Jacksonville Athletics, Gemstone Media Announce Broadcasting Partnership

JACKSONVILLE (www.jaxsportsday.com) - Jacksonville University Athletics announced a partnership with Gemstone Media, Inc. to create a program that enables student experiential learning opportunities in conjunction with producing nearly 100 ESPN+ broadcasts per school year.

"Our collaboration with Gemstone Media will greatly elevate our ESPN broadcasts while simultaneously providing our students the opportunity to gain professional skills while studying here at JU," said Deputy AD/COO Rick Canter.

"Gemstone Media's secret sauce is our amazingly talented team. By establishing trust, collaboration, and ongoing communication with the JU students, we can create and surpass the magic our clients may expect from their live sports production," says Gemstone Media President Philip L. Green. "When student engagement and professional skills training is done properly, it has a powerful and lasting effect."

GMI has been involved with broadcast production of sporting events at JU for many years, and the formalization of the partnership allows for GMI to continue to build its on-campus initiatives, which provide students with a platform to learn the ropes of sports production in the context of live TV broadcasts. GMI's experienced professional television crew works hand-in-hand with students, engaging them in real-time broadcasting experiences. That, in turn, ensures that students are actively involved in every aspect of live broadcasts.

JU has annually produced a multitude of ESPN Digital broadcasts, covering 10 different sports, since the inception of the Atlantic Sun Conference-ESPN partnership back in the fall of 2014. The collaboration with GMI allows for JU to continue to improve the quality and quantity of the broadcasts produced, while also giving students valuable hands-on training in a variety of skills related to live sports production, which provides valuable lessons about dedication and professionalism that can yield real world rewards, according to GMI CEO and Founder George Birnbaum.