Lena Glaser, a Producer at NBC Sports, has a job that allows her to be a crucial part of the world’s biggest sporting event, the Olympics. Although she has extensive experience working on this high pressure production, Glaser says she is always learning and working to stay informed in the ever-changing sports world. However, in this week’s Sports Media Spotlight, we can learn a little from her and see how she got to where she is today.
The 11 Percent: What is the day-to-day of your job like?
Glaser: The day-to-day of my job varies depending on assignments and the time of year, as well as where we are in the Olympic cycle. My primary role leading up to the Games is to help interview, hire, and on-board the production personnel we need to make each Olympics happen. During Games time, I usually oversee one studio daypart (Late Night, Daytime, etc.), so those days are full production days which include creating the rundown and managing any necessary changes, keeping an eye on competition and major Olympic news, working with bookers to determine guest availability, and communicating with production staff and talent. For the Paralympics I am in a similar role, so that cycle gets repeated again just a few weeks after the Olympics. In between Games, I have a variety of other projects – everything from producing weekend update shows, to Olympic and Paralympic features, to working on the curriculum and scheduling for NBC Sports’ new rotational Production Associate program. Some days are 9-5 in the office with a bunch of meetings, others are 12 or 14 hour days in an edit or a control room or on a shoot – it all depends on the show.
The 11 Percent: Describe the track to your current position. What did you do to prepare and gain the skills necessary for it?
Glaser: I have been very fortunate in that I’ve been with the same company for almost my entire career. As I’ve grown at NBC, I’ve often been presented with opportunities to learn new skills before I ever had to ask for them, which I think is rare and certainly not something I take for granted. I always knew that in order to be a producer, I was going to need to be a graphics PA, in terms of building those practical skills, and those opportunities came about relatively early on. My path from a PA to a producer was fairly traditional. But as I’ve grown into the role of producer and manager, it’s been more important to identify the challenges that will make me better at both of those things, and ask for those opportunities directly. I have also tried to learn from the successful managers I see at work every day, and try to take what I like in other people’s methods and apply them to myself, to the degree that they suit me and my style.
“Observing others is a must at every stage of your career, because the path of “how do I get from A to B” becomes less clear as you move up the ranks and through the more traditional production roles.”
Of course it seems obvious that you’d need to observe an AD before ADing a show or a game, but it was less obvious to me to also study the way good producers run meetings, delegate, and motivate their teams. Then on top of that you add the necessary research for the project at hand. I try to be well-informed both on Olympic news and just media and tv news in general. I also think it’s important to go outside my sports & Olympics bubble to get ideas and see what other companies and creative outlets are doing. Movies, comedy, photography, etc.
The 11 Percent: Did you always want to work in sports media? How did you become interested in sports?
Glaser: I always wanted to work in television, originally on the scripted entertainment side. I wanted to be a comedy writer or work on a comedy show. I grew up a baseball and football fan but always loved the Olympics, which for me are more exciting because of the athletes’ stories and the rarity of the accomplishment and the moment. During a college internship at a news show I met someone who had worked on the Salt Lake Games, and I was able to get a spot as a runner in Athens. From there I was hooked on the Olympic experience.
The 11 Percent: What would you say is the biggest challenge women face in this field?
Glaser: There is a very fine line between being a) properly aware of the fact that being a woman in sports can sometimes be a contributing factor to a challenge you are facing, but it’s also not your ONLY defining characteristic and b) determined to believe that the deck is stacked against you and being a woman is the reason you haven’t had x/y/z/whatever opportunity. It’s difficult to walk that line, particularly when work is stressful or overly demanding and you want the simplest answer. I also find it challenging sometimes to convince myself that I deserve certain opportunities, promotions, etc., and that I should feel comfortable advocating for those things. I’ve read this is a problem for many women.
“Again – it doesn’t really matter WHY we are that way, whether it’s a gender construct or not, as long as we recognize it and figure out the best way to combat that negative instinct within ourselves.”
The 11 Percent: What is the most rewarding and challenging part about your job?
Glaser: The most rewarding part of my job is celebrating accomplishments alongside smart, talented, interesting people, and feeling like I did something to belong in that group. The most challenging part is figuring out how to motivate a team so that every person at the table is as bought in to whatever the concept is as the person next to him or her.
The 11 Percent: What do you think the outlook is like for women in sports media?
Glaser: I’m not sure “the future of women in sports media” is something I can forecast. I do believe that as more women move into leadership roles in the industry, the climate will continue to shift, and we will get to a point at which a woman producing or directing a sports show is no longer noteworthy for that fact alone. At least in my experience, no one seems to bat an eye when they seek the services of a lawyer or a doctor, and find that the most qualified person for their case is female.
“Eventually it would be great if a woman simply doing her job wasn’t so surprising to so many people.”
The 11 Percent: Any advice for women aspiring to join sports media? What does it take to be successful in this industry?
Glaser: Work hard. Don’t assume you are going to be handed any opportunity you haven’t earned. Ask questions and actually listen to the answers. Be kind to people and be generous with your time.
The 11 Percent 