Wednesday I flew to Los Angeles, CA to shadow the set of the Jim Rome Is Burning show for 2 days. The goal is to see what it's really like to put together a 30 minute show, and to get a closer look at what it might be like to be a full-time sports icon like Rome is.
Plus, I'll get to let you guys in on everything that I learn while I'm out here. If you haven't heard of Mandt Bros Production, I'm sure you'll recognize some of their shows: Jim Rome, The ESPY Awards, and Beg, Borrow & Deal. Anyway, Michael Mandt runs the recording studio in LA that I am visiting...and let me tell you that it is not what I expected!
The show used to be filmed in Hollywood like you would expect, but when Rome wanted to move to Orange County, they needed to find something that was much closer. There really isn't much for studio production, so they just ended up buying a big warehouse and building their own set (in 1 week). The entire set is literally encased in walls of styrofoam to block out the sound of the neighboring cement/steel facility. Not as glamorous as I might have imagined, but they are one of the only shows with their own full-functioning studio!
The production process for a single 30 minute show goes something like this:
- Rome shows up around 5:45am to write his script for the day (yes, he writes his own stuff everyday)!
- The staff goes through the script to pull all of the quotes and video clips. They have to call ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT for everything they don’t have each day. ESPN files them over to 1 guy, 2 guys edit them, a third works on coloring, and another does all of the graphics.
- Another team works through the script to set up the timing for the teleprompter. Between the quotes, clips, and Jim's talk time, they need to hit an exact amount of time each day, leaving room for commercials.
- Rome leaves to do his radio show at a studio about 20 minutes away. 3 hours in a single-man show each day is impressive!
- All of the video clips are put on a special reel and sent out to the “production truck.” It’s basically a super high-tech custom trailer out back with about 50 monitors and an electronics switchboard to die for! That’s where all of the sound, engineering, graphics, video, and production come together for the final product.
- Rome comes back around 12:30, heads to his dressing room to change, and comes out on the set about 15 minutes before they’ll start recording for a read through.
- He does only 1 read through of the teleprompter, makes a few wording changes here and there, and then they go live. Rome is all business...a total pro at what he does.
Make sure you check back tomorrow because I'll be getting you some pictures on set. AND maybe we'll get to meet one of the Fantasy Sports Girls!
-Your Gridiron Girl