The Athletic is seeking a seasoned Executive Producer to lead the launch and daily execution of a new, flagship daily live sports show. This isn't just about content oversight, it’s about driving the energy, technical precision, and editorial "voice" of a high-frequency, multi-cam live broadcast.
The ideal candidate is a control room veteran who thrives on the adrenaline of live production. You will be responsible for the creative vision and operational success of a daily livestream, cultivating a highly interactive experience for viewers or, YouTube, and The Athletic platform. You will lead a dedicated studio team, manage high-profile talent in real-time, and bridge the gap between The Athletic’s world-class journalism and the technical demands of a modern, multi-platform broadcast.
Responsibilities
- Live Show Leadership: Direct the end-to-end editorial and technical flow of a daily live show, including "calling the show" from the control room or overseeing the Director to ensure a high-paced, visually engaging broadcast.
- Rundown & Script Management: Lead the daily "pitch-to-air" cycle, managing the show rundown to ensure the perfect balance of breaking news, deep-dive analysis, and audience interaction.
- Studio Team Management: Direct a specialized crew of technical directors, audio engineers, and camera operators. Foster a culture of "live excellence" where technical hitches are handled with grace and speed.
- Real-Time Talent Coaching: Work directly with high-profile hosts and analysts, providing real-time feedback via IFB to guide pacing, tone, and transitions during live hits.
- Multi-Cam Innovation: Oversee the visual aesthetic of the show, leveraging multi-cam setups, remote guest integrations, and real-time graphics to create a premium look.
- Cross-Functional Strategy: Collaborate with the newsroom to ensure live coverage aligns with and spotlights The Athletic’s reporting, and partner with the social/growth teams to maximize the "clippability" of live moments for post-show distribution.
- Sponsorship Integration: Work with commercial teams to seamlessly weave live-read sponsorships and custom branded segments into the broadcast without sacrificing editorial integrity.
- Drive Interactivity: Collaborate with production partners and software developers to design custom chat integrations that allow the audience to participate in streams in real time (ex: polls, Q&As, trivia).
Requirements
- 10+ Years of Live Experience: Proven track record in a "Seat 1" role (EP or Senior Producer) for daily live sports, news, or talk programming.
- Control Room Expertise: Deep fluency in live studio environments, including multi-cam directing, switcher capabilities, graphics integration (Chyron/Ross), and remote contribution tools (SRT/LiveU).
- Master of Pacing: An innate sense of "live timing"—knowing when to let a segment breathe and when to pivot to keep the audience engaged.
- Sports Fluency: Exceptional knowledge of the sports landscape; you must be able to pivot the show’s direction instantly based on breaking news or a changing leaderboard.
- Crisis Management: The ability to remain calm and decisive under the pressure of technical failures or live breaking news.
- Tech-Forward Mindset: Experience with modern livestreaming workflows (RTMP, vMix, OBS) as well as traditional linear broadcast standards.
- Travel: Ability to travel as needed for major events (Super Bowl, Draft, etc.) to produce live on-site editions of the show.
We are excited to learn more about you and your experience. To keep our hiring process as fair and authentic as possible, we ask that you submit your own work and not use GenAI tools to generate substantive content during the application and interview process. If you are a candidate for a technical role, we will let you know what specific tools you are permitted to use for your technical assessment.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of live experience
- Control room expertise in multi-cam directing
- Master of pacing and live timing
- Exceptional knowledge of sports landscape
- Crisis management skills
- Experience with modern livestreaming workflows
- Ability to travel for major events
What We Do
Here for every sports story that matters. -- The Athletic (http://theathletic.com) is a subscription-based media publisher of smarter sports coverage for die-hard fans. Founded in 2016, The Athletic’s all-star team of writers have produced thousands of quality stories for subscribers free of ads, pop-ups and auto-play videos. The Athletic now offers in-depth local coverage in 47 North American pro sports markets along with premium national coverage across MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA & more. Readers can count on original, authentic storytelling written by talented local and national sports journalists like Ken Rosenthal, Pierre LeBrun, Seth Davis, Stewart Mandel, Shams Charania and many more. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.
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