
SVG All-Stars: Jason Hedgcock, Senior Director, Remote Technical Operations, MLB Network During a decade in baseball coverage, he has become an operations linchpin By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Tuesday, October 8, 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.
During a decade of work at MLB Network (MLBN), Jason Hedgcock has established himself as an irreplicable piece of the sport's live-production puzzle.
From delivering critical video workflows at annual events like MLB All-Star, MLB Postseason, and the World Series, Major League Baseball's expansion into special events - World Baseball Classic, MLB at Field of Dreams, international ventures like the London Series and Seoul Series - wouldn't be possible without his hard work and expertise.
In this week's edition of SVG All-Stars, Hedgcock shares his story, the technological innovations he has his eye on, and his advice for succeeding in dynamic live-sports-production industry.
At 2024 MLB All-Star in Arlington, TX, Jason Hedgcock (right) with Rob Brotzman (left) and Agustine Rivera.
What are the key responsibilities of your current role?
Television is an art form, and my responsibility first and foremost is to provide the tools to the artists. In my role as senior director of remote technical operations, I help plan and execute the technical elements of remote programming for the MLB Network and NHL Network. This includes not only the hardware like cameras and mobile units but also the software like the talented technicians that make everything possible. I often say that I don't control what you see and hear but that you can see and hear it.
What is one key industry trend that you believe is having a major impact on your organization right now?
The pandemic had a tremendous impact on our industry. It greatly accelerated the shift to deliver content to the audience in two significant ways: fans want to watch their content not only on demand but on the device they have in their hand at that moment. This has driven amazing technological leaps, but I think at the foundation of these leaps is risk tolerance.
We are in a unique time that has occurred at only a few points in the entirety of broadcast development. Viewers have become less critical of minor flaws in a broadcast, and our senior leadership team is more open to taking chances in this post-pandemic landscape. Prior to 2020, bonded-cellular transmission devices were certainly commonplace but not being used as creatively as they are now. Putting an entire remote studio show on a bonded-cellular device clearly comes with risk but also allows for a show that might never have happened without bonded cellular.
At the 2023 MLB London Series, Jason Hedgcock (right), with (from left) Jason Lamanna, Shaun Glanville, and Luigi Sborea
The same can be said about REMI and cloud productions. The drive to get live content to audiences while facing all the challenges brought on in 2020 forged a new, stronger relationship between what I have always viewed as the four sides of broadcast: production, operations, engineering, and administration. Streaming has desensitized the audience to technical difficulties. While that hasn't deterred anyone from striving for perfection in every broadcast, it has allowed all sides to take more risks with a lower chance of negative audience response.
What core philosophy do you try to live by when managing your team/operation?
As clich as it sounds, treat others the way you want to be treated. I think, at its core, it's just that simple. It is easy to deliver positive information to anyone, but how do you deliver negative information? I always try to empathize with others in a situation and handle any situation the way I would want it presented to me.
What is your favorite event(s) that you've worked?
This is an incredibly hard question! I think I can narrow it down to four, and they each hold a special place in my growth in this industry. In the summer of 2005, I had the opportunity to be a part of 50 States in 50 Days on ESPN. I learned, often the hard way, how to be a human traveling on the road. I had already spent some time on the road by then and thought I knew a whole lot more about the travel side of this business than I did.
Hedgcock being interviewed prior to the 2019 MLB All-Star Game
My time on ESPN Thursday College Football was an experience that solidified what I wanted to do in the industry and, more important, how I wanted to accomplish it. Greg Swartz [then operations producer, ESPN] taught me how to truly lead and manage a crew. The crew taught me what it meant to be a part of this small industry.
Being at MLBN for 10 years, I could list another five events that I will always treasure, but I think I would have to settle on the 2017 World Baseball Classic and the 2024 Opening Series from Seoul. The '17 WBC changed my perspective on how to approach scalable engineering models and make cohesive production executions on a global scale. The Opening Series from Seoul proved definitively that, with the right team and maybe a dash or two of luck, extraordinary things are possible.
How did you get started in sports production? What was your first real job in the business?
I got my first taste of national sports production at my first national
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
25/08/2026
Open, Sustainable, Predictable: What Utah Scientific Is Bringing to IBC 2026 As broadcast leaders prepare to gather at the RAI Amsterdam for IBC 2026, the main ...
25/08/2026
NC State's Matthew Byrd breaks down how an IP-based infrastructure is delivering greater flexibility and scalability for Wolfpack productions...
25/08/2026
Deal expands the DTC reach in-market of Capitals, Wizards, Mystics games and oth...
