Technical Director (Los Angeles, Ca)

The Athletic Media Company•Los Angeles, CA

22d•$95,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Athletic is seeking a Technical Director to spearhead the technical execution of their new flagship daily live show. This role is based in the control room and is responsible for translating editorial cues into real-time on-screen action. The position requires operating the video switcher, managing multi-cam studio setups, routing remote guest feeds, and overseeing the health of the live stream. The ideal candidate is a control room veteran with a deep understanding of modern IP/digital streaming workflows and can remain calm under pressure when breaking news requires technical adjustments.

Requirements

5+ Years of Live TD Experience: A proven track record of switching daily, fast-paced live programming (sports, news, or high-volume talk formats).
Hardware & Software Mastery: Deep technical fluency with industry-standard switchers and streaming platforms—specifically vMix, NewTek TriCaster, Ross Carbonite, or Blackmagic ATEM systems.
IP Video & Protocols: Expert knowledge of modern video transport workflows, including NDI, SRT, RTMP, and traditional SDI workflows.
The "Live" Mindset: Exceptional reaction time and spatial awareness. Ability to listen to the producer, watch multiple monitor screens, and punch the next shot perfectly on beat.
Problem Solver under Pressure: A proactive troubleshooter who always has a "Plan B" (and Plan C) mapped out in the routing switcher if a piece of gear fails mid-show.
Team Collaborator: Ability to work seamlessly alongside the Audio Engineer, Graphics Producer, and Associate Producer to create a synchronized, ego-free control room environment.

Responsibilities

Physically operate the production switcher during the daily live broadcast, executing clean cuts and video effects instantly on the Senior Producer's call.
Configure and maintain the control room architecture, building and saving custom macros, registers, and snapshots to ensure the daily look of the show is consistent and easily retrievable.
Manage all incoming and outgoing signals, coordinating the seamless integration of remote guests via Zoom, etc., ensuring low-latency video and mix-minus audio are locked before going live.
Monitor video and audio levels throughout the broadcast to ensure compliance with premium streaming standards, acting as the primary gatekeeper against frame drops, stream lag, or audio syncing issues.
Oversee the studio’s physical technical infrastructure, including robotic cameras (PTZ), lighting grids, encoders, and hardware/software updates.
Diagnose and resolve technical failures (e.g., dropped remote feeds, frozen graphics engines, signal loss) mid-broadcast without interrupting the viewer experience.
Manage the master recording configuration, ensuring clean and dirty cuts of the broadcast are properly encoded, archived, and handed off to the post-production and social teams.