Episode description
Scott Hecht has worked many different roles in sports broadcasting, including as a producer, director and coordinating producer/director, having been lead producer for the Phoenix Suns and San Diego Padres, lead director for TVG Network and as coordinating producer/director at ESPN. He currently works as senior producer at Syracuse University Athletics.
1:36 - Where his love of sports started.
2:50 - When he knew he had to work in sports tv.
4:12 - How he got into the sports tv industry.
6:25 - How he has helped others break into the production side of sports tv.
8:15 - How mistakes happen in a truck and the need for younger people.
10:00 - The opportunities for sports production people.
11:26 - What it was like producing his first ever event.
13:50 - What broadcasting legend Arnie Harris taught him about producing/directing.
16:00 - Producing the Phoenix Suns during their successful seasons and how it led to more opportunities.
17:50 - How he worked with athletes to help make his shows better.
20:36 - How storytelling is a big part of his producing philosophy and how it’s done for the viewer.
21:56 - How he produced baseball and how storytelling is a big part of helping the viewers understand the game, and why he loves producing for the viewer.
25:42 - How producing the 1999 World Basketball Championships for the NBA was his most memorable event as well as the scariest moment in his career.
33:21 - What it was like working for ESPN.
35:11 - What a Coordinating Producer does in the studio.
38:05 - How he transitioned to overseeing university sports productions with ESPN/SEC Network.
39:49 - Working with a younger generation in sports tv production.
40:25 - How everyone used to think that students attended Syracuse University to become an announcer, but more are looking at production-type opportunities.
41:58 - How Syracuse supports goals of being the next great announcer but they want to equip students with production knowledge.
43:36 - What he things the future of tv and broadcasting looks like.
46:27 - How storytelling is becoming a lost art with all of the changes in how games are produced.
48:05 - How his love for working in sports broadcasting is a sacrifice that he hopes help the viewer make memorable experiences with their families.