Live From CFP National Championship: ACC Network Battles Weather for Onsite Studio Programming Jax Brewery is hosting three physical sets By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Monday, January 13, 2020 - 3:13 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
With the help of Clemson's football dynasty, the ACC Network punched its ticket to New Orleans in its first year of linear operations. Prior to the first snap of tonight's College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the network worked around gloomy weather and a tight schedule to produce nearly 20 hours of pre/postgame content.
The ACC Network constructed three physical sets, including this one inside the Jackson Brewery location.
It's three days in three different locations, explains Aaron Katzman, coordinating producer, ESPN. Saturday was Media Day at Xavier University. which was a whole setup. Jackson Brewery is functional and operational all weekend, but weather caused a lot of changes. We have two inside sets going on at the same time, which is a pretty remarkable achievement to put a year's worth of planning and then, in two hours, move everything inside because of lightning and thunderstorms.
In the Heart of NOLA: Three Main Sets Take Over the French Quarter
Debuting on the main stage with this production, the network has flaunted its lineup of studio shows at Jax Brewery on the perimeter of historic Jackson Square, including The Huddle with Dalen Cuff, Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel, Mark Richt, Kelsey Riggs, Jon Beason, Roddy Jones, and Mark Herzlich; and Packer and Durham (sans dogs). On the building's fourth floor, three physical sets were constructed and are being used by a wide range of talent.
This facility works great because you get multiple angles with multiple sets, says Amy Rosenfeld, VP, production, ESPN. The ESPN team scouted this location the week after the National Championship Game last year, and Aaron sat down with [Coordinating Director] Lorenzo Lamadrid and [Managing Producer] Lindsey Lloyd and fit [our coverage] into the puzzle because the complexity of the timing is really something.
Developing an intricate plan is a major reason the ACC Network's coverage is rolling along with minimal hiccups. With the Tigers once again in the mix as one of the best college football teams in the country, Katzman, Rosenfeld, and the rest of the crew got a bit of a head start on planning, based on the likelihood that they would be making a trip to the Big Easy.
The great thing about Clemson is that everyone is always aware that there is a really good chance they're going to be here in the National Championship, Rosenfeld continues. If they potentially win it all, it provides an opportunity to have a lot of positive content.
A Change in Plans: Rough Weather Pushes Operational Limits
Despite the network's best-laid plans, a patch of weather bringing wind, rain, and even a potential tornado derailed the original blueprint for the shows. Many of the outdoor or semi-outdoor plans - including the idea of having the Mississippi River as the background - were ultimately foiled. The staff decided to move operations indoors and use spacing to produce numerous shows simultaneously.
Despite the weather, a set is being used in a semi-outdoor patio area.
Along with the weather problems were timing issues. The physical set inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome was in jeopardy of having to be assembled and placed on the field a day later than usual.
Monday, we're at the Superdome, which had its own set of issues, says Katzman. A week and a half ago, there was a lot of thought that the New Orleans Saints would host a playoff game, and that would have pushed us back to bringing our equipment onsite a day later.
A Makeshift Content Factory: A Deeper Look at the Jax Brewery Setup
Bringing a variety of studio shows on the road has its share of logistical hurdles. In an unfamiliar venue, the ACC Network created a temporary control room responsible for a majority of the onsite production duties. An onsite producer, director, and other staffers who raise the total to 15 are working in New Orleans, but, at headquarters in Bristol, CT, graphics implementation and the final product are handled in a dedicated control room. This not only allows a streamlined workflow but also permits high-profile shows deriving from that location to use shared resources, such as footage.
In addition to production functions handled in Bristol, the crew has a temporary control room onsite.
We have a core group of ACC Network people that are here, says Katzman. In addition, there are others doing everything on the technical and production sides. One of our directors working on the pregame show is also directing NFL Countdown, so it's really all hands on deck and one big team to help the ESPN family out.
Although the environment may be crowded, the setting has allowed both talent and behind-the-scenes personnel to establish a stronger bond with those associated with ESPN's NFL side.
It has been great to see our talent in an office space like this with College GameDay talent and watch some of the newer TV personalities be flies on the wall with these people, Katzman says. It has also been great for all of them to share stories with each other and cross-promote material on the shows.
Although another network is busy churning out content that highlights the opposing LSU Tigers, the ACC Network is working hand-in-hand with the SEC Network as well. There has been some on-air crossover - including having the SEC Network's Marty and McGee on Packer and Durham, Richt speaking in a segment with former SEC head coach Gene Chizik, and Mac Lain and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy on College Football Live - but, more important, the new network is leaning on its heavily experienced colleagues.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it's given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what ...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils First-Look Images from Villaflor, Santiago Mitre's New Film
Entertainment
12 June 2026
GlobalArgentina
Link copied to ...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Cross the Boundaries of the Real World into the Spirit Realm i...
12/06/2026
With John Daro, DI Colourist at Warner Bros. Water Tower Color Tuesday 23 June, 10am-1pm or 3-6pm
Restar Corporation
Tokyo
Register here
John Daro is the ...
12/06/2026
Meet The Grumpy Onion Ireland's newest online sensation, all he wants is to ...
12/06/2026
RT stays Up All Night with brand new daily 2026 FIFA World Cup Vodcast
Adding to the fun around 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, RT has launched a brand new d...
Live From CFP National Championship: ACC Network Battles Weather for Onsite Studio Programming Jax Brewery is hosting three physical sets By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor 
