On Monday, Dec. 5, Doug Stasuk of BFA Sports Productions and Simon Rosenwasser of Play by Play Productions joined “Pizza With the Pros” to talk about their experiences in an ever-growing, sports live streaming space.
The prevalence of sports live streaming has seen incredible expansion since the pandemic put athletes at home and took fans out of stands in 2020. When games became permitted after restrictions loosened, it became vital for teams — who would otherwise play before hardly anyone — to have game coverage. This was especially true in high school sports and has been ever since despite no current attendance restrictions. Live streaming has simultaneously become a necessity and a luxury.
Stasuk began BFA Sports Productions in the fall of 2019, but unfortunately, his start was a rocky one.
“In 2019 I decided to take the splash of BFA, it’s actually short for ‘brother from another productions,'” said Stasuk. “So we had a chance to go ahead and jump into it, in charge of BFA Productions, and the timing there couldn’t have been worse either because COVID hit about, I don’t know, three weeks after I put out a bunch of money for equipment.”
BFA Sports Productions has quickly become one of the leading providers of high school sports in Southern New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia area. In conjunction with Rowan University, Stasuk and his team of interns produce Delaware Blue Coats games in Wilmington, Delaware.
Rosenwasser majored in broadcast journalism at Syracuse University and has taken on play-by-play roles at various companies and schools since 2010. From a North Dakota sports network to Princeton University, Rosenwasser has been all over. In addition to his play-by-play and production work, he became a replay operator for the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this year.
“I earned my chops doing water polo at Princeton,” said Rosenwasser. “I started doing [broadcasting] swimming at Princeton six years ago and now I’m the voice of Ivy League swimming… Don’t say ‘no’ to any opportunity. Especially if you want to be on-air. Call any sport, any rep is a rep.”
Rosenwasser’s business, Play by Play Productions, began in 2017 and has come to produce high school and college athletics along with graduations, weddings and funerals. He says that doing special events was a result of the pandemic, but is now a staple of his business and has expanded his range of clients.
“When the pandemic hit, pivoting the business and being open-minded to saying, ‘alright, there might not be as much sports work, but how are we going to pay the bills?’ So graduations have been a huge piece of business of mine, religious services have been a big business for me,” Rosenwasser said.
The Radio/Television/Film department at Rowan is one of the most popular under the sports communication and media umbrella. Between students of Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM and the Rowan Television Network, the insight and advice that both Stasuk and Rosenwasser provided was key.
“Be reliable, be on time, and be open-minded,” Stasuk said. “If you’re those three things, you’re one step ahead of the guy next to you.”
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