Dan Sevic — Cavs TV Director, DIY TV Truck & Learning Every Part of Broadcast Production
The rundown sheet on the Grass Valley switcher. This is what game day looks like from Dan Sevic’s chair. Photo Credit: Dan Sevic. Used with permission.
Dan Sevic sat in the back of a broadcasting class at Cleveland State with long hair, a leather jacket, and John Skrada next to him. Thirty years later he’s directing Cleveland Cavaliers games for FanDuel Sports Network.
His path ran through city council meetings shot for $50, a DIY TV truck, the Cleveland Indians’ scoreboard, and a mentor named Pat Murray who walked into his classroom and changed everything. In this episode Dan breaks down what it actually takes to build a career in live sports broadcasting from the ground up.
Why It Matters
Dan’s advice cuts through everything: work ethic, attitude, and the ability to work with others beat raw talent every time in this business. That’s not a motivational poster line. It’s what thirty years of hiring and working alongside the best in the industry actually taught him. For anyone trying to break into live production, this is the conversation that tells you exactly what matters and what doesn’t.
About This Guest
Dan Sevic is the Television Director for Cleveland Cavaliers games on FanDuel Sports Network, a career he built over three decades starting at Cleveland State University alongside his longtime collaborator John Skrada. His path included producing a weekly TV show for the City of Cleveland, helping launch the Cleveland Indians’ scoreboard system, co-owning S&S Productions, and mentorship from broadcast legends Pat Murray, Steve Warren, and Mike Lear. He’s directed everything from local productions to NBA broadcasts, and he built two TV trucks along the way.
Dan’s Bonafides
“
Your work ethic, your attitude, and your ability to work with others supersede everything. I’ll take somebody with a great work ethic and average skills over somebody with a horrible work ethic who’s really good at the job. Ten times out of ten.
”— DAN SEVIC, TELEVISION DIRECTOR, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS, FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORKHear This Episode
Watch Here
Episode Timestamps
Your ZoomPod — Exit Ticket
After this episode, you'll know:
- Why work ethic and attitude matter more than raw technical skill in live broadcast production
- How the mentor referral chain actually works in the broadcast business and why relationships are everything
- What it means to learn everything without pigeonholing yourself into one role
- Why building your own TV truck teaches you things no classroom or director’s chair ever could
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Explore More
Check out our other great podcast episodes. Link and follow for more great learn-photography content: IG @tvcommandomedia | FB @ZoomWithOurFeet.
If Dan’s advice about work ethic and mastering your craft resonated, this lesson from the Photo Lab takes that idea further.
Technique Over Technology →BUILD NOTE: Full transcript pending paste-in from Buzzsprout.
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