Behind-the-scenes: Meet Gemma

Meet Gemma

For the UEL Final 2022, Gemma, who has been part of the Media Production department since 2019, took on the additional role of Media Rights Holder Services Manager. Leading the broadcaster servicing team onsite, she, alongside seven other women from UEFA and TEAM were responsible for operations at the UEL Final.

Gemma and her team managed bookings for more than 50 broadcasters and radio rights holders, where the process of allocating, arbitrating and assigning facilities can be a bit like completing a complex jigsaw puzzle. They must secure feeds, time slots and positions. As much as possible is planned in advance to help minimise the inevitable complexity and chaos onsite. Once onsite, her team operates the Welcome Desk of the Broadcast Compound, coordinating media partner arrivals, distributing forms/technical equipment, trouble-shooting any issues that may arise and ensuring a solution is found. They are also going back and forth between the Broadcast Compound, confirming the ever-changing plans, and in the stadium, supervising all activities.   

• Her schedule onsite looks like: Arriving four days before the match, her days were filled with accommodating last-minute requests for facilities and coordinating broadcaster activities, such as pitch-side interviews, onsite filming and trophy requests. On Matchday, her team ensured media partners were on time, in place and there were no issues. Her work on Matchday didn’t end until hours after the match (which went into overtime and then penalties) concluded, when all broadcasters had returned the technical items that were distributed.
• Skills needed: ability to anticipate all potential issues, follow intuition/common sense, willingness to find a solution, capacity to have the whole picture of what’s going on
• Biggest challenge: The last ten minutes of the match are the most intense, with broadcasters contacting the team with requests for Flash interviews, which are those that occur immediately post-match. In less than ten minutes, the team must allocate which broadcaster can interview whom and when. They must consider the language of the reporter and the language of the player. The Flash period lasts about an hour, with 18 broadcasters on the pitch interviewing players and coaches. Factors like a match that goes into overtime, or the winning team celebrating too long in the locker room, can all delay the interviews and must be dealt with.
• Biggest reward: “After working together all year, the broadcasters really become like family. It’s wonderful to finally be onsite with them, share in their success and support this amazing event.”