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 ...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
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 
