TEAM

An industry pioneer and award-winning Television series and prime time specials, executive producer, Todd Mason’s track record for producing television programming and launching live broadcast series and specials is virtually unmatched in the industry. Whether he is creating original content, producing live events or consulting, Todd’s extraordinary blend of creative, technical, marketing and finance acumen, along with a hands-on management style, has earned him the respect and trust of clients and colleagues.

Over the years, Todd has been responsible for thousands of hours of live television specials and series for major broadcast, cable and online networks, including truTV, Yahoo, BET, Weather Channel, ESPN, ARTE France, Animal Planet, ABC, MTV, Discovery, PBS, Comedy Central, and Showtime.

Todd’s experience includes a broad scope of successful productions, from PBS’s America After Ferguson and America After Charleston Town Hall Meetings to the high voltage energy of live rock concerts in Times Square. Todd’s own creativity and marketing talent can be seen in his original productions. His popular Pet Psychic ran on Animal Planet for 2 seasons. Other original programming includes, Pardon the Interruption, Around the Horn, and Cold Pizza.

Recent live production projects include Epson’s Swimming in Ink, produced live from Times Square and truTV’s Impractical Jokers 100^th episode live Special with Howie Mandel produced at New York’s South Street Sea Port.

Todd’s deep experience across all disciplines of programming and production have put his consulting services in high demand. Most recently he was contracted by the International Center for Journalists to provide on-site broadcast consulting services to facilitate the News Room and Studio build-out of a journalism school in Karachi, Pakistan.

His on-the-ground international experience and cultural sensitivity has enabled Todd to put together effective local teams while deploying the highest standards of American technology. The result is always a top quality production steeped in local flavor which resonates with their audiences and remains loyal to the original concept

With experience in virtually every facet of live production, Todd is not content to sit on the sidelines and can always be found on location during shoots. His veteran knowledge and expertise allow him to thrive in the chaotic world of live production and it shows in the high caliber of work he produces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ootrfAjJnqc

With a passion for video production dating all the way back to high school, Andrew Ryback has years of hands-on experience working on remote and studio productions as both a crew member and producer. Beginning his career as a newsroom intern at local NBC affiliate, WGAL, Andrew worked closely with producers and reporters to research, develop, write and edit weekly news segments. During his time with WGAL he created, wrote and produced a 30-minute live show for the network.

Hired as production assistant for Rock Creek Productions, Andrew was put in charge organizing and managing on-location productions for various government training videos. He was also responsible for coordinating production logistics, which included booking travel and crews, organizing production footage and photos, and editing audio clips.

Since coming on board with BMG in 2008, Andrew has helped produce numerous live and live-to-tape productions for major networks around the country. He is responsible for managing all production logistics, including booking crews, renting equipment, securing venues, creating production books, maintaining budgets and obtaining proper permitting.

Andrew’s attention to detail, networking and organization skills enable him to secure resources and personnel within a very narrow timeframe. He is known for his ability to staff production projects in small markets and procure production resources for challenging projects with little-to-no advance notice.

Andrew currently lives in northeast DC with his wife, Bree, and their dog, Sadie.

Driss Sekkat is an award winning executive producer and content strategist.

Driss most recently served as Vice President of Development US/MENA regions at the UK based social advertising firm never.no.
From 2012 to 2015 , Driss was Head of Content & Development at the Middle East Broadcasting Networks where he was in charge of developing programming in over 22 countries.

Sekkat began his career at ESPN as part of the launch team of the first international version of “Sportscenter” for the Atlantic and Pacific. He later joined CNN in 2007.

Driss Sekkat also produced for TF1, France’s number 1 network.

Driss created and executive produced 4 seasons of the award winning investigative documentary Street Pulse . The show won the 2015 Bronze Award at The New York festivals for its series on Cemetery Residents and was awarded The 2014 CINE Special Jury Award and The 2013 CINE Golden Eagle Award for its exclusive one hour documentary on child labor. The hit show was nominated as well in 2013 by the International Broadcasting Awards in London for best documentary in the Middle-East.

In 2014 – 2015, Sekkat created and executive produced 2 seasons of a new hybrid docu-reality series “Our Neighborhood” – an 8 part series on life inside Cairo’s neighborhoods. The critically acclaimed non-fiction series earned high praise from the international press as well as network executives at NBC and Endemol.

Earlier in 2016, Driss Sekkat executive produced a 3 part hard hitting documentary series on violent extremism entitled « The Invisible Enemy », filmed in Morocco.

