Gemstone Media was commissioned to take over the ESPN broadcasts at Jacksonville University. They had the broadcasting tools but needed the guidance and professionalism to pull off a full athletics calendar year. This was an undertaking as there was no foundation laid and which meant we were essentially starting from scratch. With help from my boss, I was able to make proper upgrades to the production truck and add equipment to ensure the season was going to be a success. But it was going to be a challenge none the less.
A major problem we had to overcome was the infrastructure at all of the sporting venues. Most had never been rigged for TV broadcasting and If they were, it had not been used for many years.. The concern was doing events back-to-back days but having to cable each venue every time, which can be timely. Our solution was coming in before the season and cable select venues in order to increase productivity and eliminate the need for each broadcast. The result was a success and helped us tremendously throughout the season, bouncing the truck to different venues.
A majority of the working force behind each show was JU students. Through federal work study and on-campus employment, we were able to staff all events. The start of the season had its up and downs with student involvement. A lot of them had not been taught proper ways to running the broadcast equipment, which led to unnecessary damage. The re-learning process took some time, but with the help of colleagues and patience, the students started to understand and get a better feel for each broadcast. I was even able to upgrade a few of the students inside the truck to enhance their broadcasting skills even more, depending on the skill set and involvement of each show. You could tell the enjoyment they would get out of a properly and professionally run broadcast. Throughout the season, the students that stuck with it got rewarded with working on a linear show that aired locally on CW-17 here in the Jacksonville market. The students that showcased and decided to stay for the summer are now working freelance for Gemstone Media on multiple live-streaming events before the start of the next season.
Dolphins Broadcasting put on 84 ESPN broadcasts throughout the sporting season, that were high-level shows, mainly student run. Its exciting to see the progression of each of the students as well as the freelancers that came in to assist. To follow along on with the broadcasts, tune into ESPN+ and watch the broadcasts LIVE as well as following our instagram page to see behind the scenes content at @Dolphins_Broadcasting