SVG — College SportsVideo Summit

John Martin brings over 20 years of media experience to NASCAR Media Group.  Over that time he has developed a reputation as an expert at developing business strategies and partnerships that deliver revenue from the traditional and emerging media landscape.

At NASCAR Media Group, Martin was a key member of the cross divisional strategic planning team that combined the NASCAR Images and NASCAR Digital Entertainment divisions of NASCAR to create the NASCAR Media Group.  He has been responsible for writing and executing the capital expenditure plan for NASCAR Media Group’s new state-of-the-art production and office facility in uptown Charlotte.  Additionally, he managed the television sales division that recorded a 20% revenue growth, launched NASCAR’s News Department, spearheaded NMG’s internal cost tracking process, and oversaw the Production Operation’s divisions during NMG’s transition into the new facility.  Currently he oversees the Business Operations and Interactive Divisions of NASCAR Media Group.

Prior to joining NMG, Martin spent seven years at Turner Broadcasting.  As a member of the executive team at Turner Sports, he spearheaded the business development efforts for the Turner Sports Digital division.  Before his foray into the new media side of Turner Sports, Martin was the director of marketing and programming for the various Turner  Sports properties, working closely with NASCAR, the NBA, MLB, the PGA of America, and college football.

Martin’s additional experiences include two years as the head of sales for Golfport, an internet golf company that provided turnkey services to golf and country clubs and seven years as head of the Sports Licensed Products division of Champion Products, a $400M athletic apparel company.  At Champion Products, Martin successfully launched the inaugural WNBA merchandise lines, NFL Throwbacks, and oversaw the dramatic growth of Champion’s Sports Licensed Products division during Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA, making Champion Products the #1 licensee of the NBA.

His media experience began at Titan Sports, the parent company of the World Wrestling Federation, by participating in the stunning growth of this media empire’s Pay-Per-View division and syndicated television department.

Martin has a Master’s Degree from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and an undergraduate degree from Colgate University.  He lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife Kathryn and their two children, Diane and Jack.

Carolyn Braff is the managing editor for the Sports Video Group, writing articles for SVG’s thrice-weekly newsletters. She also serves as the program director for the College Sports Video Summit.

Although she focuses on the college space, managing the publication of Thursday’s College Sports Video Insider newsletter, she also covers the professional and international sports world, having written about the business and technology behind the production of events ranging from football to cycling, marathons to yacht racing.

Prior to joining SVG, Carolyn covered college football for CSTV.com, now the CBS College Sports Network. She lives in Manhattan and is an avid runner, cyclist, and aspiring triathlete.

Mike Wilken is the Chief Engineer at Big Ten Network where he has been since before the launch of the Network in 2007.  He has been instrumental in the creation of the technology behind the FlyPack initiative and the transmission of HD video over the Universities’ IT network back to Big Ten Network’s Chicago studios.

For over 30 years, Mike has worked in the broadcast industry with tenures at WFLD-TV/Chicago as Director of Engineering and WBBM-TV/Chicago as Engineering Manager. He also spent time as Chief Engineer of several radio stations while studying for a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology at Northern Illinois University.

Rex Arends has been with the Big Ten Network since its landmark launch in 2007. As Director of Technical Operations, he oversaw both the remote and studio production teams where the Big Ten tackled 450 live remote events and more than 300 studio shows each school year.

In 2010, Rex became the Director of University Technical Operations for the network. His primary focus is now the implementation and training of new technology and creating unique opportunities for students. The Big Ten Network and students work closely together to create high quality student-produced sports events to stream on the Internet as well as air on the linear network.

Prior to coming to the Big Ten Network, Rex was Operations Manager at Fox Sports Northwest in Seattle, Washington. His staff of 40 employees produced magazine and studio shows featuring sports icons such as Lenny Wilkens and Isiah Thomas for both the Seattle and Detroit regional Fox Sports markets.

Rex’s career in broadcasting has spanned more than a quarter of a century.

Kirk Hartman came to the University of Nebraska’s HuskerVision staff in 1994, and was promoted to the position of Executive Director of Video Production in September of 2009.  He had previously been named HuskerVision’s Production Manager in 1999 and Creative Director in 2004.

Hartman oversees the creative process for the nationally acclaimed production unit that produces video programming for the big screens in Memorial Stadium, the Bob Devaney Sports Center, and at Hawks Field. He played a key role in the conversion of Nebraska’s big screens to full high definition for the 2009-10 campaign.

In addition, Hartman produces and directs the Coach Pelini Show and oversees the production of all five HuskerVision coaches’ television shows. He is responsible for an award-winning production team that includes full-time staff and students, and oversees the production of highlight videos for all sports.

Before joining the HuskerVision staff, Hartman served as senior director of KOLN/KGIN-TV nightly news programs for nine years.  Before moving to Lincoln, Hartman was a radio personality for KOLT in Scottsbluff. He has also worked for HKM Productions in Los Angeles and John Crow Productions in Dallas, working on video broadcasts of professional sporting events.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting from Nebraska-Kearney. Hartman and his wife, Linda have a daughter, Megan, and a son, Cole.

John Servizzi is president & CEO of WebStream Productions, which specializes in live sports production and integrated social media. An award-winning producer, Servizzi formed WSP in the summer of 2006.

Just four years later, WSP’s eight full-time staff members produce more than 400 events annually for clients including the NCAA, Horizon League, Butler University, IUPUI, and Indianapolis Indians.

Servizzi holds a B.S. in Telecommunication Arts and an M.S. in Education, both from Butler University. He resides in New Palestine, Indiana with his wife Kelli (Rutherford), and children Jenna (7) and Nathan (3).