ESPN Celebrates International Women’s Day With NBA Broadcast Featuring Women in Key Roles On and Off Screen

Women’s College GameDay team head to South Bend as part of Women's History Month

As has become a tradition in recent years, ESPN will once again celebrate International Women’s Day with an NBA production featuring women leading in key roles both on and off screen. The REMI production of tonight’s Grizzlies–Mavericks game (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) will be run by a predominantly female remote-operations team and supported by a 100%-female production-control-room team.

ESPN’s Christine Rouskas: “We celebrate women in broadcast on this one day, but women producers, directors, ops producers, specialists, and technicians lead the way every day.

“In one sense, this is business as usual,” says Christine Rouskas, remote production operations producer, ESPN. “Every day, hundreds of talented women and men in operations ensure that our studio and remote broadcasts run smoothly and efficiently. However, it is an honor for me and, I’m sure, all the other hardworking women across many departments to be recognized for our contributions to the company and the broadcast.”

ESPN has announcers onsite, along with some EVS support, but the majority of the production team integrates the show from a control room in Bristol, CT. Having announce teams onsite requires additional production support — stage manager, talent stats, makeup — creating a hybrid of the traditional and REMI production models. This season, NBA on ESPN REMI productions have expanded to include support for cloud-based super-slo-mo cameras and COSM immersive integrations for some events.

ESPN has made a concerted effort to allow more women to showcase their talents and be recognized, and tonight is a prime example. Although not all roles will be filled by women for the Grizzlies–Mavericks broadcast, Rouskas says planning and communication enabled most positions to be filled by exceptionally talented women.

“ESPN has always lived up to its mission statement: To serve sports fans. Anytime. Anywhere,” she says. “We are all empowered through the work that we do every day and the product that we provide for the fans of the game. All the women working on this broadcast are extremely talented and deserving of this recognition. Our efforts are rewarded with a job well done.”

Technical Director, REMI Operations, MP (Mary Payne) Dillard will be part of the Bristol crew tonight.

For tonight’s production, producer Laurie Privitera and director Ashley Ward will be at the front bench in the Bristol control room, along with associate director Colleen O’Sullivan and associate producer Stacy Hunt. Play-by-play announcer Angel Gray and analyst Doris Burke will call the action from Dallas, with reporter Cassidy Hubbarth courtside.

Besides Rouskas, the Bristol crew will include operations specialist Cindy Pennington; technical director II MP (Mary Payne) Dillard; graphics interface coordinator Tracey Hill; audio technicians Susan Walthall and Amanda Wong (comms); video technicians Alina Wong and Embrey Flener; camera operators Luisa Mendoza, Deanna Zieske, and Beverly Wilson; and EVS replay operator Alisha Fonseca. Other key members of the team include Comms Specialists Kayla Foster and Kira Mahoney; Media Replay Operators Meredith Sills, Sydney Deegan, Maddy Rose, Grace Powell, and Megan Baldwin; and Technical Operations Manager Marissa Bonertz. 

In Dallas are booth coordinator Jennifer Paris; talent stats manager Alexandra Santiago; makeup artist Lorann Schindler; and runners Yesenia Osorio and Adrian Walker White.

“I truly appreciate this opportunity to have a role in this groundbreaking production,” says Rouskas. “I have been with ESPN for 30 years, and I am proud of my accomplishments. I stand on the shoulders of the many women who came before me, those who helped break barriers, and I am also gratified to know that there will be other women to follow who may be inspired by my path.”

Pennington, a veteran ESPN employee of 21 years, adds, “It’s an honor to be part of a predominately female crew on International Women’s Day. I’m proud to work for an organization that recognizes talent and promotes accordingly.”

While tonight will certainly be a special moment for the crew, it’s not all that unusual at ESPN. Rouskas recounts how, at a recent production meeting, producer Laurie Privitera pointed out that, on a typical day in the production-control room, women are well-represented. Meanwhile ESPN’s operations team is filled with women in key positions, including Rouskas and senior operations producer Kelley Nagi scheduled to lead operations for City 1 of the NBA Finals this spring.

“We celebrate women in broadcast on this one day,” says Rouskas, “but, when I look around the room, I see women producers, directors, ops producers, specialists, and technicians leading the way every day.

Adds Dillard, “This broadcast celebrates the incredible women I have the privilege of working with behind the scenes to bring the NBA to ESPN. What’s truly special is that these women don’t just contribute today; they are part of the driving force behind these broadcasts every week. They are among the best in the industry, and seeing them recognized on this stage fills me with immense pride. I also hope their success inspires more women to make their mark in the world of sports broadcasting. Diversity in this field is not just important; it’s essential for the success and growth of our broadcasts. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of bringing these games to fans.”

On March 2, the women’s basketball edition of College GameDay Covered by State Farm was onsite in South Bend, IN, for the No. 25 Louisville vs. No. 3 Notre Dame game.

Of course, ESPN’s efforts to celebrate Women’s History Month aren’t limited to tonight’s game. On March 2, the women’s-basketball edition of College GameDay Covered by State Farm was at Purcell Pavillion in South Bend, IN, to cover No. 25 Louisville vs. No. 3 Notre Dame. The College GameDay team — production, operations, vendors, technicians, and more — was onsite to wrap up the regular season before heading to the SEC Tournament in Greenville, SC.

“These are the touchstone moments when I am especially proud of the progress we have made,” says ESPN Senior Operations Producer Kristianna Bryant.

The hour-long show leading up to the noon tipoff was the first time the women’s College GameDay show had visited Notre Dame. The broadcast was packed with school tradition and spirit, including Irish jigs, player interviews, and a special appearance by Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman, who joined the show live to share his picks during the final segment.

“The synergy between our remote studio team members and members of the game-coverage team was phenomenal, making for a flawless broadcast,” says Bryant. “We were thrilled with the performance of the entire group and specifically wanted to point out key females from various departments in recognition of Women’s History Month.”