
The Pittsburgh product helps lead more than 100 annual ESPN broadcasts as part of Virginia Tech's HokieVision operation
The pool of production and operations talent in sports media runs much deeper than just the national networks. SVG Campus Shot Callers spotlights the behind-the-scenes leaders powering the massive wave of college sports productions available to fans today. Across athletic departments nationwide, these administrators manage teams, oversee technology investment, mentor students, and ensure that hundreds of live broadcasts make it to air each year. This series highlights their journeys, philosophies, and the vital role they play in shaping live sports production.
Few in-house production operations in college athletics carry the reputation of Virginia Tech's HokieVision. Long regarded as one of the premier live-production groups in the ACC, the program has built a deep bench of talent, both on campus and throughout the industry, while consistently delivering high-quality broadcasts across ESPN's platforms.
Helping lead that effort is Trever Sheets, senior director, ACC Network, Virginia Tech, who has spent the past five years at the heart of HokieVision's broadcast operation. In his role, he serves as primary liaison with ESPN for more than 100 live broadcasts annually across linear networks and digital platform ACCNX, while also managing a core team of full-time staff responsible for executing those productions. Inside the control room, he plays a hands-on role as an associate producer and graphics lead, building and maintaining the visual identity across broadcasts for a wide range of Hokies sports.
Trevor Sheets helps oversee the live broadcasts of more than 100 Virginia Tech Athletics events each year for ESPN, the ACC Network, and the ACC Digital Network. (Photos: Virginia Tech Athletics)A Pittsburgh native who transitioned into sports production after initially pursuing a career in chemical engineering, Sheets has grown into a key figure within one of the nation's top collegiate production environments. From enhancing storytelling with tools like wireless gimbal cameras to maintaining a strong focus on team culture and work/life balance, his approach reflects both the scale and sustainability required to power a high-volume operation.
In this edition of SVG Campus Shot Callers, Sheets discusses his path into the industry, the evolving role of in-house ACC Network productions, the importance of balance in a demanding schedule, and why stepping outside your comfort zone is critical for young professionals entering the field.
What are the key responsibilities of your current role?
As the head of the ACCN group at Virginia Tech, outside of the control room, I am responsible for being the direct liaison with ESPN regarding broadcasts of Virginia Tech athletics that come through our control rooms. Beyond that, I manage a group of four full-time and one hourly staff member that work our broadcasts.
In the control room, I am the primary AP for most of our broadcasts. I am charged with maintaining all our graphics computers and building graphics for broadcasts of the 10 sports we broadcast on ESPN platforms.
Sheets (far left) at the 2023 National Capital Chesapeake Bay Emmy Awards with HokieVision colleagues Daniel Gibbons, Eric Fray, Isaac Poe, and Alex BalogWhat is one core philosophy you try to live by when managing your team/operation?
I am a very big proponent of work/life balance. Our jobs include working nights and weekends frequently. I want to make sure my team is getting the necessary time away from the office to be with loved ones and recharge. We work 100 broadcasts every year, and, to do that well, you need to be able to get away from everything.
What is one key technology investment that your department has made that you feel has greatly improved your productions, workflows, or how your team operates?
We started using a wireless camera on a gimbal a couple of years ago. Since then, we have been frequently looking at ways to improve how the camera operates. This has included purchasing our own camera to use, upgrading the rig we use to manage the camera, and giving the operator ease of use. It is an ever-evolving role to incorporate it into every sport. It gives us amazing access to the teams at field/court level that we wouldn't be able to easily achieve under normal circumstances.
Inside HokieVision's live-production-control room, where both Athletic Department personnel and students produce live sports broadcasts year roundHow did you get started in sports production? What made you want to pursue this career?
Before I got into sports production, I had already received a degree in chemical engineering. When my pursuit in that career field did not work, I reevaluated my life. I wanted to work in a field I was passionate about, and for me that was sports production.
I went back to school and got a degree in journalism from Point Park University. I spent a lot of my free time working in the studio at Point Park, doing student-run productions. I was able to obtain a freelancing role at the University of Pittsburgh doing their broadcasts, long before the ACC Network existed, and that was where I began to develop my skills in sports production.
Watch Sheets participate in a SVG College Summit presentation on HokieVision's production of a women's basketball game that featured the jersey retirement of a popular player:
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