
Inaugural SVG LIVE! Conference Brings 250 Top Sports and Entertainment Production Leaders Together in L.A.Discussion focused on how innovation is shaping the future of audience engagementBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Friday, November 14, 2025 - 2:51 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
More than 250 leaders from across the live-event-production ecosystem gathered for a full day of insight, inspiration, and forward-looking discussion at the inaugural SVG LIVE! Sports & Entertainment Production Conference. A packed audience of producers, technologists, and creatives explored how the lines between sports and entertainment are blurring and how innovation in live production is shaping the next generation of audience engagement.
Moderator Jeff Jacobs (NEP Group and SVG LIVE! Conference Chair) at the SVG LIVE! conference in L.A. with (L to R): Melanie Fletcher (Done Dusted), Linda Gierahn (Silent House Productions), Craig Lazarus (ESPN), Josh Mark (SoFi Stadium), and Jonathan Mussman ( Netflix).
Held at the Luxe Sunset Blvd Hotel in Los Angeles, the new SVG event was chaired by industry veteran NEP Group SVP/Head of Production Jeff Jacobs, a 30-year veteran of the sports-entertainment-production industry. Speakers took the stage from Done Dusted, ESPN, FOX Sports, Funicular Goats, Global Citizen Organization, L2 Productions, LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, NEP Sweetwater, Netflix, NHL, NWSL, Savannah Bananas, Silent House Productions, SoFi Stadium/Hollywood Park, and WWE.
The day kicked off with a Coffee Talk presentation by Crakes Media principal Patrick Crakes, offering a look at how live programming continues to thrive in a fragmented, on-demand media landscape. He set the table for the day by highlighting the enduring value of appointment viewing - from live sports coverage to awards shows and other cultural tentpoles - and how real-time engagement remains a critical driver of audience growth and ad revenue.
Few individuals embody the connection between sports and entertainment more than Jim Bell, SVP, media, LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In a candid and wide-ranging keynote presentation, he reflected on his career overseeing some of television's most iconic properties - from NBC Olympics to The Tonight Show - and shared insights into LA28's media vision. He emphasized the importance of innovation, collaboration, and storytelling that connects global audiences through live moments.
Jacobs then led the Mastering Ceremonies: Bringing Awards, Festivals, and Other Tentpole Events panel with top producers: Done Dusted's Melanie Fletcher, Silent House's Linda Gierahn, ESPN's Craig Lazarus, SoFi Stadium/YouTube Theater's Josh Mark, and Netflix's Jonathan Mussman. Together, they revealed the intricate planning, creative collaboration, and technological precision that power the award shows, fan festivals, and large-scale events that define modern entertainment.
In a joint presentation, Sony's Jaime Raffone and WWE's Joseph Solari demonstrated how virtual production is transforming the creative process, enabling greater flexibility and efficiency in studio environments. The session showcased how tools like LED volumes and real-time rendering are bridging cinematic and live-broadcast workflows.
The next panel - The Future Is Live: Tech Innovations Driving Sports & Entertainment Production - explored the innovations shaping live-content creation. Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and innovator Deena Sheldon joined Riedel Communications' Pino Barile, Blackmagic Design's J. David Hoffman, Canon's Jamon Lomax, and NEP Sweetwater's Jason Newman to discuss the rise of AI automation, cloud workflows, and cine-broadcast cameras/lenses, underscoring how technology continues to elevate both efficiency and storytelling.
In an afternoon Fireside Chat with Jacobs, Global Citizen's Lee Rolontz offered an exclusive look at the 2024 FIFA Club World Cup Halftime Show, a collaboration of FIFA and Global Citizen designed to merge entertainment and advocacy on a global scale. In addition, Rolontz previewed the effort for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Halftime Show, intended to inspire action through the power of live performance and storytelling.
The panel Convergence of Sports and Entertainment: Producing Studio Shows and Live Events on the Field and in The Arena brought together Done Dusted's Guy Carrington, NHL's Bob Chesterman, Funicular Goats' Aaron Cooke, NBA/Unrivaled/MSG's Kevin Dobstaff, and NWSL's Brian Gordon to discuss how broadcasters are reinventing halftime shows and incorporating musical performances at sports events.
In an afternoon presentation, Ateme's Micka l Raulet explored how the company's end-to-end video solutions are empowering federations and leagues to deliver immersive, next-generation fan experiences - from 360 video to direct-to-consumer streaming platforms.
