Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

SVG All-Stars: Catherine Chalfant, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPN

28/10/2025

SVG All-Stars: Catherine Chalfant, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPNThe Ole Miss alum is an operational force behind ESPN's extensive college-football catalogBy Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - 7:00 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

As the pace of change in sports production shows no signs of slowing, a new class of innovators and decision-makers is shaping the industry's future. Now in its second season, our SVG All-Stars series spotlights the rising leaders driving that transformation, offering a look at their career paths, leadership philosophies, creative and technological contributions, and vision for what comes next. Each conversation introduces you to the people redefining the workflows, culture, and possibilities of live sports production.

The calendar is ready to flip to November, and that means college football is about to get serious. With the expanded College Football Playoff looming, ESPN's many crews are ready to deliver some high-stakes matchups.

Behind the scenes, one of the newest operational leaders guiding this nationwide feast of football is Catherine Chalfant, manager, remote operations, ESPN.

The nine-year veteran of the network is in her first year as one of the key operations executives overseeing ESPN's college-football team. The broadcaster will deliver more than 1,000 games this season across its family of networks: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, and ESPN+.

Before joining the college-football effort, Chalfant played an integral role in ESPN's coverage of college basketball, including the NCAA Women's Final Four during its most significant years of growth. Since starting as a remote-operations intern in 2016, she has built a reputation for precision, preparation, and a leadership philosophy grounded in consistency and excellence.

In this edition of SVG All-Stars, Chalfant discusses the national-championship mindset that drives her team, the growing importance of university-based production-control rooms to the ESPN ecosystem, and the lessons learned from nearly a decade inside the broadcaster's live-production engine.

What are the key responsibilities of your current role?

I currently serve as the manager of college football, the Women's College World Series, and the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship.

In college football, I have the privilege of working alongside a fantastic management team and a deep bench of talented coordinators. College football is a seven-day-a-week operation. My role is to ensure our teams in the field are fully prepared for success each weekend and meeting the high standards that our viewers and partners expect, while also planning weeks ahead and coordinating details for the upcoming College Football Playoff and National Championship.

Catherine Chalfant working a game between Nebraska and Wisconsin in November 2016, her first college-football broadcast as an ESPN intern. She had just accepted a full-time coordinator position with ESPN the day before. (Photos: ESPN)

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

One trend that is having a significant impact - and is often understated - is the growing value and capability of school-based production-control rooms at universities across the country. Many of these facilities are now state of the art, rivaling professional broadcast environments in both technology and production quality.

Thanks to our partnerships with schools across multiple conferences, we're able to produce more live content for our networks than ever before. These control rooms not only enhance our programming volume, particularly in the collegiate-sport space, but also serve as exceptional training grounds for the next generation in our industry.

I'm speaking from experience: I got my start in a university control room at Ole Miss, and those early reps were foundational to where I am today in my career. The exposure, responsibility, and hands-on learning that happens in those environments can't be overstated. It's a pipeline that benefits both the schools and the broader industry, and it's only becoming more vital as we scale production and evolve our content strategies.

Chalfant (far right) at the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship Game bubble at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX, with (from left) Lindsay (Hayden) Elliott, Carson Kenny, and David Quintanilla

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

Treat every day like it's the national championship. This mindset creates a culture on our team where excellence isn't reserved for big moments; it's expected in the day-to-day. For me as a leader, that means constantly asking: Are we preparing our team to the highest level we can? Are our teams in the field set up for success? Does our execution reflect the energy, precision, and pride we want our team to bring to the biggest stage?

We build season-long systems that support excellence: clear communication, quality execution, and a shared team commitment and vision of being the best at what we do every single day.

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

Three events stand out as true pillars in my career.

One of the most memorable experiences has been working on multiple Armed Forces Classic basketball games held on U.S. Air Force and Navy bases. These productions were incredibly special, not only because of the logistical challenges of broadcasting from unique and remote locations but because of the opportunity to connect directly with the men and women who selflessly serve our country. Combining the power of college basketball with the privilege of honoring our military made those events deeply meaningful. It was a powerfu
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/10/28/svg-all-stars-catherine-chalfan...
See more stories from svg

More from Sports Video Group

05/12/2025

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and Regionally

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...

