Live From MLB All-Star 2021: MLB Network Brings MLB Draft to Denver With Onsite Operations, Remote Support in Secaucus BitFire Networks is providing feeds of at-home draftees, team executives By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor Sunday, July 11, 2021 - 10:54 am
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Since its debut in 2009, MLB Network's broadcast center in Secaucus, NJ has served as the home of the MLB Draft. After a trying year that saw the league's inaugural virtual Draft, MLB Network is celebrating the first-ever production of this event during All-Star festivities within a packed onsite production truck, remote workflows from multiple control rooms back at headquarters, and remote video feeds from individuals that are enjoying this noteworthy achievement away from Denver's Bellco Theatre.
We've been going on surveys every year for the past six-to-seven years in anticipation of one day doing this onsite, so we're really thrilled that we can finally see the fruits of everybody's labor, says Susan Stone, SVP, operations and engineering, MLB Network. We think it's a great opportunity to further showcase this event.
Away From Secaucus: Shift in Venue Calls for Thorough Planning, Game Creek Video Mobile Unit (From left): SVP, Production Marc Caiafa; Tom Guidice; Coordinating Producer Marc Weiner; Director, Remote Operations Brooke Berger; Remote Technical Manager Zaac Christopher; Susan Stone.
From the onset, this event was originally slated to be held in Atlanta, but when the league decided to move away from Atlanta in favor of Colorado's biggest city, the team began finalizing plans for the move. Onsite surveys were conducted in Denver as recent as May and June of this year to understand the current layout. Nestled about a mile away from Coors Field inside of the Colorado Convention Center, the Bellco Theatre will introduce the next great wave of professional baseball talent to fans around the nation.
Outside of the Colorado Convention Center, MLB Network's onsite crew will be working out of the A and B units of Game Creek Video's Glory production truck. This team will have control of the 10-camera show (two hard cameras, two jibs, two RF handhelds, and a quartet of Marshall POVs). For Day 2 and 3, when the Draft is moved over to the nearby Rally Hotel, Game Creek Video's Nitro will play a vital part for those rounds.
Back on the East Coast: Headquarters Handles Replay, Graphics, and Remote Feeds Although a lot of the headlines will focus on the efforts of Stone and Company in Denver, the crews working back in New Jersey will be more than busy by facilitating a handful of resources for the linear broadcast. From a logistical standpoint, some of these video assets would be an extremely heavy lift to reconstruct onsite in Colorado.
We'll be going back to New Jersey for remote player cams, graphics packages, player rollouts, and other elements like that, says Jason Hedgcock, senior director, remote technical operations, MLB Network. All of those things is a firepower that's hard to replicate [onsite], so it'll help our show quite a bit.
The main stage of the 2021 MLB Draft.
The most familiar aspect coming from New Jersey will be those remote feeds that was also used during the completely remote show last year. BitFire Networks will once again provide 45 total camera feeds, including 15 prospects residing from their respective locations and general managers and other executives sitting in war rooms of all 30 clubs. These remote feeds and video from six of MLB Network's cameras will also be given to ESPN's onsite production of the Draft.
We worked with them last year for the virtual draft and had a really good experience, adds Stone. It was great because it led into the season during the pandemic where we had to partner more closely with all of the other broadcasters.
In addition to the role of Game Creek Video's Nitro truck, the crew back in Secaucus will be the main cog of the machine for Days 2 and 3.
Day 2 and 3 will be a direct REMI, so we'll send back cameras with individual mic sources, adds Hedgcock. [The offsite team] will use one of the overdrive rooms in New Jersey to composite that show.
Physical Elements: Bellco Theatre Features Impressive Stage, Full Studio Setup MLB Network will have a studio set inside the Bellco Theatre.
With a bigger footprint inside of Bellco Theatre, MLB Network and the league constructed an attractive physical stage for those draftees in attendance to experience this unforgettable moment with Commissioner Rob Manfred. Similar to last year, this interactive screen will update the most recent draft selection and bring in reactions of the remote prospects watching from home.
One of the other crown jewels inside of the space includes a complete studio desk that will host a number of voices that will react and analyze each pick. Located at the set, Greg Amsinger, Dan O'Dowd, Harold Reynolds, and Vanderbilt head baseball coach Tim Corbin will be located just off of the stage's exit on an elevated platform. They will host live interviews with these newly minted pro athletes right after their selection. Lauren Gardner, Baseball America's Carlos Collazo, and MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo will also break down the night's action from other locations in the Colorado Convention Center.
A Tentpole Event: MLB Network Showcases Technical Expertise With First Onsite Draft One of the biggest lessons learned from last year's MLB Draft was the fact that MLB Network was able to produce a stellar show remotely from Secaucus. The team is now gravitating towards a more traditional setup in the sense of having individuals back in the compound, but this is one of their first shows that will embrace a true hybrid model. Like