Driss’s most recent projects include two documentaries in Indonesia and several unscripted formats, which he filmed in Dubai and North Africa. They were co-developed with Buccaneer Media, one of England’s leading film and television companies.

Award-winning producer and journalist Gregory Branch cut his teeth in the broadcast news divisions of ABC, CBS and NBC. His time there included stints with “Dateline NBC”; the CBS News London bureau, “60 Minutes”, “Eye to Eye with Connie Chung”, “Street Stories with Ed Bradley” and “PrimeTime Live”.

Seeking new opportunities, Gregory jumped into cable (ESPN, BET, CNN, Current TV, Gospel Music Channel, Black Family Channel) and the digital production space (GlobalPost.com, BET.com, Arise.tv), specializing in breaking news coverage, LIVE coverage and short-turnaround production of hour-long specials.

As an independent producer/writer/director, Gregory has co-produced award-winning documentaries for PBS. He directed an indy hip hop music video and also executive produced an independent feature film, called “Bekhal’s Tears”, which takes a look at Kurdish women’s rights in post-Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. This film became an award-winner and a lightning rod for controversy throughout the Middle East.

While attempting to remain relevant in various media spaces, Gregory has taken opportunities to hone his skills globally and to tell the stories of the voiceless.  He has worked in over 31 countries and spent the last 5 years based in east Africa, where he created content for various international agencies and corporations.
At Broadcast Management Group Greg works with our development team on creating and producing original series.  In addition he works with BMG clients to produce live and live to tape series and specials.

David Roman has a passion for live production. From live concerts, stand-up comedy, news shows and town halls to major football, baseball, basketball and figure skating events, David has a wealth of directing experience that he brings to the BMG team. David has traveled the country directing live events in all types of venues, including TED Talks and Chicago Cubs, Bulls and Blackhawks games. After graduating from Columbia College with a Bachelors in broadcast television, David worked at Univision working on nightly news shows. Although he loves working in television, he loves watching his 10 year old son, Noah, play sports even more so. As a kid, David wished he got paid to watch TV, be careful what you wish for.

Directing:

• Chicago Wolves in arena show
• Chicago Sky
• Live concerts at Northerly Island
• McDonalds corporate meetings
• Campus Insiders College Football Preview Live
• -Multiple CI shows daily
• 120 Sports the Rally
• TED Talks
• Legend of Zelda Symphony @ Chicago Theatre
• Multiple Concerts and Stand up comedy shows at the Chicago Theatre

Technical Director:

• Chicago Cubs CSN & WGN
• Chicago Blackhawks CSN
• Chicago Bulls CSN WGN
• Boston Celtics
• Chicago White Sox CSN & WGN
• Chicago Wolves
• Chicago Sky WNBA
• LA sparks WNBA
• Toronto Raptors
• Saint Louis Blues hockey
• Professional Bull Riding CBS
• Northwestern Football & Basketball BTN
• NCAA Lacrosse BTN
• NCAA Wrestling BTN
• NCAA Soccer BTN
• LA Copa America Univision
• MLS Soccer Univision
• DePaul Basketball FS1
• Xavier Basketball FS1
• Rice Basketball FS1
• Multiple women’s and men’s NCAA basketball for FS1
• NBC Olympic qualifying Event for Figure Skating

Taylor Rogers is a producer with experience developing shows, leading production teams and delivering broadcast and digital content for CBS, MTV, ESPN, NBC and Travel Channel.

At CBS San Francisco Affiliate, KPIX, he wrote stories for the leading 11 p.m. newscast and operated the camera in the field for special events. Hired as a producer by NBC Bay Area, Taylor booked guests, wrote copy, produced live and taped segments, created a Silicon Valley Startup series and produced a daily, live, hour-long show from the control room.

In 2012, he moved to New York City to help produce nationally televised feature stories, breaking news and live segments for CBS This Morning. He pitched, wrote, produced and post-produced feature stories on the NBA, MLB, Masters and Super Bowl. Taylor continued producing sports content for a national audience at CBS Sports Network. He wrote scripts, produced and post-produced original features, special projects and branded pieces. He also served as producer of consecutive US Open Tennis Championships and live NBC Sports shows.

In addition to sports, Taylor has developed and produced comedy shows for MTV and Travel Channel. When he’s not creating content, Taylor performs at Chicago’s Second City.

Mike Barquero has built a strong track record leading and engineering large scale system development efforts, with the expertise to scale solutions down to size for smaller organizations. His background in development languages includes PHP, C++, .NET, Java, Python, and Perl. Mike is also proficient in database design and development, with experience on SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL. His service administration experience includes UNIX/Linux and Windows.