05/12/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio Data

SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...

05/12/2025

Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Scalable Production System with Ross Video

Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...

05/12/2025

Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD Split

Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...

05/12/2025

FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championship

FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...

05/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the Future of the Viewer Experience

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...

05/12/2025

Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast for World Cup Draw

Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...

05/12/2025

As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ever

As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...

05/12/2025

ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows for Championship Week

ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...

04/12/2025

SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be a Game-Changer for Live Sports Production

SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...

04/12/2025

SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Content & Strategic Communications, Harvard University

SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...

04/12/2025

Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Sports Storytelling

Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...

04/12/2025

London to Riyadh: DAZN Brings the Boxing Glamour to New Production Levels for Benavidez v Yarde in Saudi Arabia

London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...

04/12/2025

Analysis: Paramount Bets on the Battering Ram' with Champions League Play

Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12 Print ...

04/12/2025

Space City Home Network Launches SCHN+ DTC App for Astros and Rockets

Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...

04/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Sports Media Supply Chain

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...

04/12/2025

New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolution Taking Place in Sports Broadcasting

New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...

04/12/2025

Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and Regionally

Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm Print This Sto...

03/12/2025

MLS Cup 2025 Production To Feature Four iPhone 17 Pros as Game-Coverage Cameras

MLS Cup 2025 Production To Feature Four iPhone 17 Pros as Game-Coverage CamerasStay tuned to SVG on Friday for our in-depth story on this year's MLS Cup pro...

03/12/2025

SVG LIVE! 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG LIVE! 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYThe inaugural event placed a spotlight on the exciting world of live entertainmentBy SVG Staff ...

02/12/2025

Case Study: How Mid-Atlantic Sports Network Moved to All-IP Distribution in 60 Days

Case Study: How Mid-Atlantic Sports Network Moved to All-IP Distribution in 60 D...

02/12/2025

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Lee Corso, Coach, Commentator, Firebrand

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Lee Corso, Coach, Commentator, FirebrandBy Ken Kerschbaumer Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 7:00 am Print This Story | S...

02/12/2025

SVG All-Stars: Dan Nabors, Senior Director, Remote Engineering, TNT Sports

SVG All-Stars: Dan Nabors, Senior Director, Remote Engineering, TNT SportsThe veteran tech leader is helping guide Warner Bros. Discovery's at-home' re...

02/12/2025

Eubank Jr v Benn II: DAZN on Bringing the Epic Rematch to Spectacular Life with 1080p HDR, Cinematic Cameras and Drones

Epic rematch: DAZN on bringing Eubank Jr v Benn II to spectacular life with 1080...

02/12/2025

National Lacrosse League Opens Season With New Cloud-Based Official Replay-Review System

National Lacrosse League Opens Season With New Cloud-Based Official Replay-Revie...

02/12/2025

Platinum White Paper: The Cinematic Look in Live Production - Bridging Aesthetics and Real-Time Broadcast Technology with Grass Valley

Platinum White Paper: The Cinematic Look in Live Production - Bridging Aesthetic...

02/12/2025

SVG India Announces Advisory Board; JioStar's Prashant Khanna Named Chairman

SVG India Announces Advisory Board; JioStar's Prashant Khanna Named ChairmanBy Ken Kerschbaumer Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 11:15 am Print This Story |...

02/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: New AI Production Tools Workshop' Features ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports NEXT, PGA Tour, PlayOn, and USGA

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: New AI Production Tools Workshop' Features ESPN, F...

26/11/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Featuring NFL, NBA, and Golf

SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...

25/11/2025

SVG All-Stars: Blayke Scheer, Senior Director, Creative Content, YES Network

SVG All-Stars: Blayke Scheer, Senior Director, Creative Content, YES NetworkThe Indiana alum has turned storytelling into an artform for more than two decadesBy...

25/11/2025

Op-Ed: With FCC's C-Band Auction on the Horizon, Broadcasters Need Proven, Cost-Effective Alternatives

Op-Ed: With FCC's C-Band Auction on the Horizon, Broadcasters Need Proven, C...

