Access to Innovators Podcast with Sellers Shy

Chapters & Transcript

0:00

Welcome to the Access to Innovators podcast, powered by the Premier Life Skills University, High Point University.

Good morning and thank you all for joining us. My name is Ethan Parker and I am a junior from Concord, North Carolina, majoring in sports media communications.

Today I'm going one-on-one with the one and only Sellers Shy, CBS Sports lead golf producer and HPU's Network television producer in residence.

Sellers, thank you so much for joining us. Ethan, thank you—the pleasure is all mine, my friend.

Go and start things off. I just wanted to ask you: can you share your journey and how you became the lead golf producer for CBS Sports?

0:45

It's a journey and I tell you, Ethan, it's a road of attrition, my friend. It all began back in 1986 when I enjoyed playing the game golf, and I went to a tournament which then was the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic, and then it progressed to now—it's a playoff event in the golf series.

I went to the committee and I just asked for a job there at the course, and they said, well, we'd love to hire you, but CBS just called and they needed some local runners, and we thought you'd be the perfect fit. And thankfully, 30 plus years later, it has been the perfect fit for me.

I started working with them in high school when the tournament came around, and then at bigger events like the Masters and the PGA Championship where they needed more people, I would drive to those events and work for them. So it's not like I was part of the travel circus all year long on golf—it was just when they were kind of near my area.

I went to Ole Miss and worked in broadcast journalism, very similar to you working for High Point University's broadcast journalism department. And I stuck with it and eventually had an internship at the Winter Olympics in Norway in 1994.

A couple of famous things happened there. One specifically was the U.S. ice skating event where Tanya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan had a run-in, let's say. But we worked Opening Ceremonies in the ski jump, and it was an experience that I'll never forget. That was my senior year in 1994.

From then on I just kept in touch with them. I wanted to make sure they knew that I was still wanting to pursue this field, this space. Fast forward after a couple of years—in 1997, I became staff with them and started working their graphics and worked my way up.

So from 1997 until now, I've been with CBS Sports, and it's taken me through runner, golf spotter, graphics producing, live graphics, live features, videotape interviews, documentaries, live in the truck as an associate director, then producer, and then lead producer in golf in 2021.

Yeah, well, what an amazing journey. It's taken a while, but I'm very thankful of each step because I've learned a lot along the way at each phase.

3:50

And you talk about the steps a little bit. Obviously, producing sometimes can be tedious—a lot of times you do have to be on your game. Can you walk us through the process of producing a live golf sports broadcast from the planning all the way to the execution?

What's very important in my day-to-day job is that I get there—I try to get there before anyone else does. I don't like to brag that I get there, but the reason is because when everyone shows up, they're ready to work. They need a producer or that leader to tell them what to work on for that day.

If we arrive at the same time and I start working on it, then they're sitting there one or two hours without any guidance. So I get there early, I prepare what needs to be done that day and for the shows, and then when they arrive, they have a format in front of them—not only the open format, but the entire show format.

We're on the air three, four, five hours in a day. My day begins anywhere between 5:30 and 7 a.m., normally in the dark. I'm unlocking the trucks because the crew call is the technical crew call until about 8 or 9. But I'm able to think and format the day, and when everyone arrives at 8, 9, 10 a.m., then they have direction.

That is the key to everything because once everyone shows up, it's hard to format the show. So once that's done, all I do after that is answer questions, have meetings beyond just that week's tournament. We have anywhere between 18 and 23 tournaments a year, so you work well in advance for each tournament.

While we may be next week at the Genesis Invitational, we could also be working on the Masters and the PGA Championship at the same time. So the key for me is getting there early and giving everyone a fighting chance in the day.

6:25

And you know, like technology—it's continually advancing. And as you mentioned, you have been doing this for a very long time now, so how exactly do you stay up to date with all the new trends and technologies in sports broadcasting?

Technology has been nothing but our friend. Back in the day, we had only a certain number of cameras. We didn't have drones that now fly all over the place and give us a perspective that no one's ever seen. We did have the blimp back then, but the blimp technology is so much more advanced. We're able to follow a ball so much better, easier, and it's trustworthy.

We have super slow-motion cameras now more than we ever have. We have this camera called the Atlas cam, which is a depth of field camera that gives you that cinematic view that puts you in a movie theater watching our events.

We have bunker cams and we have fly cams that are cable to point, cable cam. Even a little bit smaller camera called the mosquito camera, which is a fly cam that's a little bit more affordable but also can get into areas that a big fly cam can't. It's a tightly packed camera.

The point is, technology has been nothing but our friend. It has to be managed because there are budgets and we'd love to have everything, but you just can't. However, it has kept us in the forefront of other networks by allowing us to showcase our courses as good as they can be showcased.

8:36

And you know, technology has been our friend, but often times it can fall down on us and fold when you least expected it. So I wanted to ask you: how do you handle unexpected challenges or technical issues that may occur during a live broadcast?

In the old days, you'd probably be a little hot under the collar, and you'd say some things that you regret. But you can't do that now. It happens—these are computer-based cameras, computer-based tape machines, computer-based audio panels. It's just like your laptop at home—every now and then it gets confused and you need a reboot.

That's how you handle it. It's more about temperament and the overall culture in the compound. You have to have positivity in the compound because it can go south quickly if you let it.

Because things happen and when you're managing 150 people, 200 people in an event, and then at bigger events up to a thousand, you have to make sure that everyone is preaching the same language. And normally that is positivity-based. It's very, very important.

