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ESPN’s CNFR Coverage Relies on Decades of Experience From Casper’s Scott Sterrett

Scott Sterrett (Left) works in the production during the CNFR. Courtesy Photo
Scott Sterrett (Left) works in the production during the CNFR. Courtesy Photo

CASPER, Wyo. - As thousands of rodeo fans across the country tune in to watch the College National Finals Rodeo each night on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, most never think about the people working behind the scenes to make the broadcast happen.

 

For nearly three decades, Scott Sterrett, owner of Wild Bunch Video Productions has been one of those people behind the scenes.

 

On the day of Championship Saturday at the Ford Wyoming Center, Sterrett is once again working long hours to bring college rodeo’s biggest event to viewers across the nation. But Saturday is just the tip of the iceberg, as Sterrett and his team have been working every performance of the CNFR since last Sunday.

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Article Continues Below

"This year will be my 27th year of doing CNFR," Sterrett said from his home during our interview two weeks ago.

 

Sterrett began his career in sports television in 1994, when he joined K2 Television in Casper.

 

"That's when I really got into it. I've always enjoyed sports, but I really enjoyed the television aspect of it," Sterrett said. "I've always been a lifelong Cowboy fan. I grew up in Wyoming. So that's always been a big part of it."

 

While working at K2, Sterrett gained valuable experience covering Wyoming athletics alongside well-known Wyoming broadcasters George Kay and Frank Gambino.

 

"I got a good understanding of sports and everything that goes into it, the high school part, University of Wyoming," Sterrett said. "At that time, K2 aired all their games. So I got involved in doing all that. So that's where I really got started."

 

After spending six years at K2, Sterrett launched his own company, Wild Bunch Video Productions.

 

His first major client would ultimately become one of the biggest projects of his career, which started in 1999.

 

"My first real video stuff was doing the CNFR that first year it was here in Casper," Sterrett said.

 

Sterrett worked alongside producer David Glodt of Houston, Texas, who had been brought in to help the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association expand television coverage of the event.

 

"The NIRA had brought him in because they wanted to start televising and were really working on that aspect of the CNFR," Sterrett said.

 

What started as a small production eventually evolved into national broadcasts on CBS Sports Network and later ESPN.

 

"I've just worked with him every year since doing that," Sterrett said. "It's progressed from that first year of me just shooting for him and him kind of learning what it was all about as far as the CNFR."

 

Today, Sterrett and his crew remain a critical piece of the broadcast operation.

 

"What the fans are watching, there's another guy that actually runs the cameras inside the building, and we take a feed with him, and we actually put the feed on ESPN+, Sterrett said. "We do all the commercial insertions and all the graphics into it."

 

"We'd be like the master control of the event," he said. "So we would be the final control of it."

 

Each night, Sterrett's crew communicates directly with ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut via an open phone line throughout the duration of each performance.

"We sit on the phone with ESPN Bristol every night and communicate to them," Sterrett said.

 

Scott Sterrett (Bottom Left) and part of his team in the production trailer behind the Ford Wyoming Center. Courtesy Photo.
Scott Sterrett (Bottom Left) and part of his team in the production trailer behind the Ford Wyoming Center. Courtesy Photo.

That communication allows the local production team and ESPN to coordinate commercial breaks, troubleshoot issues and keep the broadcast running smoothly.

 

"We're basically running the show between us and ESPN and then ESPN puts it on," Sterrett said.

 

Over the years, Wild Bunch Productions has expanded far beyond simply helping with the live broadcast.

 

The company provides photos for media distribution, shoots interviews, creates feature segments and produces the nightly highlight packages shown before each rodeo performance.

 

The crew also produces the NIRA's nightly half-hour pre-rodeo show.

 

"They're doing that again this year, and it's going to be bigger and better than it has been," Sterrett said.

 

Preparation for the CNFR never really stops.

 

"Throughout the year, I'm doing different stuff because the NIRA, the ladies there, people will ask them for different stuff from CNFR," Sterrett said.

 

Because Wild Bunch has archived decades worth of CNFR footage and photography, schools and athletes frequently reach out looking for images and video from past championships.

 

"We've archived everything from CNFR," Sterrett said.

 

Once the rodeo begins, the workload intensifies.

 

Sterrett and his crew record slack rounds, performances, special events and behind-the-scenes content. Every night, highlight reels must be edited and prepared for the following day's performance.

 

"I'm up late every night making sure the highlight reel is ready for the next day because we have to have it ready before they do their rehearsal at 3 o'clock every day," Sterrett said.

 

"Slack is at 7 on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we're there at 7," Sterrett said.

 

The crew also assists with rehearsals, opening ceremonies, and the setup of the massive ESPN production truck used during Saturday night's championship round, which will air on ESPN U later in the year. Chuck Walker from ESPN flies into Casper each year to work the ESPN production trailer; he tells PokesNews.com that he previously worked on ESPN prime-time events and for NBC.

 

"We do nine cameras on Saturday night compared to the four cameras on a normal day," Sterrett said.

 

While Sterrett has worked alongside national television professionals throughout his career, he remains proud that a Casper-based company continues to play such a significant role in showcasing college rodeo.

 

"We're very happy that they use us, people from Casper," Sterrett said. "Because we totally love rodeo."

 

Not only does his company help with the CNFR, he also does work for the University of Wyoming Rodeo program.

 

"We were so happy when the University of Wyoming called us and said, 'Hey, we want to start televising our rodeo,'" Sterrett said. "We were like, 'Yes, we want to be part of that.'"

 

As Championship Saturday arrives and the nation's best college rodeo athletes compete for national titles, Sterrett and his team will once again be working behind the scenes, helping deliver every ride, run and championship moment to viewers across the country.

 

"Just to be a small part of that is awesome for us," Sterrett said.

About the Author:


Jeff Bugher is a third-generation Wyomingite living in Casper. He is a sportswriter and Wyoming Cowboys/Cowgirls enthusiast who is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA ) and the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). Jeff's work has been cited by Sports Illustrated, one of the world's leading sports publications.

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