Mike holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, as well as a credential in website programming. He is in the process of completing his Master’s Degree in Computer Science Engineering and PMP Certification.

A creative and multi-talented interactive digital media designer, Han Xie has over five years of experience in web, mobile app, and graphic design, as well as in video editing. His expertise in programming languages includes ActionScript, HTML, CSS and CMS. Han is dedicated to producing and developing content-rich and interactive experiences for clients.

Han holds a Master’s degree in Interactive Design of Digital Media from Northeastern University. During his free time, he enjoys calligraphy, history, movies and hiking.

An innovative and highly skilled multimedia production artist, Xiao Bai’s experience includes an emphasis on web design, user interface design, user experience, information design, logo design, poster design and company visual identity programs. Her innovative ideas and deep understanding of branding styles have made Xiao a valuable creative asset to BMG.

Xiao holds a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, as well as a Master’s degree in Digital Media from Northeastern University. Xiao is a travel, film and fashion enthusiast.

I have been so fortunate to be able to spend the past 24 years doing exactly what I love to do- work in the live broadcast production arena.

As a ‘transmission specialist’, I am responsible for all services needed for content delivery. I coordinate transmission routing, manage and troubleshoot for corporate, network and cable clients.

I handle all of the transmission details. I have partnerships with, satellite uplink trucks, broadcast engineers and teleports around the world.

I love the challenge of transmitting, receiving and trouble shooting the delivery of ‘live shows’.

Some of my favorite projects have been

*Booking international satellite space, turn arounds and fiber routing for the Indy 500 and IRL races from Sao Paulo Brazil and Motegi Japan.

*Providing Super Bowl transmission services for Fox Sports Net, ESPN and Comcast Sports.

*Providing transmission services for “Election and Campaign Coverage” for Comcast and International News Bureaus.

*Coordinating signal delivery for live streaming for various corporate and government clients.

Keith completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. While in school and prior to moving to the DC area, Keith worked extensively in the live programming and special events industry with notable credits including the National Basketball Association, Viacom Networks, Time Inc., and a host of other event and media outlets.

Keith joined IFPRI in 2014 as the Conferences and Meetings Coordinator for the Communications and Knowledge Management Division. He handled the logistics for all events organized by IFPRI including but not limited to policy seminars, meetings, and conferences. Additionally, he implemented an extensive conference exhibit program and represented IFPRI at high-level global summits both domestically and internationally. Following his time at IFPRI Keith is currently working as the Project Manager for the Broadcast Management Group, a full service production and consulting company that specializes in live events.

Aaron Estabrook is a digital marketing professional and consultant specializing in social media integration and real-time viewer engagement. During his career, Aaron has developed online campaigns for such brands as, AAMCO, Mayo Clinic, BGR, Bridgestone Tires, and most recently, IMDb for the 89th annual Academy Awards.

In 2006, Aaron began his career training music executives and their staff on how to leverage social media to improve merchandising and ticket sales for globally known musicians and music festivals. His experience and understanding of digital media has taken him to the Middle-East, Europe, and across North America, working/consulting on a wide range of topics including social media management, content marketing, online branding, and paid digital advertising.

Since 2013, Aaron has helped BMG create and execute social media campaigns for live productions for major networks around the country. He is responsible for managing digital strategy and execution for all social media integrations, including creating on-air content, real-time community management, and overseeing post-show reporting.

Aaron holds a bachelor of arts from Indiana University with a focus on Communication and Media Studies, and a master’s of Communication Studies from Ball State University.

Heidi received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno. After graduation she joined the team at the Resort Sports Network in Lake Tahoe, CA, reporting live for Tahoe Today, where she provided accurate on-site updates of ski/weather conditions.

In 2006, Heidi moved to Los Angeles, where she joined the behind the scenes team at ReelzChannel as one of the network’s Talent Executives. In addition to booking interviews with A-List actors/actresses, she field produced specials from the Toronto International Film Festival and Comic-Con. Next, Heidi joined KTLA as the Entertainment Booker for the KTLA Morning News booking in-studio guests and red carpet interviews. During her time at KTLA, she secured over 4,000 interviews ranging from Tom Hanks and Richard Gere to Honey Boo-Boo and the Kardashians. In 2009 she received her first Emmy for breaking news coverage of the death of Michael Jackson, and went on to win two more as part of KTLA’s morning news team.

In 2014, Heidi moved to the digital world, booking athlete and coach interviews for 120 Sports and Campus Insiders.

Currently based in Chicago, Heidi is the Booker and Talent Development Producer for Broadcast Management Group and will forever be a Green Bay Packers fan.

