How my early years at CNN Sports and the Atlanta Hawks explain why automation gives today’s creators more time, more flexibility, and more room to tell great stories.
Sports content used to require hours of tape logging, manual sorting, and late-night edits before a single moment of storytelling could begin. Today, WSC Sports automates that entire foundation, giving editors and creators time to focus on ideas, voice, and narrative. Looking back at the early years shows how much the industry has progressed and why automation matters for every team that wants to reach fans with personalized, timely content.
Key Takeaways
-What’s in this article: A personal story about learning to edit highlights at CNN Sports as a teenager in the 1980s and my first encounter with Glenn “Doc” Rivers while producing the Atlanta Hawks season film.
-What developed from that experience: Creating content in that era required weeks of manual tape work, detailed organization, and long nights before storytelling could begin. Producing the Hawks film helped me understand how much effort went into building the foundation of any highlight reel.
-The WSC Sports connection: today, our platform now automates everything that slowed creators down in the past. It gives editors back their time, makes content more scalable, and creates room for deeper storytelling.
The Early Days at CNN Sports
In the summer of 1983, the NBA draft took place. At that time, I was still a teenager working at CNN Sports on Techwood Drive in Atlanta. I walked into the newsroom every day with the feeling that anything could happen. The tape decks were humming, producers were shouting across the room, and I felt like I had discovered the place where I belonged.
I learned to edit highlights on three-quarter-inch tape machines. There was no Command Z. Every edit mattered because whatever ended up in the show stayed there. It taught me responsibility, precision, and the importance of staying calm under pressure.
I was still attending high school in the morning and cutting highlights for a national network late at night. Those early years became my real apprenticeship. They taught me to trust my instincts and to recognize that storytelling can come from anyone willing to put in the work.
Meeting Glenn “Doc” Rivers at the Omni
My first major assignment arrived when the Atlanta Hawks asked me to produce their 1982-83 season highlight film. I still remember the feeling of walking into the Omni in downtown Atlanta. For a teenager, the building felt larger than life. It smelled like popcorn, concrete, and history.
Bill Needle, the Hawks PR director, greeted me with real warmth. Stan Kasten, the 31-year-old General Manager, made me feel like I had earned the seat I was sitting in. They explained the project. Every player would receive a dedicated segment that combined stats, storytelling, and a music-driven highlight piece.
Then Bill introduced me to a young guard who stood quietly near the wall. He had just been drafted early in the second round. His name was Glenn “Doc” Rivers. He was lean, focused, and carried the quiet confidence of someone who understood the work ahead of him.
I had no idea this rookie would become an NBA champion coach and one of the defining voices in the league. But I remember thinking that he carried himself like someone who planned to stay for a long time.
Producing that first highlight film required days and weeks of manual preparation. Every game came on two tapes, one for each half. An 82-game season meant roughly 164 tapes. If a game went into overtime, an extra tape would appear on my desk. Some games came with partial handwritten logs, but many arrived without any notes at all.
I watched every second and logged each moment myself. I built a b-roll for every player. I organized stacks of tapes across the room and created a system that only I understood. Only after all of this work could I begin shaping the actual story.
When the Hawks brought me back the following season for the 1983-84 year-ender, I finally had enough footage to create a dedicated music video segment for “Doc.” This became one of my favorite pieces from those early years because it captured both his growth and my own.
Actionable Insights
-Review your current workflow to identify which steps still require manual setup or organization.
-Track how many hours your editors spend preparing material compared to time spent storytelling.
-Explore automated tools that eliminate prep work, so your team can focus on creativity and output.
-Test personalized content variations to understand what resonates most with your fan base.