25/11/2025

Analysis: Is Baller League Really the Future of Sport?

Analysis: Is Baller League really the future of sport? By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:10 Print This Story With KSI on...

25/11/2025

Platinum Whitepaper: The Growth of Broadcast in the World of Major Large Scale Events with SOS Global

Platinum Whitepaper: The Growth of Broadcast in the World of Major Large Scale E...

25/11/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: SVG Women's Sports Workshop

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: SVG Women's Sports WorkshopBy Samantha Gabay Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:27 am Print This Story | Subscribe Story Highlig...

25/11/2025

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CacheFly's Matt Levine on the Evolving Role of the CDN and Prioritizing Throughput

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CacheFly's Matt Levine on the Evolving Role of th...

25/11/2025

Peacock's EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast Levels Up on Thanksgiving With SkyCam as the Primary Angle and More Madden Elements

Peacock's EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast Levels Up on Thanksgiving With SkyCam as...

24/11/2025

HBO's The Shuffle' Reveals Longtime Connection of Sports and Entertainment

HBO's The Shuffle' Reveals Longtime Connection of Sports and Entertainm...

24/11/2025

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Hiroshi Kiriyama, Sony Broadcast (and Industry) Technology Icon

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Hiroshi Kiriyama, Sony Broadcast (and Ind...

24/11/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: FIFA, NBC Olympics, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, Netflix, NFL, NBA, MLB, USTA Power Dec. 16 Conversations

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: FIFA, NBC Olympics, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, Netflix, NF...

24/11/2025

Case Study: YES Network Streamlines Broadcast Operations with Beam Dynamics

Case Study: YES Network Streamlines Broadcast Operations with Beam DynamicsBy SVG Staff Monday, November 24, 2025 - 11:18 am Print This Story | Subscribe ...

24/11/2025

Platinum White Paper: More of Everything: How Broadcasters are Changing Their Approach to Meet Rises in Consumer Demand with Calrec

Platinum White Paper: More of Everything: How Broadcasters are Changing Their Ap...

24/11/2025

Versant Media USA Sports President Matt Hong on How Versant Has Best of Both Worlds: a Start-Up Mentality and $7 Billion Revenues

Versant Media USA Sports President Matt Hong on How Versant Has Best of Both Wor...

24/11/2025

SVG Sit-Down: NABA Director-General Rebecca Hanson on How FCC's C-Band Auction Will Impact Broadcasters

SVG Sit-Down: NABA Director-General Rebecca Hanson on How FCC's C-Band Aucti...

24/11/2025

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Bolin Technology's Sapan Doshi on the Proliferation of PTZ Cameras for Sports Venues and Broadcasters

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Bolin Technology's Sapan Doshi on the Proliferati...

21/11/2025

Platinum White Paper: Appear Shares Why Media Exchange Is the Missing Link in Software-Defined Live Production

Platinum White Paper: Appear Shares Why Media Exchange Is the Missing Link in So...

21/11/2025

NWSL Championship 2025: CBS Sports To Deploy Two-Point FlyCam for Match Coverage at PayPal Park

NWSL Championship 2025: CBS Sports To Deploy Two-Point FlyCam for Match Coverage...

21/11/2025

NWSL Caps 2025 Season With Awards Show, Skills Challenge Productions

NWSL Caps 2025 Season With Awards Show, Skills Challenge ProductionsA team of 70 is on the ground in California to produce both eventsBy Mark J Burns, SVG Contr...

21/11/2025

USL and NEP Ready for Largest USL Championship Final Production Ever

USL and NEP Ready for Largest USL Championship Final Production EverThe broadcast from Tulsa, OK, will air CBS and TUDN on Saturday at 12 p.m. ETBy Jason Dachma...

21/11/2025

With Two New Teams, PWHL Boosts Production Workforce and Central Review for Season 3

With Two New Teams, PWHL Boosts Production Workforce and Central Review for Seas...

20/11/2025

MLB Media-Rights Shakeup: NBC's New Three-Year Deal Covers Sunday Night Baseball,' Peacock-Exclusive Games, and More

MLB Media-Rights Shakeup: NBC's New Three-Year Deal Covers Sunday Night Bas...