Kevin Ota

Director of Communications, Digital Media ESPN Communications@ESPNKevinO

Simply put, I am a sports junky and a tech nerd. I readily admit those facts. But lucky for me, it’s the perfect combination for my job overseeing strategic communications for ESPN’s digital and mobile platforms, which include ESPN.com, ESPN Local sites, ESPN3, ESPN mobile web and apps, digital audio, interactive and social games, fantasy sports, and more. I’m a San Francisco Bay Area native who roots for the A's and 49ers. But above all else, I’m a USC alum rooting for all Trojans throughout the NFL, MLB and even the few hanging on in the NBA. Fight On!

Recent Posts

posted by on May 14, 2013 12:00 PM

espnW Hackathon winners get a VIP tour of the Bristol campus

By now you’ve heard and read countless times — on this blog and elsewhere — about how ESPN and our campus here in Bristol, Conn., is a great place to work. Every week we host world-class athletes and other famous people from sports and entertainment, which is just part of the appeal. But, every so often, we have guests on campus who bring a slightly different perspective, appreciation and enthusiasm for this place.

Such was the case last week, when the winners of the espnW Hackathon — Ditaya Das, Divya Natesan and Pooja Gada, all Carnegie Mellon University grads — spent a day with us in Bristol. Their visit was part of their grand prize award, which included a VIP tour of campus and an ESPN meet-and-greet with leaders of ESPN’s Digital Media and espnW teams, including presentation of their “iSports” app, which won the competition last fall.

Check out their version of an ESPN “Car Wash” in the video above.

Video produced by Ariel Bond

Filed in: Behind The Scenes, ESPN Technology, espnW

posted by on April 4, 2013 12:51 PM

IFTTT’s ESPN Channel helps fans create ‘recipes’ to get the latest customized sports news and alerts

Examples of IFTTT recipes for sports fans using ESPN alerts and social media

Examples of IFTTT recipes for sports fans using ESPN alerts and social media. (Courtesy IFTTT)

We all know about recipes for cooking, and we’ve heard about recipes for success. But a recipe for customizing your own mobile alert system for sports scores? Not so much.

That’s changed now as ESPN Digital Media has teamed up with a company called IFTTT, which stands for “if this, then that” to develop the ESPN Channel. continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on March 7, 2013 2:49 PM

ESPN Digital Media Report: Measuring across platforms

ESPN.com on an IPad

ESPN.com on an iPad (Photo illustration by Hannah Worster)

Last week, ESPN released its first Digital Audience Report, based on comScore’s new Multi Platform (Beta) data for January.

Measuring consumption of digital content across platforms is important to ESPN’s business partners, but it is also vital to serving sports fans anytime, anywhere.

As part of our continuing dialogue with ESPN Research, Front Row checked in with Dave Coletti, Vice President, Digital Media Research and Analytics.

Your team has been working internally and with comScore for years to develop insight into how sports fans consume content across platforms. But this is the first time you’ve released a report of this kind. Why now?
It’s the first time we’ve had cross-platform data coming from a third-party source. Like you mentioned, for years we’ve used our internal analytics data to provide insight on user behavior across devices and platforms. Until comScore released their January Multi Platform data, there hadn’t been a research company publishing such information. That is hugely important, as it allows the media, ad agencies, marketers and the like to finally have the ability to evaluate the totality of ESPN’s digital audience, not just look at it in small pieces.

What does last week’s report tell us about ESPN Digital Media? continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on March 5, 2013 12:15 PM

ESPN’s storytelling resonates with nearly 2.5 million page views for Wright Thompson’s feature on Michael Jordan

Wright Thompson's profile of Michael Jordan is available on ESPN.com and will appear in ESPN The Magazine.

Wright Thompson’s profile of Michael Jordan generated nearly 2.5 million page view across ESPN.com and ESPN mobile web sites.

As numbers go, Michael Jordan at 50 years old is huge.

