SVG All-Stars: Sarah Backerman, Senior Director, Production Operations, Big Ten Network After a decade out west, a behind-the-scenes superstar returns to her roots By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - 10:18 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
In an era when sports production is evolving faster than ever, a new generation of leaders is beginning to make its mark on the industry. Our new SVG All-Stars series explores the journey of the industry's rising executives, showcasing their experiences and career highlights in the business, overarching philosophy and leadership strategy, technological and creative innovation, and where they see the industry headed. Join us as we uncover the story behind their ascent and the impact they are having in an ever-evolving industry.
During a volatile time of conference realignment across college athletics, the Big Ten Network sought a steady hand and a familiar face this past summer when adding four new schools to its roster.
Sarah Backerman at the Big Ten Network set outside the 2024 Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, CA
Sarah Backerman got her start in Big Ten country. The Michigan State University graduate cut her teeth as a freelance producer and StudentU coordinator for BTN, helping steer student-produced live productions for the network. Then, an exciting opportunity at the burgeoning Pac-12 Networks took her west, and her career exploded.
For nearly a decade, Backerman was instrumental in P12N's live production of thousands of sports events, helping pioneer operations behind the network's innovative remote-production infrastructure. When the Pac-12 fractured and Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington moved to the Big Ten, BTN knew exactly whom to call.
[Sarah] has come in and made an immediate impact, says Mark Hulsey, SVP, production/executive producer, Big Ten Network. Her relationships with the four incoming schools and vendors got us off to a smooth start.
Sometimes, life has a funny way of coming full circle.
Backerman at a USC football game in Los Angeles last month with (from left) BTN producer Denny Blount, play-by-play caller Guy Haberman, and analyst Yogi Roth
In this week's edition of SVG All-Stars, Backerman shares her story, what industry innovations she has her eye on, and her advice for making a mark in live sports production:
What are the key responsibilities of your current role?
As senior director, production operations, I oversee the operations team that manages live events from the 10 Big Ten universities across the Central and Pacific Time Zones. During my first year with the Big Ten Network, one of my primary responsibilities was facilitating West Coast expansion with the addition of UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington. This included preparing the venues, vendors, and crews we are using for live events. I also negotiate and manage vendor contracts for mobile units, graphics, and equipment rentals for enhanced production value.
What key industry trend do you see as having a major impact on your organization right now?
A collaborative effort continues between production, operations, and engineering to refine and improve our MICR (Multi-Cam Insert Control Room) Productions. The addition of the Appear encoders have allowed us to bring back more cameras and feeds to our Chicago studios, including the use of super-slo-mo on these events. These types of enhancements allow us to effectively cover more events with more production value, including football, as MICRs. Storytelling also continues to improve with the use of Libero for enhanced telestration, and the increased content creation that is shared from campus producers, who are located at each university, and our in- house features team. A centralized location producing a large number of events allows the opportunity to do live look-ins from all games across the conference, including B1G+ events, to update fans in real time.
Backerman working as a student for Michigan State's Spartan Vision in 2010
What is one core philosophy you try to live by when managing your team/operation?
I have had the incredible honor of working with some amazing teams during my career. Teamwork has been a foundational philosophy for me. Building trust through respect, kindness, and clear communication are integral in creating a team that enjoys coming together to get the work done.
What is your favorite event(s) you've worked?
This will sound strange coming from a Spartan, but one of my favorite events of all time happened at the University of Michigan. It was the first Big Ten Network StudentU game that went live on the linear network in November 2013. The StudentU program launched in 2009 with all the games streaming on the digital platform and some being edited and cut down to re-air, tape delayed, on the linear network. This event was produced completely with students from the University of Michigan - from the front bench and talent to the camera ops and technicians. These students worked hard to get to that point, and I was so proud to be there cheering them on! I have worked a lot of great events, been in fantastic arenas, and seen some amazing games, but this one has always stood out as such a moment of incredible growth.
More recently, I would have to say my favorite event was a USC football game in early September. I had the opportunity to be onsite with former colleagues from my early days at the Big Ten Network as well as those I had the pleasure to work with for years at the PAC-12 Networks. We utilized a drone for the game, and, in true USC fashion, the open did not disappoint. The pomp and circumstance covered by the crew with the amazing shots from the drone gave me chills watching from the truck!
Backerman overseeing a BTN StudentU production at the University of Michigan in 2013
How did you get started in
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
08/10/2026
Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...
08/10/2026
ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...
08/10/2026
From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments
The future of live sports produ...
08/10/2026
The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...
08/10/2026
Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...
08/10/2026
X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...
08/10/2026
Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...
08/10/2026
The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms
Perfect Game is bringin...
08/10/2026
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...
08/10/2026
For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...
08/10/2026
Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...
08/10/2026
The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...
08/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...
08/10/2026
Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...
08/10/2026
RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...
08/10/2026
Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...
08/10/2026
SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...
08/10/2026
PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...
08/10/2026
Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...
08/10/2026
The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...
08/10/2026
David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...
08/10/2026
Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade
Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...
08/10/2026
New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine
UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...
08/10/2026
Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up
ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...
08/10/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
08/10/2026
Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October.
Cal...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...
08/10/2026
Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...
08/10/2026
Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Ikegami announces a major expansion to its range of broadcast-quality live production cameras. Scheduled for introduction on Ikegami booth 708 at NAB New York, ...
08/10/2026
Calrec will be located at Booth 444.
Freedom to choose
The media landscape is evolving quickly, and the broadcasters best placed for what comes next will be...
08/10/2026
LiveU has announced that CRD Audiovisuel relied on LiveUs LU900Q intelligent production unit, with built-in native LiveU IQ (LIQ ) connectivity, to deliver live...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
SVG All-Stars: Sarah Backerman, Senior Director, Production Operations, Big Ten Network After a decade out west, a behind-the-scenes superstar returns to her roots By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