I steered it away from the technology, but it happens. You learn to pivot and you understand that in the end you're still live, and you really can't do anything about it.

10:22

Well, yeah, we talked about some challenges. Now I wanted to turn that a little bit and ask you: could you share your most memorable moment that you've experienced while producing golf broadcasts?

That's a good one. Well, it's very timely that the Super Bowl is this weekend. One game I produced was the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo, and it was during the lake effect in Buffalo. We kick off and there's about a 20% chance of snow, and next thing you know, by the middle of the second quarter, we have 6 inches of snow. We can't see the Colts because they had top to tail white helmet, white jerseys all the way down, and we couldn't actually see the players on the field.

So we ended up covering the game from our lower cameras instead of the standard high cameras because you couldn't see the team. Buffalo beat them in overtime. It was almost like two games were going on—it was Buffalo versus the Colts and also the crew, the grounds crew, versus the elements. They couldn't get the snow off fast enough.

All of our Masters tournaments are memorable. One specific moment was when Hideki Matsuyama won in 2021. His caddy bowed when he put the pin in at the 18th hole. He bowed to the course, and it had so many meanings to it. It was not only respect for the course, it was respect for the tournament, validation of Hideki, and validation of his caddy Shoda and the player-caddy relationship. It was a moment that none of us who were in that truck will ever forget.

Probably last was a double overtime college football game in Oxford, Mississippi—Ole Miss versus Arkansas. It was fourth down and Hunter Henry, who's now famous, was with the Patriots and I think maybe now with the Chargers, caught a ball, was about to be tackled, and threw it over his head. It bounced over the Ole Miss defenders, and the running back caught it, ran for a first down, and then they ended up scoring and winning the game in double overtime. That whole Hunter Henry blind pass over his shoulder was an incredible moment for the people in the truck.

There are a handful I could go on forever, but those are the three, especially in different sports and different properties, that stand out.

14:01

That's amazing. I wanted to ask you: could you share any insights or behind the scenes gems from your experience working in sports broadcasting?

Some of the things you learn is how important it is to each community, and you don't want to take that for granted. We arrive on a Monday and we're gone on a Sunday night normally, and the same people that you work with have been working on this tournament all year long. So you should make sure that we take a step back and we understand the energy and the time they put into this tournament.

We have great respect for their process. We listen to what is important to them. We know what's important to us. We want to make sure that our cameras are set up and we're ready to cover the champion. They want that, but they want a lot more and they deserve a lot more because they put a lot of time and energy into it.

It's a heavy charity base, so they want to make sure that their charity is taken care of. It's a heavy community base where you get colleges like High Point University involved. We're not far down the road from the Windam Championship here, and I see it around every corner how important it is to the Windam Championship and to their charitable arms to make sure that charities, schools, and community service are all taken care of and mentioned sometimes over the broadcast.

Obviously, having a great champion is of the highest priority, but right underneath it is making sure that everyone else that put their blood, sweat, and tears in for that entire year is also mentioned, acknowledged, and taken care of.

16:31

And I wanted to ask you as well: what advice could you give aspiring sports producers looking to break into the industry?

I loved hearing the story about Wendle, that all of a sudden he's working at the Orlando Magic. That makes total sense to me. When I was here last year, he was one of many that showed me his features. He asked for slight critiques and was interested in pursuing this field, and that's really how I started.

What is the advice? It's interesting how Wendle works for the Orlando Magic, and you're harkening back to 1986 when I was doing the same thing—just trying to find a way to cut my teeth in this space. Mine was at a golf tournament; Wendle is at the Orlando Magic. I mean, there are plenty of sports properties in and around the Piedmont Triad area where students like you and others can dip their feet in.

The people that run these businesses are also looking, and that's what I want to make sure that you all understand. They're not complacent—they're out searching for reputable students like yourself. They want a successful business as well. Anywhere you're interested, pursue it. You have the Orlando Magic, but also whether it's college campuses and participating within their production, I mean, you have the Carolina Panthers right down the road and the Carolina Hurricanes right down the road.

If that's what interests you, give them a call, send them an email. They're always looking.

What opportunities would you say students should engage in to necessarily get on that journey that you started earlier in your career? It's whatever you like. I will also say that there are a lot of sports properties that send job application emails, and it's part of protocol now. Not only can you knock on their door, but get online, search these teams. They're always posting job opportunities.

And obviously, with the Access to Innovators program, you know, hopefully some of us can also help out if the opportunities mesh.

Thank you all for joining our Access to Innovators podcast. Mr. Shy, we really appreciate you for joining us. Thank you so much. Be sure to tune in next time. I'm Sellers Shy. I'm Ethan Parker. Have a great rest of your day, High Point.

In this Access to Innovators podcast episode, Ethan Parker interviews Sellers Shy, CBS Sports lead golf producer and High Point University's Network TV producer in residence. Shy shares his 30+ year journey in sports broadcasting, beginning at a local golf tournament in 1986 and progressing through roles including graphics, directing, and production at major events like the Masters and PGA Championship. He discusses the production process of live golf broadcasts, the evolution of broadcasting technology including drones and specialized cameras, and methods for handling unexpected technical challenges while maintaining team morale. Shy concludes with insights on respecting the communities and charities involved in tournaments and offers practical advice for aspiring sports producers in the Piedmont Triad area.

Access to Innovators Podcast with Sellers Shy

Intro

Shy's Journey

Production Process

Technology

Handling unexpected challenges

Most memorable moment

Insights behind the scenes

Advice for aspiring sports producers