Clint Cottrell knew he wanted a job in the TV business at an early age. When most 3-year-olds were watching cartoons, Clint refused to go to bed until he watched his idol Johnny Carson perform his late-night monologue. From that point on, the TV bug had bitten Clint and there was no turning back.

After college, he got his start in the news business as an Associate Producer with CONUS Communications. At CONUS he kept a keen eye open for breaking news and cut his teeth on satellite news-gathering. He also produced the entertainment feed and interviewed celebrities.

From there he moved onto CBS Newspath where he took on the role of Regional Producer. During his 15-year stint at CBS, he field produced political conventions, major sporting events and presidential inaugurations. He is enjoying his current role as a producer/editor for BMG.

When he is not waiting for video to render on his computer, Clint passes the time playing the harmonica, performing magic tricks and spending time with his twins and his malti-poo Wrigley. He currently resides in the Chicago area.

Ambre Moton is a multi-media professional with over a dozen years of experience at major media companies. Ambre began her career at NBA Entertainment as a Production Trainee. She moved on to become an Associate Producer for FSN Southwest, writing, producing and editing promos for the professional and collegiate teams in the Southwest, Midwest and North regions.

Ambre most recently served as a Producer for ​Campus Insiders, college sports website. In addition to producing live streams, social segments and video on demand, Ambre managed partnerships with the College Football Playoff Committee and on the sidelines at the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl. Prior to Campus Insiders, Ambre was the Senior Producer at Learfield Sports, overseeing the video content creation across Learfield’s 90+ college properties, creating sales and sizzle reels, and assisting the sales department with pricing video for sponsors. From 2007-13, Ambre worked at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut. During her time in studio production she worked on every show on ESPN and was among the first in the company to receive the Preditor job title. While working at ESPN, Ambre earned her MS in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University. In 2011, Ambre moved from studio production to digital media to help launch espnW, overseeing all video production for espnW as well as shooting, producing and editing content for the site and contributing to Gracie Award winning projects.

Ambre is now a Producer/Editor based in Chicago. Before entering the workforce, Ambre ran track for Iowa State and rowed for SMU where she majored in Cinema-Television. A lifelong sports fan and athlete, Ambre refuses to play any mainstream fantasy sports, but is in fantasy tennis, cricket and track and field leagues.

With a passion for capturing Live Broadcast that dates back to his first childhood video camera, Sean has extensive knowledge of TV production/engineering. His experience comes from working for a variety of remote production facilities and Chicago networks. Sean’s base of knowledge comes from engineering and networking with a 45 foot remote production truck, owned by a Northwestern Indiana PBS station, as well as other production venues for a variety of live and recorded productions including town hall meetings, sports, parades, auto shows and news broadcasts. Sean has a working knowledge of transmission engineering, at a local station, for broadcasting/faxing Chicago sports games. In addition, Sean has assisted various productions as EVS operator and A2.

Sean holds a Bachelor’s Degree in TV Production from Columbia College-Chicago. During his free time Sean enjoys boating, drone photography, traveling and exploring the cutting edge of tech.

Abigail developed a thirst for production on a music video editing project in middle school. At the time, she wasn’t sure in what capacity, but she knew that she wanted to pursue a career in that field.

After getting her start at a local news station, Abigail’s broadcasting experience is primarily in the sports industry. She began running studio camera for the Big Ten Network shortly after the station launched in 2007. Since then, she has added all kinds of hats to her skill set, such as stage manager, instant replay, and remote assistant director.  She has worked for MLS, NBA, NHL and a wide variety of NCAA events.

Abigail holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a Radio/TV emphasis from Bradley University, with a Minor in Vocal Music. In her spare time, she is on stage in local community theater musicals, training for a powerlifting meet, or throwing the Frisbee for her dog. She currently resides in the Chicago area with her husband, Ben.

Matt has been in television production for more than twenty years.  He started at KTBS in Shreveport, Louisiana writing and producing for the news department and operating studio cameras.  Matt soon realized that production suited me more than news.

He has spent most of my career in the production department at WWL-TV in New Orleans.  It was an amazing experience being part of the team that covered Hurricane Katrina and won the duPont-Columbia Award, the George Foster Peabody Award and the National Edward R. Murrow Award, the “Triple Crown.”  Matt has done a lot of freelance work, too, mostly sports.  Less extreme highlights of his career are Super Bowl XLVII and New Orleans Jazz Fest.

Matt decided to move to Chicago a few years ago to be away from the coasts and close to a large body of fresh water.