The Lovett School has become an unlikely pioneer in live sports production, with its deployment of Dejero’s LivePlus App allowing it to create top-tier live content
t’s always interesting when the industry encounters a piece of cutting-edge technology that, in unexpected circumstances, has its significance highlighted. The Lovett School in Atlanta is one case. The school’s approach shows you don’t have to be a vast media corporation to advance the way content is made. In fact, you can be a teenager with an iPhone and a bit of spare time. A veteran of live sports production, Jim Claussen began an impressive career at CNN sports, and concluded it at Fox Sports South. Having semi-retired 12 years ago, it was only when his children went to Lovett that he recognised the school’s sports network needed some expertise and equipment to improve its production value. Claussen offered his services to the school and got to work unpicking an ecosystem that just wasn’t working. “I looked into getting RF transmitters for our satellite cameras – they worked pretty well," Claussen describes. “But as soon as fans arrived, their cellphones cluttered the electromagnetic spectrum. Despite a 1500ft range, I couldn’t get a signal 25ft away.” It was a major source of frustration for Claussen. “I knew there had to be a better way. Researching alternatives, I came across bonded cellular technology.”
MY DEJERO! The LivePlus App came to the rescue, improving The Lovett School’s sports production
At this point, his endeavours appeared to reach a dead end. With a much smaller budget than typical production teams, the technology seemed far too cost-prohibitive. Turning to a friend, an old intern who had since become Fox Sports South director of field operations, Claussen hoped she could give him new leads on the bonded cellular technology track. His former mentee certainly didn’t disappoint. “That’s when I first heard of Dejero,” he says. “We discussed the concept, but the EnGo units they used were just out of reach for the school’s budget.” Claussen’s old intern insisted he contact Dejero regardless, and through this, encountered the LivePlus App. “It immediately intrigued me for many reasons, not least because the complexities of high-end consumer cameras tend to intimidate the average teenage student. The one thing I knew that wouldn’t intimidate them was an iPhone.” Yet Claussen was still a bit apprehensive about how an iPhone could manage to successfully maintain a signal over Lovett’s 100-acre campus. For peace of mind, Dejero provided a demo day. “We never lost signal. I jumped into a golf cart, checking out the baseball and softball fields. They’re about a quarter of a mile away, yet the signal was rock solid! I was stunned.”
Claussen wasn’t the only one. “My counterpart excitedly told me there wasn’t a single signal hiccup – even while I was driving back and forth in the golf cart.” Completely sold by the technology, LivePlus was implemented across the school’s sports network. “With the LivePlus App, the only thing we are setting up on location are four iPhones on tripods. We’ve never come close to even using up the iPhone battery. Signal never drops and we never run out of power – plus, it’s lightweight.” The technology allows for a more personal approach to sports production, from vast flexibility in angles, down to entering the pre-game team huddle. It’s not just schools that benefit. News channels are also making use of the LivePlus App in the field, meaning they don’t always have to provide a full production crew. Connecting with ease to cellular networks almost anywhere, the technology is accessible, making it simple for future generations of students to continue broadcasting their school’s sports. “It’s allowed us to radically rethink how we do production. Like the old saying – if the mountain won’t go to Mohammed, Mohammed must come to the mountain. That’s exactly what we’re doing,” Claussen concludes.
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