For several years, EMG Italy has collaborated with various audiovisual vocational schools to facilitate a valuable generational shift in the sector, recognising education as the ideal channel to achieve this goal. The company integrates young resources through targeted internships and frequently hosts groups of students for guided tours, especially at the Broadcast Centre in Cologno Monzese, where technical resources are concentrated. Young creators are regularly paired with ongoing productions, introducing them particularly to remote production, an area where EMG Italy has been very active for years. However, this year a more comprehensive and ambitious project has been conceived.

From this ongoing commitment to youth and education, and with the aim of creating a pool of well-prepared professionals to meet the production needs of tomorrow's television, EMG Academy was established, launching its first training course dedicated to live sports productions.

EMG Academy: first course in “Junior Broadcast Operator”

The idea emerged as a natural continuation of the activities carried out so far with students, strongly supported by the management of EMG Italy, who initiated the first training course for "Junior Broadcast Operator" and plans to create a real corporate academy in the future.

"The first course of EMG Academy," explains Claudio Cavallotti, MD of EMG Italy, who personally pushed for the launch of this project, "is the first step to actively support young talents in their approach to the broadcast world. We highly value the added contribution of the new generations to our sector, which is why we aim for virtuous recruiting by offering our knowledge, technology, and the values of EMG, opening the company to those who are interested and want to learn more. We want to collaborate increasingly with sector-specific schools, becoming a reference point in the region for young people who want to add skills to those already acquired at university."

Chiara Capodicasa, Head of HR at EMG Italy, who has overseen the project personally, states: "After months of preparation and initial orientation, with the collaboration of about 15 colleagues from various departments - including Operations, Technology, Production, HR, and the Communications area - we identified two instructors, Max Ceriani and Emanuele Rivolta, and built the first pilot course with them. We chose a pragmatic approach linked to the working world, focusing on the skills of specialised and highly sought-after professional figures in our sector, such as remote production director and replay operator. In addition to the editorial content of sports storytelling, we decided to include a practical part, providing the students with our technology to simulate a sporting event."

The training involved ten young graduates who not only immersed themselves in the real world of broadcasting but also had the opportunity to learn the specific operational procedures of productions signed by EMG Italy.

Indeed, the programme featured three days of full immersion, not aiming to complete the training for the roles of director and replay operator, but designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to these two professions. Activities were divided between theoretical lessons on the principles of television directing and practical sessions directly on the equipment, the same used daily in real productions.

A Unique Training Offer

Thanks to collaboration with three audiovisual production schools in Milan - Mohole School, NABA, and Civica Scuola di Cinema Luchino Visconti - and with the support of their respective project coordinators, ten participants considered optimal resources to invest in were selected.

Two instructors from within EMG Italy were chosen. The first, Max Ceriani, a highly experienced director specialising in basketball, volleyball, and football, conducted lessons on television directing techniques specific to these sports. The second instructor, Emanuele Rivolta, shared his extensive experience as a director and replay operator in major, including international, sports productions.

For the practical activities, a room was set up with six stations equipped with remote production and replay devices, allowing work with procedures very similar to those used in live productions. Additionally, a comprehensive visit to the broadcast centre was organised, where the participants could learn about the functioning of the Master Control Room, remotely shared IP technology directing, and the OB units that EMG typically uses to cover major live sports events of the season.

"From an initial analysis, the response from the participants was very positive; they were all very curious and appreciated the course content," continues Chiara Capodicasa. "We found ten young people with a spark in their eyes, full of enthusiasm and eager to learn and grow. Thanks to the preparation from the Schools, all participants in the first edition had a solid knowledge base which they applied to a significant reality like ours, showing the ambition to become an integral part of it in the future."

EMG Academy: The Project Evolution

The first edition of the programme allowed the definition of the training path's boundaries, structuring the content and testing the method's effectiveness. Building on the enthusiasm shown by the participants, the aim for future editions is to expand the offer, enriching it with specific courses. The ambition is to grow EMG Academy to establish it as a reference point for training professionals in sports production.

Claudio Cavallotti concludes: "Our initial objective was to attract and support young talents to train two specific professions, the director and the replay operator, which are key figures in achieving a quality product. However, at the end of this first edition of EMG Academy, we found that there is great interest from young people in our sector, and in the next editions, we are ready to extend the training to other areas, such as audio or production.
The ultimate goal is to train competent professionals who are ready to enter the real world of work, while embodying our five corporate values: passion, teamwork, commitment, inclusion, and integrity."

© 2024 EMG Italy – Presspool PressOffice Roberto Landini