The NFL has completed the reorganization of its media group, promoting one executive and hiring three others to help its linear and digital sides work together more effectively.
The league promoted Mike Muriano to executive producer for studio and remote content, taking over most of the role that was vacated by Eric Weinberger, who left to join Bill Simmons’ The Ringer in February. The league also hired Michael Mandt as executive producer of original content, David Nickoll as executive producer of NFL Now and Rick Qualliotine as vice president of emerging production platforms.
“The challenge here is that it’s not just television anymore,” said Mark Quenzel, NFL Network’s senior vice president of programming and production. “We’re all trying to figure out how to engage fans and customers.”
The new structure was evident in NFL Network’s Culver City, Calif., offices last week, as Muriano led a meeting to plan for the group’s NFL draft coverage.
In past years, such a meeting would have just focused on NFL Network. This year, the meeting included executives from NFL Network (coordinating producer Charlie Yook), NFL.com (programming director Henry Hodgson) and the NFL’s social media space (social content director Dave Feldman). The idea is to create programming for digital that does not look like programming on television, even if the same on-air talent is used for both.
“Digital is part of everything that we do now,” Muriano said. “We need to leverage each other to get more expansive coverage.”
The group’s new structure fits the image of Jordan Levin, an executive the league hired last June as chief content officer, even though he had no sports experience. Levin hired Nickoll, who had been a lead writer on Craig Ferguson’s late night CBS talk show, and Mandt, whose experience also extends outside of sports. The idea is to tell stories with the league’s characters.
“Initially, I was reluctant to come on board because I hadn’t been an NFL fan for years,” Nickoll said.
Nickoll has developed NFL Now programming that feels like late night comedy skits, such as when Dave Dameshek did a “State of the NFL” at the same time President Obama was giving the real State of the Union. Nickoll also quickly rolled out a list of NFL meltdowns soon after Jordan Spieth lost the Masters this year.
“We’re really trying to be more of a reflection of what’s happening in the social media and YouTube space,” he said.
