
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Mike Szlamowicz, Assistant Athletics Director, Sport and Broadcast Production, University of VirginiaThe UVA alum has built one of the ACC's most prolific in-house production operationsBy Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Thursday, November 13, 2025 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The pool of production and operations talent in sports media runs much deeper than 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 coverage.
Few collegiate video departments can match the scope - or longevity - of Hoo Vision, the production arm of University of Virginia Athletics. Each year, the operation produces more than 160 live broadcasts across ESPN's linear and digital platforms while also delivering videoboard shows for 15 sports in nine venues across campus. From football Saturdays at Scott Stadium to ACC Network broadcasts from Olympic-sport venues, the Cavaliers' live-production team remains one of the most active and technically sophisticated in the ACC.
At the center of it all is Mike Szlamowicz, assistant athletics director, sport and broadcast production, University of Virginia, now in his 16th year leading and evolving the program he once joined as a student intern. Overseeing a full-time staff of six employees and dozens of freelancers and students, Szlamowicz - or, as you are more likely to hear him called, Slammer - manages an operation that balances creativity, technical innovation, and education whether producing national telecasts for ESPN and ACC Network or supporting on-campus events and podcasts. Under his leadership, UVA has embraced forward-thinking workflows, including cloud-based replay systems that enhance both officiating and production efficiency.
In this edition of SVG Campus Shot Callers, Szlamowicz reflects on his journey from student worker to department head, the value of continuity and balance in live sports production, and how empowering people more than technology is at the core of every successful show.
Szlamowicz coaches Hoo Vision student members during a men's lacrosse broadcast last spring. (Photo: University of Virginia Athletics)
What are the key responsibilities of your current role?
I serve on our department's external leadership team and as interface between our unit and the various internal and external constituencies we work with, including our partners at ESPN and our teams, coaches, and administrators. In that role, I'm setting the show levels and production plans for all our various responsibilities, managing our budget, and optimizing our revenue opportunities and coverage of our teams. I'm also tasked with keeping an eye on the renewal and replacement of our physical infrastructure from control rooms to video displays. And I still get to sit in the chair and do my fair share of games, often directing broadcasts or producing a big-screen show but also broadcast producing, tech directing, running audio, engineering, or whatever else the crew needs on that day.
What is one core philosophy you try to live by when managing your team/operation?
Tech is great, but it's the people that make this possible. We have rewarding jobs that can also be stressful, overwhelming and, if you aren't careful, all-consuming. Giving people the space and time to find a balance between this work and their lives is crucial. We've had a great deal of continuity here, which is how we are able to execute the volume of work that we produce. I also believe in giving people opportunities to grow and develop into roles they are striving toward, whether that's full-time staff, freelancers, or students. You will be surprised with the value you can get just by giving someone a chance who is passionate about it.
Szlamowicz at the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four in Minneapolis with Ryan Mahanes (left), who is now assistant athletics director, creative services and digital strategy, University of Virginia Athletics
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're slowly but surely offshoring Olympic-sports officials' replay onto cloud workflows and augmenting broadcast angles with fixed POV or PTZ cameras to assist with calls. It has the twofold benefit of enhancing and standardizing the replay coverage for the officials while also taking replay execution off our control room and allowing us to focus on our audience.
How did you get started in sports production? What made you want to pursue this career?
I've always loved sports, and I've always loved shooting and editing. I thought it was fun back in high school to do NFL Films-style recaps of backyard football games with my friends. When I was a student at UVA and realized you could intern with the sports-video department, I thought it was the most obvious fit for an internship that I could have imagined, and that's how I got my start. The thing that I appreciate about this job is that every day is different and a problem-solving mentality is (almost) always rewarded.
Szlamowicz shoots the action during the UVA game against Texas Tech at the 2019 Final Four in Minneapolis. The Cavaliers would go on to win the National Championship. (Photo: University of Virginia Athletics)
What is your favorite event(s) you've ever worked?
I'll go with a three-parter. Getting to work
More from Sports Video Group
09/03/2026
Foos Gone Wild and Combate Global have teamed up to create a twist on combat sports competition, announcing the launch of a special amateur Mixed Martial Arts (...
09/03/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, Harmonic will introduce significant enhancements to its video appliances and SaaS solutions, highlighted by a next-generation media server...
09/03/2026
ESPN's March 3 spring training matchup between Team USA and the San Francisc...
09/03/2026
Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announces the launch of MVPW, a new global platfo...
09/03/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
09/03/2026
From Super Bowl compounds to Final Four setups, the Hofstra graduate helps coord...
