Dave Williams

Sr. Internal Communications Specialist@DWillESPN

Where to start??....Born in the now famous Scranton, PA (thank you "The Office") I graduated from The Pennsylvania State University, WE ARE...PENN STATE, and spent some time working in local news before joining ESPN in 2000. Happy to see that we survived the Y2K Bug, I settled into my role as a studio technician and was operating camera for SportsCenter within an hour of my first day on the job. It was a very surreal experience then and continues to be so today. I've operated camera for just about every show we have and also worked as an editor cutting the highlights, teases, and specialty segments that run across all of our programs. My legacy as an editor lies with a clip I produced of Skip Bayless' head exploding. Hold your applause. For the past three years I've worked in ESPN's Corporate Communications where I've brought my television production background into a traditionally non-production environment in order to create multimedia content for our Internal Communications platform, ITK, as well as ESPNFrontRow.com There's no place like ESPN, I've had opportunities here that I could have only dreamed of when I used to get ready for school and watch SportsCenter over and over even though I knew it was a re-air. As an avid sports fan, ESPN is as close as I will ever get to the sports I grew up watching and continue to be passionate about. I've had a front row seat to the center of the sports world (pun intended) for 11 years now and I don't plan on giving it up anytime soon

Recent Posts

posted by on November 14, 2012 8:00 AM

Time to do the ‘dishes’: What it’s like to clean ESPN’s satellite antennas?

If there’s one universal chore that we all dreaded as kids — and some of us still hide from as a adults — it’s probably doing the dishes.

On ESPN’s Bristol Campus, we’ve got dishes of a different sort that need to be cleaned once in awhile. But these aren’t the kind you can just put in the dishwasher and walk away. Ours are satellite antennas — giant satellite antennas that can withstand winds up to 125 mph under certain circumstances — that ESPN uses to distribute content to 256 million households and 190 countries and territories.

So what does it take to clean these 23 dishes and how do we make sure these’s no signal loss to our fans while we do it? Front Row found out. And it wasn’t a chore, it was actually pretty fun, though somehow our reporter ended up in a bird bath along the way.

Video produced by Tonya Malinowski.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on August 1, 2012 7:00 AM

Arkansas’ untouchable duo of Wilson and Davis beats ESPN’s best defenses

Recently, University of Arkansas football players Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis visited our Bristol, Conn. campus as part of the ESPN Car Wash.

Working with ESPN’s Talent Producers, we set up a quick pick-up game of flag football with Tyler and Knile that gave some of our employees a first-hand experience of what it’s like to “compete” against the athletes we spend most of our time discussing.

So who won?

Let’s just say that most of us should stick to our jobs of covering the athletes from the sidelines instead of covering them on the field of play. Even in a pick up game, there’s just no comparison.

Note: I’m the guy in the green taking a face plant in the last part of the video. I still say I would have made the play if I had a pair of cleats on.

Video produced by Dave Williams

Filed in: Behind The Scenes, Today on Campus

posted by on June 5, 2012 11:09 AM

Inside Studio G’s transformation
into our EURO 2012 hub

Executive producer Jed Drake had a vision for ESPN’s studio coverage of UEFA EURO 2012 that he shared nearly a year ago with creative director Noubar Stone.

Drake’s goal was to capture the atmosphere of host countries Poland and Ukraine in the set design while incorporating the graphic animations used in the television presentation.

How did Stone and his team do it? The short answer is creativity and dedication. The long answer entails utilizing some 1,800 square feet of studio real estate (Studio G on ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., campus) that normally belongs to NASCAR Now and a few other shows covering a variety of sports.

Ultimately, by bringing in custom set pieces inspired by the host countries, ESPN will give fans a studio presentation befitting the enormity of the event.

As you see from the above video, Stone and his team have created a compelling setting adorned with everything from alternate skyline backdrops to border crossing posts and cobblestone flooring. continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on May 7, 2012 6:05 PM

Previewing Greeny: The Dance

When most NCAA college basketball brackets fell apart, people trash them and move forward. No harm. No foul.

Well, that’s not the case for Mike & Mike in the Morning co-host Mike Greenberg.

Tuesday at 8:15 a.m. on the show (on ESPN Radio and simulcast on ESPN2), Greenberg will have to pay for losing the annual “Mike and Mike Sheets of Integrity Challenge” to co-host Mike Golic. continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on May 4, 2012 2:46 PM

Follow NFL legend Jim Brown through the ESPN Car Wash

What’s it like to follow a legend?

It’s a question Andrew Luck and David Robertson will have to answer in the NFL and MLB replacing the likes of Peyton Manning and Mariano Rivera, respectively.