Not just for Jordan, but for many sports fans who never realized he — or we — could be that old. Wright Thompson’s feature story, Michael Jordan Has Not Left the Building, which appeared on ESPN.com and in ESPN The Magazine last month, captured this sentiment in a way that resonated with readers.

In fact, since the piece was published Feb. 15, it has created big numbers of its own, pulling in nearly 2.5 million page views across ESPN.com and ESPN mobile web sites, while engaging readers two to three times as long as the typical ESPN.com article.

Another huge number: Thompson’s article is nearly 8,000 words, making it a “long form” piece of journalism, which continues to be an important form of content for ESPN’s Digital and Print Media group as it continues to explore new and better ways to tell stories. (Another example hit ESPN.com today with Don Van Natta Jr.’s His Game, His Rules, on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.)

ESPN's Patrick Stiegman (Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)

ESPN’s Patrick Stiegman (Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)

We checked in with Patrick Stiegman, ESPN.com Editor-in-Chief, for more insight on ESPN’s approach to feature storytelling across platforms.

What is it about long form articles that resonates with ESPN’s readers?
It’s all about storytelling. “Long-form” is really an outdated term, especially in a digital age. Our emphasis is not on story length or news hole or word count, it’s about writing a story for what it’s worth. A truly compelling narrative — and Wright’s piece on Michael Jordan is one of the most provocative, insightful, raw and revealing profiles you’ll ever read — is irresistible, whether it’s 1,000 words or 10,000 words. From the stunning illustrations by Mark Smith to the pitch-perfect headline to the gifted reporting and writing to the deft editing by our digital and print enterprise teams, Michael Jordan Has Not Left The Building was an exquisite example of one of the most challenging tasks a writer can face: Tell me something truly revelatory about one of the most famous people on the planet. Working with editors Jay Lovinger, Jena Janovy and Bruce Kelley, among others, Wright accepted that challenge, and quite frankly, crushed it.

It seems that more long form pieces have been featured recently on both ESPN.com and in The Magazine. Discuss the cross-platform approach. continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on January 15, 2013 8:00 AM

Inside ESPN Digital Media’s Third Annual Hackathon

Innovation, progression and the evolution of competition.

That sounds a lot like the X Games, but in this case we’re referring to ESPN’s third annual “Digital Media Hackathon,” held in Bristol, Conn. a few weeks back.

More than 85 ESPN developers, designers and engineers were given 48 hours to submit working prototypes of what could be ESPN’s next top-ranked digital product.

ESPN’s SC Feed, which launched last year, started development as the winner of ESPN’s first Hackathon.

This time, ESPN invited four Silicon Valley partners to its headquarters — Facebook, Klout, Social Flow, Twitter — and committed to making the winner into an actual ESPN digital product.

More than 150 initial ideas were submitted, and the top 15 were selected for the competition. Teams were spread across all parts of ESPN, including Bristol, Seattle, New York and Bangalore, India, with a panel of judges made up of the company’s top executives, including ESPN president John Skipper.

Certainly, the pressure was high and the competition was fierce. But like everything at ESPN, it was all in the name of innovation and serving sports fans whenever, wherever.

The video above takes you inside the process. Last year, Front Row went inside the second annual ESPN Digital Media Hackathon.

Third annual ESPN employee Hackathon. (Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)

Video produced by Tonya Malinowski.

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on December 21, 2012 1:00 PM

Two days, two ESPN Apps: Serving the sports fan anytime, anywhere

Shots from the ScoreCenter and SportsCenter Feed apps.

After Wednesday’s launch of an all-new ScoreCenter app for iOS and Android, on Thursday ESPN introduced a native app version of SportsCenter Feed for iPhone and iPad.

Like the web and mobile web version launched in September, the SC Feed app is a new way for fans to consume the hundreds of pieces of content produced by ESPN.com every day. Delivering sports news and information to fans in real-time, SC Feed can provide a “fire hose” of everything produced by the site, or a more narrow, personalized stream focused on favorite teams and leagues.