09/03/2026
Stamford plays a key role, but a small team in Cortina and Milan powers local presence and mixed-zone coverage...
09/03/2026
The event brings together SVG's previous Cloud Production and Content Management Forums into a single, comprehensive day of programming...
09/03/2026
Updated Mar 9, 2026
Live surround sound has been a part of the plan for Roman a...
06/03/2026
TNT Sports and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) have reached a mul...
06/03/2026
OffBall and TOGETHXR, two influential young media companies in sports, announce a strategic and operational partnership in a shared push to scale and create inn...
06/03/2026
InfoComm 2026, a destination for AV, IT, broadcast, and AI-driven systems, annou...
06/03/2026
LTN and MediaKind announce a strategic partnership to integrate MediaKind's ...
06/03/2026
X Games and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation (GNOSF) announce that New Orleans, Louisiana, will host the first-ever X Games Championship event - the fi...
06/03/2026
As part of a busy start of the year at Chyron, the AXIS team developed a set of improvements for AXIS Maps. The features released empower users with more flexib...
06/03/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, BeckTV, a premier systems integrator for the broadcast ind...
06/03/2026
At NAB Show 2026, Net Insight introduces Nimbra Live Intelligence, which definin...
06/03/2026
SES announces that it has added new Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite capacity ...
06/03/2026
LucidLink, the cloud-native file streaming platform for instant, secure access to large files, announce LucidLink Connect, a new solution that enables real-time...
06/03/2026
Panasonic helped bring the world of Paddington: The Musical to life through imme...
06/03/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
06/03/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, NASCAR Cup Se...
06/03/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, Riedel Communications opens with a clear message to the North American market: production technology does not have to be complex.
This ye...
06/03/2026
Midco Sports isn't your typical regional sports network. Backed by nearly a ...
06/03/2026
The stories around the Paralympics are really touching and the athletes, the atmosphere it is all amazing and we want to use new technologies to help us tell th...
06/03/2026
Apple TV subscribers will have access to as many as 30 additional live feeds acr...
05/03/2026
More than 250 sports-graphics professionals packed into The Cutting Room in New ...
05/03/2026
Cosm announces that it will open its third immersive entertainment venue at downtown Atlanta's Centennial Yards on June 10, 2026. Its first public event wil...
05/03/2026
Following last year's broadcast television debut, The CW Network is growing its partnership with the Savannah Bananas, announcing that it will be the exclus...
05/03/2026
TGL presented by SoFi, the primetime, men's team golf league, announces AT&T...
05/03/2026
Ateme, which specializes in video compression software, announces that it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Netflix for the deployment of its TITAN L...
05/03/2026
As part of its strategy to deliver flexible and scalable media solutions, NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has redesigned an outside broadcast (OB) unit to help b...
05/03/2026
Net Insight's Nimbra Edge and the Nimbra 400 series are now included in YouTube's Live verified encoders list. This confirms that the solutions have bee...
05/03/2026
Audinate, the creator of the Dante audio networking platform, announces the laun...
05/03/2026
LiveU announces the first large-scale deployment of its AI-driven LiveU IQ (LIQ) technology at a global, multi-venue sporting event, setting a new benchmark for...
05/03/2026
SportsEngine Play, a first-of-its-kind subscription streaming service for captur...
05/03/2026
The senior from small-town Pennsylvania has had a huge impact on the Spartans' B1G Student U program
In the live-sports-video industry, the future is brigh...
05/03/2026
Real-time animated presentation of Capitals-Rangers game blends tracking data, o...
05/03/2026
With Super Bowl LX taking place in Santa Clara, all eyes were not only on the field - but on the future of fandom itself. New technologies are being introduced ...
05/03/2026
The network aims for a uniform production while accommodating tech differences i...
05/03/2026
MLB Network produces the host broadcast, and FOX layers in cameras, studio prese...
04/03/2026
Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the governing body for Italy's premier basketball...
04/03/2026
Wrexham AFC co-chairmen Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds will host a first-of-its-kind ...
04/03/2026
The countdown is underway and with just 100 days to go until the world's greatest sporting event begins on Thurs., June 11, FOX Sports, America's Englis...
04/03/2026
No matter where they are in the world, service members and veterans can stream N...
04/03/2026
Telemundo officially releases Somos M s, the anthem for the network's cove...
04/03/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) concluded the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, convening more than 800 industry leaders, technologists, creatives, and execut...
04/03/2026
Smith Entertainment Group transformed how local sports are consumed by creating ...
04/03/2026
The production method, which spans a distance of 36.2 miles, was designed and im...
04/03/2026
Haivision, a global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and...