Boxing clever: Sky Sports' Jennie Blackmore on balancing being a parent with the thrill of live sports production International Womens Day 2021 focus By Heather McLean, Editor Monday, March 8, 2021 - 10:45
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Sky Sports' head of production for football and boxing, Jennie Blackmore on site for Mayweather versus McGregor in Las Vegas 2017 [seen here in sunglasses]. The team were on the roof of the Manadalay Bay Hotel, overlooking the Vegas strip, filming one of Sky Spots' build up shows
Inspired by her love of cricket, Sky Sports' head of production for football and boxing, Jennie Blackmore, has gone from climbing gantries with donuts for camera crew strapped to her arms, to the top of her game.
Her passion for cricket inadvertently led her to a career in sports broadcasting: While at university, I had a job as a steward at Lord's on match days, which required me to be on site from 7am. So I would sit in the stands, drinking my morning coffee while watching the set up by the TV crew, and instantly became fascinated by the process; envious that this was their full time job.
Today, her love of sport combined with her role at Sky Sports keeps her coming back for more. She comments on what draws her to sports broadcasting: The reactive nature of the job plus the thrill of a live event are amazing. You never lose touch with that no matter how many events you do. I still get blown away when we're at a packed Wembley Stadium or an iconic, stunning venue like Augusta for The Masters; whether I'm there in person or watching the output at home knowing that it's our teams' hard work that is bringing it to our screens.
Persistent attitude
When she left university with a degree in English Literature and Media, my love of playing cricket inspired me to repeatedly hound the executive producer of Channel 4 cricket (Sunset+Vine) on the first day of every month, like clockwork .
With the production executive role and now my head of production role, I had to look at everything with a wider perspective. I was no longer immersed in just one sport or event at any one time; I had a whole team of people with varying roles to think about and multiple sports to take into consideration with every decision that was made. That mental switch took time to adapt to
This determination worked in her favour, she says: I'd send him my CV, a copy of my dissertation on, The Language of Cricket Commentary in TV and Radio' (which I'm sure he enjoyed immensely,) and a plea for any available role on his team. So that was where it all started. After seven months he called to ask me in for an interview and subsequently gave me the role of production secretary.
Blackmore comments: The production secretary role was a combination of administrative work and being a runner on site at OBs. I loved every second of it, even climbing ladders to gantries with bags of tea and coffee in my mouth, and doughnuts strapped to my arms.
Jennie Blackmore, Sky Sports' head of production for football and boxing
During the cricket off-season she worked for Visions OBs now known as NEP as a production coordinator, crewing outside broadcasts. Blackmore goes on: After three years at Sunset+Vine on the cricket they won the BBC Horse Racing contract and I moved over as production coordinator on that for two years. It was an incredible sport to work on and included producing the Epsom Derby, Grand National and Royal Ascot.
When Setanta Sports started in 2007 I had my first opportunity to work as a production manager, first on the Conference Football League and then onto Premier League and the England Football contract. Unfortunately Setanta Sports folded in June 2009, but I was lucky enough to get a job as a production manager at Sky Sports in July 2009. I've been at Sky ever since with a variety of strands under my belt as production manager, including football, rugby union and boxing.
New opportunities
After eight years as a production manager at Sky Sports, the production team created new opportunities including three production executive roles. Blackmore was successful in getting one of these roles, all of which were, incidentally, taken by women.
Yet the move was not an easy leap for Blackmore, who was torn between the opportunity and her passion for being on the road. She explains: Honestly, it was a difficult decision to move from being an on-site production manager into an off-the-road leadership position because I loved the buzz of being in the thick of a live event. However, I could see that it was a fantastic opportunity to apply for a role that had previously not existed within our department.
She spent the next three years as a production executive overseeing cricket, golf, boxing and sports news, after which she took her current role. She adds that the transition to management took time: I didn't think I would get the production executive role when I applied for it. We've all probably suffered from imposter syndrome at some point in our careers and there was certainly an element of that when applying for such an important, new position. With the production executive role and now my head of production role, I had to look at everything with a wider perspective. I was no longer immersed in just one sport or event at any one time; I had a whole team of people with varying roles to think about and multiple sports to take into consideration with every decision that was made. That mental switch took time to adapt to.
Sky Sports' Jennie Blackmore in her new world; working remotely from home with two young children
Exhilarating role
In what she enjoys about her role, Blackmore comments: It's the most exciting, challenging, diverse and exhilarating role that I've ever worked in. I don't miss the constant on-the-road as
