MLB on ESPN Spotlight: ESPN employees who are hard at work bringing you MLB coverage
Each week through the end of the season, Front Row will profile an employee who works behind-the-scenes on ESPN’s Major League Baseball property. Batting leadoff is Kelly Carey, a production coordinator, currently in her first year working on MLB. An ESPN employee for nearly eight years, she explains her ESPN MLB job, her best moment at work and what game day is like for her.
How would you describe your ESPN MLB job?
My job, as it pertains to Baseball Tonight and our MLB games, is to make sure that everyone knows where they need to be, gets where they need to be, and that everyone has everything they need to ensure they can do their job without worrying about any of the little details.
What is typical game day like for you?
A typical game day consists of being the first one on site from production, and the last one to leave. I get in early to get a lay of the land, meet with operations and set up the green room. I coordinate everyone’s arrivals and departures, transportation schedules, make-up schedules, on-site production meetings and catering.
This season we’ve been working with MLB and Little League to bring a local Little League team on site with us each Sunday. A good portion of my day is spent with the team. Meeting them upon arrival, bringing them onto the field to watch batting practice and meet some players and coordinating interviews and live hits with the team for Baseball Tonight.
Who are some of the colleagues that help you get your job done?
Many of the other people within the production management group help me get my job done, especially Becca Preston, who worked on MLB before me. She has been so incredibly helpful in my integration into this team and for this sport. And, of course, all of the employees who work in MLB production – Senior Producer, Coordinating Producers, Producers, Associate Producerss, Content Associates and Production Assistants. Also – Operations, Programming, Communications, Security, Sales & Marketing, Post-production, Travel and Facilities just to name a few.
What’s been your favorite moment so far this season?
In the short time that I have been in this group and working on MLB, I would have to say that my best memory thus far has been Spring Training at the Walt Disney World resort. We brought Baseball Tonight to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for an entire week and televised two Atlanta Braves Spring Training games from the facility. It was great to see both the studio and the event sides of our ESPN MLB coverage come together for this event. It was also a chance for me to use my past knowledge and experience of planning and executing live event telecasts on Disney property.
What is your favorite part of the baseball season?
Since I’ve yet to experience a postseason, I’m not sure I can accurately answer this question just yet. But as of now, from what I have experienced, my favorite part of the season would be Opening Day. Everyone is so excited for baseball to start again and all the teams have a chance (in theory).
Who’s your MLB team?
I root for all the local (Connecticut area) teams. . . the Yankees (for my father), the Mets (for my grandfather), and the Red Sox (for the rest of my family and friends).