As for ESPN’s highly popular ScoreCenter app, it’s been completely redesigned and optimized for for iPhone 5, iPad and new Android devices. With a simplified navigation, as well as live, integrated Gamecasts and links to WatchESPN, the new ScoreCenter makes it easier than ever for fans to follow up-to-the-minute sports news and information wherever, whenever. The app also includes personalized scoreboards, alerts, breaking news and video highlights of their favorite teams and leagues from around the world.

We asked Ryan Spoon, ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Digital Product Development, to tell us more about the new apps.

What’s the most important thing for fans to know about each of them?
I believe that fans will recognize that each app serves a specific need beautifully, quickly and personally.

With ScoreCenter, we have redesigned the experience and look with an absolute focus on delivering scores, stats and information. Users can customize ScoreCenter with favorite teams and set alerts for breaking news, scores and so forth. It is available for both iOS and Android and tailored nicely for each platform.

The SportsCenter Feed is a brand new application and available on iOS for both iPhone and iPad. It focuses on delivering a real time, personalized sports feed across the wide array of ESPN’s content: articles, scores, blogs, videos, highlights, radio clips and more. Again, there’s a focus on personalization and an experience designed to thrive on each device — whether being used on iPhone, iPad or iPad Mini.

With each new app or major update it seems like we add more functionality and content, yet the navigation is simplified. What are the development challenges to making that happen? continue reading…

Filed in: Announcements, Behind The Scenes

posted by on December 21, 2012 8:00 AM

ESPN Digital Media covers the college football bowl season from all angles

Mid-American Conference Champion Northern Illinois will play in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. (Getty Images)

With nearly 30 football games to cover in a span of about two weeks, this is indeed “the most wonderful time of the year” for the ESPN.com team covering the college bowl season.

The ESPN College Bowls 2012-2013 homepage will provide preview and post-game content on every game, in addition to breaking news, features, columns, video and other elements. Coverage will include in-depth looks at all five BCS bowl games with an individual page dedicated to each game.

In addition, the ESPN College Football app, ScoreCenter app and ESPN mobile web will allow fans to access up-to-the-minute video clips, news and scores wherever they are, while ESPN’s 34-game bowl schedule will be available live through WatchESPN on computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox.

David Albright, Sr. Director of College Sports, spent a few minutes with Front Row to give us his take on ESPN’s digital bowl season coverage.

The bowl season is underway, but what are you most looking forward to over the next couple of weeks for ESPN.com?
First and foremost, I always look forward to the theatre that is the college football bowl season. Not every game ends up being competitive to the end but the volume improves the chances. Against that backdrop there is always potential for the unexpected to materialize and that’s a big part of what’s great for the fans and about the sport.

In addition to delivering those stories and highlights, ESPN.com also has planned feature content leading into each of the five BCS games. One example is a package of stories that will kick off our BCS coverage and examines college football dynasties and where Alabama might fit in should it win its third national championship in four seasons.

You’re a Northern Illinois grad. What’s the most important thing for unfamiliar fans to know about the Huskies, who face Florida State in the Jan. 1 Orange Bowl (ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio, 8:30 p.m. ET)? continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on December 11, 2012 1:15 PM

ESPN’s digital media metrics:
Are you engaged, or just clicking?

ESPN offers coverage on various devices and platforms.

Editor’s note: As the digital media industry continues its constant charge forward, measuring all things digital requires innovation and vision to match. We’ll check in with ESPN Research and Analytics occasionally to keep us up to speed.

The development of digital media is an important focus at ESPN because our digital products allow us to serve sports fans wherever they are, no matter what device they’re using — on the Web, on smartphones, on tablets, on game consoles, and in apps on iOS, Android or Windows platforms.

The way we measure the success of our digital media products is also important, not only in providing insight into how we can serve sports fans better, but to our business partners, as well.

We checked in with Dave Coletti, Vice President, Digital Media Research and Analytics, to learn more.

