVO 40-1200m...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Panasonic and NEP Group to Demonstrate KAIROS and NEP Platform Integration

Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America and NEP Group will demonstrate a...

15/04/2026

Exclusive Wasabi Report: AI Spending Is Surging, But ROI Tells a Different Story

For the fourth year running, independent analysts found businesses across all industries and verticals pay roughly the same amount in fees as they spend on stor...

15/04/2026

NBC Sports to Broadcast The Soccer Tournament Live on NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN, May 30-June 1

The Soccer Tournament (TST) has announced a media rights deal with NBC Sports to...