Next up, Reality, Reimagined: The Role of AR, XR, and Virtual Production in Live Event Production featured Disguise's Dan Baum, FOX Sports' Zac Fields, Silver Spoon's Dan Pack, and The Famous Group's Jon Slusser. The panel showcased how AR, XR, and virtual-production tools are revolutionizing the look and feel of live coverage of sports and entertainment, creating hybrid experiences that engage both in-person and remote audiences.
In the day's closing session, TVU Networks' Tom Brown, L2 Productions' Scott Rehling, Savannah Bananas' Mitch Rubenstein, and Verizon's Tim Stevens examined the evolution of remote and cloud-based production models. The panel, titled No More Boundaries: The Evolution of Onsite, REMI, and Cloud Production, highlighted how flexibility, scalability, and connectivity are redefining how - and where - live coverage is produced.
SVG LIVE! was
More from Sports Video Group
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
03/12/2025
MLS Cup 2025 Production To Feature Four iPhone 17 Pros as Game-Coverage CamerasStay tuned to SVG on Friday for our in-depth story on this year's MLS Cup pro...
03/12/2025
SVG LIVE! 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYThe inaugural event placed a spotlight on the exciting world of live entertainmentBy SVG Staff
...
02/12/2025
Case Study: How Mid-Atlantic Sports Network Moved to All-IP Distribution in 60 D...
02/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Lee Corso, Coach, Commentator, FirebrandBy Ken Kerschbaumer
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | S...
02/12/2025
SVG All-Stars: Dan Nabors, Senior Director, Remote Engineering, TNT SportsThe veteran tech leader is helping guide Warner Bros. Discovery's at-home' re...
02/12/2025
Epic rematch: DAZN on bringing Eubank Jr v Benn II to spectacular life with 1080...
02/12/2025
National Lacrosse League Opens Season With New Cloud-Based Official Replay-Revie...
02/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: The Cinematic Look in Live Production - Bridging Aesthetic...
02/12/2025
SVG India Announces Advisory Board; JioStar's Prashant Khanna Named ChairmanBy Ken Kerschbaumer
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 11:15 am
Print This Story |...
02/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: New AI Production Tools Workshop' Features ESPN, F...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
25/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Blayke Scheer, Senior Director, Creative Content, YES NetworkThe Indiana alum has turned storytelling into an artform for more than two decadesBy...
25/11/2025
Op-Ed: With FCC's C-Band Auction on the Horizon, Broadcasters Need Proven, C...
25/11/2025
Analysis: Is Baller League really the future of sport? By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
With KSI on...
25/11/2025
Platinum Whitepaper: The Growth of Broadcast in the World of Major Large Scale E...
25/11/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: SVG Women's Sports WorkshopBy Samantha Gabay
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:27 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlig...
25/11/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CacheFly's Matt Levine on the Evolving Role of th...
25/11/2025
Peacock's EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast Levels Up on Thanksgiving With SkyCam as...
24/11/2025
HBO's The Shuffle' Reveals Longtime Connection of Sports and Entertainm...
24/11/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Hiroshi Kiriyama, Sony Broadcast (and Ind...
24/11/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: FIFA, NBC Olympics, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, Netflix, NF...
24/11/2025
Case Study: YES Network Streamlines Broadcast Operations with Beam DynamicsBy SVG Staff
Monday, November 24, 2025 - 11:18 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
...
24/11/2025
Platinum White Paper: More of Everything: How Broadcasters are Changing Their Ap...
24/11/2025
Versant Media USA Sports President Matt Hong on How Versant Has Best of Both Wor...
24/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: NABA Director-General Rebecca Hanson on How FCC's C-Band Aucti...
24/11/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Bolin Technology's Sapan Doshi on the Proliferati...
21/11/2025
Platinum White Paper: Appear Shares Why Media Exchange Is the Missing Link in So...
21/11/2025
NWSL Championship 2025: CBS Sports To Deploy Two-Point FlyCam for Match Coverage...
21/11/2025
NWSL Caps 2025 Season With Awards Show, Skills Challenge ProductionsA team of 70 is on the ground in California to produce both eventsBy Mark J Burns, SVG Contr...
21/11/2025
USL and NEP Ready for Largest USL Championship Final Production EverThe broadcast from Tulsa, OK, will air CBS and TUDN on Saturday at 12 p.m. ETBy Jason Dachma...
21/11/2025
With Two New Teams, PWHL Boosts Production Workforce and Central Review for Seas...
20/11/2025
MLB Media-Rights Shakeup: NBC's New Three-Year Deal Covers Sunday Night Bas...