But by watching the video above, you can know what it’s like to follow a legend — minus all the pressure to replace him. continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes, Waxing On The Car Wash

posted by on May 1, 2012 4:30 PM

Go behind the scenes of an E:60 shoot with Red Sox legend Oil Can Boyd

Tonight at 7 ET on ESPN, Emmy Award-winning E:60 profiles former Boston Red Sox star pitcher Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd.

Buster Olney, senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com and analyst for Baseball Tonight, got Boyd to discuss his 10-year career in the majors, the majority of them in Boston.

Among other things, Boyd discusses his battles with cocaine and what happened the night he was told he wouldn’t start Game 7 of the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets. See an excerpt of the interview by clicking here.

In the video above, Front Row gains unique access to Olney’s mid-April sit-down with Boyd, shot in the McCoy Stadium locker room of the Pawtucket (R.I.) Red Sox, Boston’s Triple-A farm team.

Check out ESPN Images photos in the gallery below.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on April 26, 2012 11:50 AM

Bump and Run: Wes Welker

In light of what Wes Welker has accomplished in his pro football career, it seems stunning that he was not selected during the 2004 NFL Draft.

Since joining the New England Patriots prior to the 2007 season, the speedy wide receiver has caught 554 passes — including 122 last season.

Yet only one team — the Chicago Bears — invited the former Texas Tech star to a pre-draft workout in 2004. Welker eventually joined the San Diego Chargers as a free agent, only to be waived shortly after making the roster, and played a few seasons with the Miami Dolphins before being traded to the Patriots.

In the video above, Welker talks about the experience of watching the NFL Draft — the 2012 edition’s first round airs tonight on ESPN beginning at 8 p.m. ET — when you’re a college prospect. continue reading…

Filed in: Bump And Run, Waxing On The Car Wash

posted by on April 6, 2012 12:31 PM

O’Brien excels at transition game, moving from college hoops to MLB

Dave O’Brien has been busy these last few weeks.

One of ESPN’s primary men’s and women’s college basketball play-by-play announcers, O’Brien started this week the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Denver, including Baylor’s national championship victory over Notre Dame.

How is O’Brien, who also calls games for the Boston Red Sox, following that up?

He’ll call his first ESPN baseball game of the season tonight at 7 ET as the San Francisco Giants visit the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’ll be joined by Nomar Garciaparra and Mark Mulder, who is making his regular-season debut in the booth on ESPN’s telecast.

In the video above, we caught up with O’Brien to get his take on the start of the baseball season, how he manages his travel schedule and former Red Sox manager and current ESPN analyst Terry Francona‘s new job.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on March 23, 2012 4:20 PM

Bump and Run: Bo Jackson

Sports legend Bo Jackson visited ESPN’s Bristol campus Thursday to promote his planned 300-mile bike ride across Alabama in April.

Under the BoBikesBama banner, Bo is making the five-day trek to raise funds for Alabama areas ravaged by tornados last spring. He graciously appeared on several ESPN platfoms, including SportsCenter, Both Sides Of The Ball, and SportsNation.

Growing up, I was a huge fan of the former NFL, MLB and Auburn University star. I owned a pair of the yellow-and-gray Bo Jackson crosstrainers; I was in the old Yankee Stadium with my dad on May 19, 1990 when Bo — as a member of the Kansas City Royals — snapped a baseball bat over his larger-than-life left thigh.

It was a rush to meet the two-sport star who awed the sports world in the 1980s and 90s.

In the video above, Bo talks about his experiences at ESPN, how his family keeps him humble, and why the charity bike ride is important to him.

Filed in: Bump And Run, Today on Campus

posted by on January 5, 2012 3:46 PM

Bump and Run: Emeril Lagasse

Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse came to ESPN’s Bristol campus to talk sports, “kick it up a notch” with ESPN’s employees and to discuss the Gulf Coast Seafood and Tourism Bash presented by BP.

A native of Fall River, Mass. Emeril now spends most of his time in the bayou and has developed a love for the New Orleans Saints and LSU Tigers.

The Tourism Bash will be showcased in New Orleans at the wildcard playoff matchup as the Saints take on the Detroit Lions on Sat., Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. and the Allstate BCS National Championship between LSU and Alabama on Mon., Jan. 9 (ESPN, ESPN3 8 p.m.). It was also featured at the Nokia Sugar Bowl this past week.

During Lagasse’s “Car Wash” on Jan. 4, Front Row caught up with him to discuss what makes good gumbo, who he’d like to co-host a show at ESPN with and much more.

Check out the video above as Emeril’s cooking skills were only matched by his love and knowledge for sports.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes, Waxing On The Car Wash