ESPN Celebrates International Women's Day With NBA Broadcast Featuring Women Leading in Key Roles On and Off Screen ESPNs Women's College GameDay team also recently headed to South Bend as part of Womens History Month By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Friday, March 7, 2025 - 3:40 pm
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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 (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.
Christine Rouskas, ESPN Remote Production Operations Producer.
In one sense, this is business as usual, says Christine Rouskas, ESPN Remote Production Operations Producer. Everyday 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 of the other hard-working women across many departments to be recognized for our contributions to the company and the broadcast.
As part of its REMI model, ESPN sends announcers to site, as well as some EVS support, while the majority of the production team integrates the show from a control room back in Bristol. With announce teams on-site come additional production support like a stage manager, talent stats, and makeup, creating a hybrid of the traditional and REMI style production models. This season, NBA on ESPN REMIs have also 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. While not all roles will be operated by women for the Grizzlies-Mavericks broadcast, Rouskas says planning ahead 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 of the women working on this broadcast are extremely talented and deserving of this recognition. Our efforts are rewarded with a job well done.
MP (Mary Payne) Dillard, Technical Director, REMI Operations, ESPN
Producer Laurie Privitera and director Ashley Ward will be at the front bench for tonight's production along with Associate Director Colleen O'Sullivan and Associate Producer Stacy Hunt in the Bristol control room. Play by play announcer Angel Gray and analyst Doris Burke will call the action from Dallas, while reporter Cassidy Hubbarth will be courtside.
In addition to Rouskas, other key women on the Bristol crew include operations specialist Cindy Pennington; technical director MP (Mary Payne) Dillard; graphics interface coordinator Tracey Hill; audio technicians Susan Walthall 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. 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 to 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 unique 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 Kelley Nagi leading ops for city 1 of the NBA Finals this spring.
We celebrate women in broadcast on this one day, but when I look around the room, I see women producers, directors, ops producers, specialists and technicians leading the way, every day, says Rouskas.
This broadcast celebrates the incredible women I have the privilege of working with behind the scenes to bring the NBA to ESPN, adds Dillard. 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 headed to Purcell Pavillion in South Bend, IN, to cover No. 25 Louisville take on No. 3 Notre Dame
Of course, ESPN's efforts to celebrate Women's History Month this March aren't just limited to tonight's game. On March 2, the women's basketball edition of College GameDay Covered by State Farm headed to Purcell Pavillion in South Bend, IN,
