2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Marc Herklotz, Steady Hand Behind the Scenes

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Marc Herklotz, Steady Hand Behind the ScenesBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director

Thursday, November 20, 2025 - 12:13 pm

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When it comes to television production, a technical director is very much behind the scenes. Manning the production switcher in the production truck and turning the vision of the director and producer into reality, the TD is never in the stadium or arena during the event. But, from that position (usually in a parking lot outside the venue), they ensure that tens of millions of fans tuning in feel like they are in the venue, driving the production switcher to cut cameras, visual effects, graphics, replays, and much more.

For those who, like Marc Herklotz, take the role to new heights, it's a mixture of not only technical chops but creativity and, ultimately, trust.

There's a symbiosis between the director and TD that is a relationship unlike anything else on the crew, he says. The director has to be comfortable with the TD as if there's not a lot of things that can go haywire.

Herklotz was at the center of some of ESPN's biggest moments for nearly 30 years, technical-directing Sunday Night Baseball (1994-2019), Sunday Night Football (1996-2005), Monday Night Football (2006-18), Home Run Derbies (1993-2019). And he also was able to TD outside ESPN, working on the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics on NBC, the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics on CBS, the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics on NBC, and similar events.

Being a successful TD is not only a combination of physical and technical skills but also a bit of ESP-like magic.

I just loved that, sometimes, I could mind-read a director because he was so clear in his verbal commands, says Herklotz. I could almost guess what he wanted next, with [former HBO director] Marc [Payton] being a primary example of that. I was able to know where he was going because he had a rhythm and was such a remarkable sports fan. He was looking at the production not only technically from camera cuts but also from the sports viewer's standpoint, and that's really important because we're there to serve the viewer.

Herklotz at work on Monday Night Football

During his career, Herklotz was honored with four national Emmy Awards: two in 1992 for ESPN's America's Cup coverage (technical team remote) and the NBC Summer Olympics (technical team studio), one in 1994 for CBS Winter Olympics (technical team remote), and one in 1996 for NBC Summer Olympics (technical team studio). And some key moments in sports history that Herklotz was technical-directing on are remembered by sports fans and non-fans alike because they were transformative.

I worked consistently for ESPN/ABC from 1989 through 2019 and was on at least 2,000 events, says Herklotz. I was the technical director for many of the biggest remote-production shows at the network for 30+ years [between 20 and 40 cameras on a weekly basis], performing at the highest level. I missed two days due to illness in those 30+ years, and I TDed every ESPN NFL broadcast from 1996 through the 2019 Pro Bowl and didn't take a single game or event off. It's worth noting that only two directors worked all of those shows with no substitutions: Payton from 1996 through 2000 and Chip Dean from 2001 through the 2019 Pro Bowl.

Herklotz is affectionately nicknamed Herky

Herklotz notes some of the best memories of his career:

The reopening of the New Orleans Superdome in 2006 following Hurricane Katrina, working alongside director Chip Dean and producer Jay Rothman: The stadium underwent extensive renovations, he says, and, on Sept. 25, 2006, hosted its first regular-season game since the hurricane. Its reopening served as a visible reminder of the city's ability to recover. TDing for [British director] Hamish Hamilton for the pregame Green Day/U2 performance was particularly special because it symbolized the resilience of New Orleans and the Saints. The event drew a massive television audience, with ESPN reporting its largest audience at the time. It was more than just a football game; it was a powerful symbol of hope and a testament to the spirit of New Orleans.

Cal Ripken Jr.'s breaking Lou Gehrig's MLB consecutive-game record, working alongside Marc Payton and producer Phil Orlins: As he left the field in the middle of the fifth inning on Sept. 6, 1995, no one would have been able to tell that he was breaking a record that many thought was unbreakable. His head was down as he casually jogged toward the Baltimore Orioles dugout, without so much as a wave to the crowd. But what was happening on the field nearby was a very different story.

The moment Manny Alexander caught Damion Easley's pop fly to end the top of the inning, Camden Yards erupted into applause. The 0 in 2,130 hanging on the B&O Warehouse aptly dropped to show 2,131 as the night air became flooded with black and orange balloons.

Ripken said in an interview that it just kept going and going, and after one handshake, two handshakes, two looks in the face, all of a sudden, it became a whole lot more intimate celebration.

Speed skating at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Games, highlighted by Dan Jansen's emotional victory and Bonnie Blair's dominance, working alongside director Mike Arnold and producer Mark Wolfe; Josh Hamilton's hitting 28 home runs in the first round at the 2008 Home Run Derby in Yankee Stadium (directed by Jimmy Moore); the Music City Miracle, which is still featured in NFL commercials 25 years after it occurred and was directed by Marc Payton and produced by Fred Gaudelli: The Music City Miracle was an American football play that took place on Jan. 8, 2000, during the NFL Playoffs and occurred at the end of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game between the Tenne

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