LaBerge Rejoins ESPN as SVP, Technology and Product Development

Aaron LaBerge has returned to ESPN as senior vice president, technology and product development where he will be responsible for oversight and strategic leadership for technology and product development for digital media and mobile platforms, and on-air production software. His teams include the production data group supporting all ESPN media, technology integration across multiple media platforms, and ESPN's technology research and development team. He reports to Chuck Pagano, executive vice president and chief technology officer.

LaBerge previously worked for ESPN's technology group from 1997-2007 and was instrumental in ESPN's early Internet initiatives.

Technology innovation is developing at a rapid-fire pace across multiple platforms, says Pagano. To be able to bring Aaron back to ESPN and have him lead some of the key product development teams for the technology division makes us that much better at finding new, innovative ways to serve the fan. I am thrilled to have him back working with us and know that his time spent developing his own company helped him to hone his skill set and knowledge base that he can now share with our employees.

LaBerge first joined ESPN in 1997 as a software engineer, through Disney's acquisition of Starwave Ventures, the company that produced ESPN's early Internet initiatives. During this period, he was integral in leading the growth and development of ESPN.com. He oversaw many of the site's most ambitious and technically challenging projects and played a key role in establishing ESPN's position as a leader in the digital media sphere and in new technology development.

In 2003, he was named vice president, technology and business operations for ESPN.com. In this role, he led ESPN's growth in fantasy sports games and oversaw the operations of ESPN Insider, the subscription-based premium content business. In 2005, LaBerge's role was expanded to vice president, technology, for ESPN, where he was responsible for managing all companywide technology initiatives and product development. In this role, he oversaw ESPN's pioneering work in online and mobile video technologies and digital streaming technology development.

LaBerge co-founded Fanzter in 2007, and served as CEO of the venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. In this capacity, he directed the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused Internet and mobile products. Before joining Starwave in 1997, LaBerge also worked as a senior software engineer at Renaissance Interactive, an Internet development and consulting firm, where he specialized in Internet-based publishing and content management systems.

LaBerge, a native of Charleston, S.C., holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of South Carolina.

LINK:	http://sportsvideo.org/main/blog/2013/07/15/laberge-rejoins-espn-as-sv...
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