On September 29, ahead of their online meeting, the FOWC hosted the discussion, Women in Sports Television. In a conversation moderated by Associate Director/Associate Producer Alanna Campbell, Directors Linda Malino Coppola (CBS Sports), Jennifer Morrison (NBC Sports), Bonnie Reilly (Freelance) Suzanne Smith (CBS Sports) and Associate Directors Adrienne Ford (CBS Sports) and Carol Larson (Freelance) spoke about how they started in live sports television and the obstacles they've faced, particularly as women in this field. Smith shared a clip of her and her team in the control room during a live football game and the panelists covered various aspects of sports television, including live events, studio programs, and commercial coordination and ended the panel by taking questions from the audience.
See video from this event in the gallery below.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
 Director Linda Malino Coppola
Malino Coppola is a Director and Producer with CBS Sports. Her 30 plus year career includes eight Super Bowls, countless Final Fours, five Olympic Winter Games and several years as a Feature Producer. She is a fourt-time Emmy award winner, and currently directs CBS’s College Football and NCAA Basketball studio programming, as well as NFL Monday QB, which brings together an elite roster of quarterbacks. Additionally, Malino Coppola shares directing duties on Nickelodeon’s NFL Slimetime. Malino Coppola has been a DGA member since 1990. |
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 Director Jennifer Morrison
Morrison is a Director for NBC Sports leading the live coverage of many events and support programming that airs through the NBC Sports’ facility in Stamford, CT. This summer she directed the prime-time coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for the USA Network. Currently she is one of the two primary directors of NBC’s national coverage of Premier League Soccer, which is broadcast across all NBC-owned platforms. Morrison has been a DGA member since 2020.
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 Director Bonnie Reilly
Reilly began her television career as a runner for ABC Sports. She would go on to have a 32-year long career at ESPN/ABC, where her resume included NBA, WNBA, MLB, College Football, Little League, College World Series, as well as America’s Cup and Auto Racing. She was released in January due to the pandemic but departed proudly as the only Staff Female Remote Director. She is currently a freelancer Director. Reilly has been a DGA member since 2008. |
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 Director Suzanne Smith
Smith is a Director and Producer for CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network and has been with CBS since 1983. A trailblazer in the industry since her start, she has worked on everything from Super Bowls to The Masters golf tournaments. Currently she is the only woman, for any network, directing NFL games. Recently, Smith served as the Director for CBS Sports and Nickelodeon’s groundbreaking, Emmy Award-winning NFL Wild Card game. Smith has been a DGA member since 1986. |
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 Associate Director Adrienne Ford
Ford is a 16-year veteran at CBS Sports where she has worked as a studio AD, coordinating AD, and animations producer. She was also appointed to the Inclusivity Advisory Council for CBS Sports which was created in response to an increased focus on workplace culture. Ford has been a DGA member since 2006 and serves on the Eastern AD/SM/PA Council. |
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 Associate Director Carol Larson
Larson is an Associate Director with over 35 years of experience in Sports Television mostly with NBC Sports both on Remotes and in the Studio. Her resume includes 14 Olympic Games, including acting as the Show AD on three Olympic Opening Ceremonies. She was the AD on the Pregame Show for three Super Bowls and spent 14 Seasons as the Show AD for Football Night in America, multiple NBA Finals, World Series, Stanley Cup finals. She has worked as both a Tape AD and Show AD on many different events. Larson has been a DGA member since 1991. |
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 Associate Director Alanna Campbell (moderator)
Campbell is a feature Producer and Associate Director for CBS Sports. She is a five-time Emmy Award-winner who primarily works on the NFL and college basketball where she’s covered 17 Final Fours, seven Super Bowls, five US Open Tennis Championships, and three Olympic Games in her 21-year career. In 2021, Campbell produced One Shining Moment at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, an episode of We Need to Talk, the only all-women-hosted national sports talk show, and is currently producing stories for The NFL Today. Campbell has been a DGA member since 2008. |
About the Committee:
Originally a sub-committee of the Eastern Directors Council, in 2020 the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) was designated an official and permanent committee of the DGA National Board for women members residing in the Eastern Region. The Committee would like to remind members that while their events are designed with a special focus on women directors, all DGA members are welcome to attend.