NBC TV Interview About Olympic Live Streaming Platform
Updated: Aug 9, 2019
I always imagined that my first time on TV I would be doing something glamorous and earth-shattering, like setting the Guinness World Record for most times watching the Lord Of The Rings (27 and counting) or diving in slow-motion in front of an angry crowd to defend the integrity of the Oxford comma from an onslaught of grammatically-challenged Millennials. But alas, my first time on TV I was nerding out about camera stuff for an Olympic live streaming platform. So, excuse me while I put my glasses back on and revert to mild-mannered media professional, Francis George, to tell you about it.
When World Sailing proposed a new event for the 2024 Paris Olympics–a double-handed, mixed-gender distance race–the sailing community exploded with controversy.
Many sailors rejoiced but others voiced opposition to the idea. While some argued that distance racing was too expensive for the Olympics, others claimed that the media coverage just wouldn’t work within the stringent time constraints of broadcast television.
Oakcliff Sailing accepted the challenge, revealing in January their plans to prove it could be done. They collaborated with North Sails, Vesper Marine, and Melges Performance Boat Works to modify their fleet of six Melges 24s for double-handed offshore sailing with live stream capabilities. As the Media & Production Manager of Oakcliff I was tasked with spearheading the development of the live streaming platform. I collaborated with Dig Down Media to take consumer-grade technology--a cell phone, a hotspot, and three apps--to create an affordable live streaming solution that can be implemented by sailors who want to campaign for Paris 2024 and fulfill sponsor demands without breaking the bank.
Get the full scoop on Scuttlebutt Sailing or watch my interview on NBC TV with Gaby Acevedo describing the new platform.