SVG All-Stars: Sarah Backerman, Senior Director, Production Operations, Big Ten Network

15/10/2024

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

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/10/15/svg-all-stars-sarah-backerman-s...
	See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026