25/08/2026
The two-year renovation period will create a stadium of the future for the NFL f...
25/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
25/08/2026
Shell Energy Stadium in Houston has installed a new L-Acoustics A Series loudspeaker system, designed and installed by LD Systems, a Clair Global brand. The 20,...
25/08/2026
FloCollege is expanding its distribution and product offerings for the 2026-27 season, covering more than 20 NCAA partner conferences across Division I, II, and...
25/08/2026
TNA Wrestling and REVOLT have announced a content partnership bringing exclusive TNA Xplosion matches and content from TNA's library to REVOLT.
Our indust...
25/08/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its Q3 2026 Data Hub analysis showing that FAST sports programming is growing at more than ...
25/08/2026
Amagi has appointed Thomas d'H rouville as Head of Sales for France, Benelux, and Nordics. Based in Paris, he will lead Amagi's growth strategy across t...
25/08/2026
IPC has appointed CCATech as its channel partner in Brazil, expanding the company's presence in Latin America. CCATech was founded in 2023 by Carlos Abrah o...
25/08/2026
FanConnect has announced the FC4, a multi-output media player designed to drive mid-sized video walls, multi-screen concession stands, and multi-display digital...
25/08/2026
JWX has launched JWX Content Hub, a platform for publisher video that combines content transformation, social distribution, audience engagement, and monetizatio...
25/08/2026
Techex has appointed Stuart Almond as Chief Revenue Officer. Almond brings more than 25 years of experience across technology, media, and telecommunications, ha...
25/08/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate infrastructure connecting SDI, SMPTE ST 2110, MXL, and software-based processing at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September...
25/08/2026
Franchises are taking greater ownership of production, distribution, and the fan...
25/08/2026
The first-year circuit for former professional athletes leans on LiveU, Starlink...
25/08/2026
Announcing the 2026 Sundance Institute Breakthrough | Focus Features Fellows
L...
25/08/2026
Auction Part 3 running until 9 September 2026
Soundgas have announced that the latest stage of their John Paul Jones Gear Auction is now live, and that bids...
25/08/2026
Over 60 award-winning artists, songwriters, producers, engineers
The MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo SF), San Francisco's premier event for m...
25/08/2026
All three versions receive firmware upgrade
Groove Synthesis have just launched a free firmware update that kits the 3rd Wave out with two major new feature...
25/08/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Lingopal, the AI-powered live translation and localization specialist, is unveiling new platform capabilities at IBC2026 (11 14 September, RAI Amsterdam), helpi...
25/08/2026
Bminty is supporting TV5MONDE in the evolution of its editorial processes through a new AI-assisted press information generation solution. Combining the Louise ...
25/08/2026
Two Cultures. Millions Reached. One Berklee Connection. Meet Annie Dickinson and Zhengxi Zhang-the couple who turned their creative partnership into music car...
25/08/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced that Law&Crime has migrated its Court TV channel, s...
25/08/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast and media industry, is showcasing the breadth of its ca...
25/08/2026
Thatcham, UK 25 August 2026: Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, has announced that leading broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Le...
25/08/2026
Appear's X20 Platform enables visually lossless video contribution with sub-frame latency and full path redundancy for TVTEL's centralised VAR operation...
25/08/2026
World-first demonstration combines 5G Broadcast and Media over QUIC for seamless, ultra-low-latency hybrid media delivery
Big Blue Marble will showcase new dev...
25/08/2026
MNC Software, a global leader in network management and operational support systems tailored to the broadcast and media industry, will showcase its complete sof...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Company to Demonstrate Practical AI Applications That Add Value Today and Longer-Term Path Toward Agentic AI
At IBC2026 (Sept. 11 14, RAI Amsterdam, Stand #1.B...
25/08/2026
Serving South Florida with a unique blend of jazz, Latin jazz, salsa, reggae, blues, and culturally reflective programming, WDNA 88.9FM operates as both a tradi...
25/08/2026
GlobalM announced that it is integrating its GMX software-defined media platform with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), bringing together Oracle's global c...
25/08/2026
Siena Kelly, Connor Swindells and Sophie Wilde join Boyle in the eight-part series from Working Title Television and Story Films, directed by Emmy and BAFTA nom...
25/08/2026
The critically acclaimed thriller will return to Sky in NovemberTuesday 25 Augus...
25/08/2026
Wuppertal August 25, 2026
Scottish Rugby Expands Managed Coach Communications Partnership With RiedelRiedel Communications today announced the continued expan...