The Sports Video Group (SVG), formed in 2006 to distribute sports content, has recognized two Monmouth students, Chloe Gosk and Vincent Macri, in their new series “SVG Students To Watch.”
SVG describes this series on their webpage, as shining “a light on the young talent making an impact today and preparing to shape the future of sports video production,” as they highlight the next generation of live–sports–production professionals.
Gosk, who was the first to be nominated in this series, is a senior communications major. She began working for the Monmouth Digital Network (MDN) her sophomore year and has since become a replay operator for MDN. Gosk shared that her love for replay stems from how involved it is. “It’s definitely one of the hardest positions in broadcasting because it is a very intense and demanding position, and it requires you to be locked in from start to finish,” Gosk said. She added that monitoring six different camera angles, three different computer screens, making highlight packages, and running commercials keeps her head on a swivel and allows her to be even more involved than if she was watching in the stands.
Gosk told SVG that she grew up watching sports instead of playing them. Watching football and hockey with her dad developed into a passion for digital media. Her journey in digital media began prior to college when she worked as a student photographer for her high school. There she developed skills in photography and video editing before committing to Monmouth and finding her place at MDN.
“I love being a part of the behind the scenes because I get to see all of the moving parts,” Gosk said. Seeing everyone’s unique responsibilities on a production crew makes Gosk appreciate the broadcast that she watches at home because she knows what it takes to make it happen.
Gosk said that mistakes are the most challenging part because of the precision that is required, explaining that any slip up is visible in one way or another to viewers, “Mistakes are a natural part of the learning process, but live TV is not mistake friendly.”
Gosk has learned what it takes to recover from mistakes quickly and not harp on them.
“The most rewarding thing is definitely when I have THE angle of a really big play…theres always one angle that captures the moment perfectly, and when I find that clip and get to sell it to my producer, it gives me such a rush,” Gosk said. “It can be really stressful to find the best one especially in a time crunch, but when you get it, it’s like striking gold.”
Andrew Kurtz, Associate AD for Broadcast Production, said, “Chloe is a fantastic replay operator that has a bright future ahead of her. She has been working for the Monmouth Digital Network for a few years now and it has been a pleasure to see her grow. Any school or broadcast crew would be lucky to have her skills!”
Working for MDN has given Gosk the experience that she needs as she prepares to graduate and continue working in sports production. From priming her for the environment of a control room to providing a network of former students and media professionals, MDN has prepared Gosk to transition into what she hopes is major/minor league sports.
Vincent Macri was the second student to be recognized on SVG’s “Students To Watch” list. Macri is a senior math major and has had experience with MDN prior to coming to Monmouth. In a class he took in high school, he was required to do an internship. He shared with SVG that at this point he was not sure what he wanted to pursue as a career but that he always had a love for sports. Keeping in mind that Monmouth was a potential school for Macri, he decided to intern with MDN. After deciding that he was going to attend Monmouth, Kurtz hired him his freshman year and he has been there since.
“He is one of the most skilled camera operators MDN has ever seen. In year 5 of working for the Monmouth Digital Network, Vincent has shown that he can operate any camera for any sport!” Kurtz said.
Macri has worked many different positions in the production room, but focuses mainly on technical directing, graphics, and camera operating, which he said has been his favorite to work. “It is the position I work most often, so I think it is the one I am the best at,” he added.
While Macri does not plan to pursue a career in the media production field, there are still skills he has learned that he says are perhaps even more important. “Having a job, any job, teaches responsibility and maturity. Since we work in sports that have a strict schedule and are fast paced, I also learned time management skills and gained valuable experience working in high pressure situations.” Macri also refined his problem solving skills through programs and tools.
When asked what it meant to him to be recognized by SVG as a “Student To Watch”, Macri said, “It means a lot. It feels good to be appreciated and know that all the work I do does not go unnoticed.”
Gosk said being recognized as an SVG “Student to Watch” is “truly an honor”. Glad that she got to share her journey on such a big platform, she concluded, “I hope my experience inspires the next generation of students looking to enter into the sports industry.”