ESPN’s Dave Coletti.
(Joe Faraoni/ESPN)

We seem to be hearing more and more about the idea of “scale” in measuring digital audiences. What is your take on that?
The term “scale” can have many different meanings. In most cases “scale” is referring to the desire to aggregate a large amount of monthly unique visitors — the unduplicated number of people who visit a site in a given month. It’s a primary form of digital measurement for some publishers. I’d contend, though, that monthly unique visitors is a grossly incomplete metric. It doesn’t give us insight into the full picture of user behavior. How often do those users return to the site? How much time do they spend on it? Are those users consuming video? Audio?

At ESPN, we use a variety of metrics to evaluate the performance of our digital properties. Scale is important, but the value of our content lies in a much deeper understanding of how someone interacts with digital content. Merely counting how many peoplevisited as infrequently as once in a month certainly doesn’t reveal the full extent of that value.

For example, in November, comScore (a leading digital research provider) reported that ESPN accounted for 34 percent of all the time spent with websites in the online sports category. Not only did ESPN lead the category, but we also delivered a larger share than the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 sites combined. That’s a good level of “scale.”

Why is it so important to measure engagement, rather than just counting clicks or eyeballs? continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on November 15, 2012 12:53 PM

espnW Hackathon: Competition held to create digital products for female sports fans

PALO ALTO, Calif. — At first it seems like an odd mix: espnW at a “hackathon” in Silicon Valley encouraging digital media developers to use ESPN APIs.

But like many things at ESPN, sometimes when you try something new, stuff just clicks.

It turns out there is a symbiotic relationship between women technology developers and women sports fans. In fact, at the “espnW Hack Day at Stanford University” this past weekend — ESPN’s first ever external “hackathon” — it was confirmed that many female hackers and sports fans are one and the same.

Graduate students from Carnegie Mellon University, the espnW Hack Day winners, with ESPN representatives Laura Gentile (L), Marly Ellis (C) and Chris Jason (R). (ESPN)

With access to ESPN’s API platform and APIs from “espnW Hack Day” partners Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Twilio and others, more than 150 female developers and designers (plus a few men) came together to compete and create new digital products for female sports fans.

Participants formed 20 teams, creating entries that were judged by a seven-person panel made up of leaders from “Hack Day” partner companies, as well as Stanford.

“When we first thought of making our first external hackathon focused on women developers with espnW, there were doubts about the potential turnout,” said Chris Jason, Director of ESPN’s API Program.

“Obviously, those doubts were unfounded. The participation was overwhelming, and all the ideas and creativity were incredible.” continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes

posted by on October 10, 2012 8:00 AM

Your passport to Kenny Mayne’s Wider World Of Sports, Season 2

Editor’s note: The one-hour television special edition of Kenny Mayne’s Wider World Of Sports airs on ESPN2, Dec.11 at 10:00 pm ET. For more information, click here.

When you produce something really cool for the first time, like Kenny Mayne’s Wider World of Sports for ESPN.com, it’s all fun and games. But when you’re asked to do it all again, in six new countries with six equally quirky sports, the challenge becomes how do you top Season 1. Just ask Matt Doyle, the producer of WWOS Seasons 1 and 2.

In the interview below, Front Row asked Doyle about the making of Season 2 which has its premiere episode on ESPN.com’s Playbook and ESPN’s SportsCenter today.

You have a lot of fun creating WWOS, but it’s also a lot of work, right?
Absolutely. But don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of fun to be had on the trips. Organizing and producing six international shoots over a four-month span is definitely a challenge, but while the hours are long and the remote shoot locations can pose unique challenges, traveling with the same three guys for the past two seasons makes everything a lot easier. Kenny, myself, camera man Aaron Frutman, and camera man/audio technician Mike Andrus all know what needs to get done on each trip and we all work together to make it happen.

What’s new and different this season? continue reading…

Filed in: Behind The Scenes