His vision is what you see
-By Mike Moore-
DETROIT — Mark Iacofano has the best job in the world, just ask any of his friends.
“They tell me that all the time,” Iacofano says with a smile and a quick shake of the head. “They think I work about four hours a day and see every Tigers’ game of the season. It’s pretty funny.”
And accurate — somewhat.
“I certainly work more than they think,” Iacofano says, standing just outside Comerica Park on a warm and sunny July afternoon. It’s roughly 4:30 p.m., and he “punched in” more than three hours ago to begin a routine he’s very accustom to, one he’s done nearly every day of summer since 1998.
You may have heard him mentioned before, although his face is as unrecognizable as his last name can be difficult to pronounce. But without his work, without him doing the job his friends think so highly of, well, those next-day discussions about last night’s game would be limited to only those lucky enough to have been in attendance.
~~The man behind the curtain~~
Iacofano has been to thousands of Red Wings games during his career, never once, as he explained, “have I sat inside Joe Louis to watch.” Instead, during those winter months he holds down the same seat he is on this July 8 afternoon, in the far side of the FOX Sports Detroit production truck.
His job title is producer, but in reality he’s a maestro, conducting his grand opera in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers on a nightly basis.
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Mark Iacofano has produced Tigers and Red Wings games since
1997 for Fox Sports Detroit.
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“In a way, my vision is what people watching at home see,” said Iacofano, a Lake Orion resident who’s been with FS Detroit since its inception in 1997 and produces Red Wings and Tigers games. “People don’t realize the work that goes into putting a game on the air. From the office personal, to the stage manager to the commentators to the people in the truck, it’s a complete team effort every time.”
But he’s the leader, the man with the “C” on his shirt, if you will.
For a 7:05 p.m. game, Iacofano is usually at Comerica by 1 p.m.
“We’ll fire up the truck, camera’s and anything else we need,” he explained. “Whatever preproduction material we’re going to use, we’ll start working on. We build graphics, gather sound bites from players and coaches, line up highlights and introductions, prepare the audio clips … Essentially everything we are going to possibly use during the broadcast is done beforehand.”
Most of that is completed before the crew of 30-40 takes its lunch break around 4:30 p.m.
After dining, things kick into another gear.
“I’ll talk with Mario (Impemba) and Rod (Allen) about the pregame elements, what they’re going to discuss and the kinds of graphics they’ll need,” Iacofano said. “We’ll rehearse the pregame show, dot our i’s and cross all our t’s.”
~~Still gets that rush~~
Iacofano has been in this position more than a thousand times, a with every passing second, the moment that FS Detroit theme song will be cued draws closer. The adrenaline and nerves are still there, though, even some 11 summers after the first broadcast.
“Once that red light goes on you get that rush,” Iacofano said, smiling. “We want people at home to feel like they have the best seat in the building.”
While he oversees the activities of 20-30 people in the production truck, cues replays, graphics, stat boxes, camera angles, audio and everything in between, Iacofano summed up his job as simply as he could by saying, “I try to make Mario and Rod look as good as possible.”
He’s in constant communication with the tandem throughout the game. He’ll inform them of graphics about to appear on screen, describe when or what type of replay is set to roll, or do his best to accommodate a request from the broadcast booth.
“Anything and everything we do well starts with Mark,” Impemba said. “The toughest part of a broadcast for us is juggling all the different things we have to take care of, on top of talking about a baseball game. He’s the guy that keeps us focused and on track. He keeps this ship steering in the right direction.”
“He gets it,” Allen said of Iacofano. “A great leader. A great communicator, and he understands what it takes to do this. … We’re at a point now where he’ll know exactly what kind of replay to send me without me even asking.”
~~From the field to the truck~~
“I always wanted to be a major league player,” Iacofano explained of his career, which included time on the University of Dayton team. “Then when I was 22 I essentially had a scout tell me I couldn’t run and I couldn’t hit.”
With one door closing, the window of television soon fired open.
He spent the last two years of college taking courses in television production and received Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. He worked in a number of small markets at first, using internships and less glamorous jobs as away to move ahead.
“You have to cut your teeth and learn the business,” he laughed. “Experience is everything.”
And it’s been the experiences he’s enjoyed over the years that make the long nights and road trips — Iacofano is one of eight staff members to travel with the team — worth every minute.
“I’ll never forget (Justin) Verlander’s no-hitter a couple season’s ago and how crazy it was trying to juggle replays and capture the emotion on the field,” Iacofano said. “In 2006 when they clinched the playoffs in Kansas City, I was talking to Mario and Rod and trying to figure out the locker room scene and who we’d interview next. … Sometimes the more hectic things are the more fun it all is.”
He spoke with a certain pride while describing the job he has. He also did so in a way that gave some credence to his friends and just how they think of him.
“It’s tough to argue their premise,” Iacofano said, before pausing. “I feel like I do have the best job in the world.”
This story was originally published with C&G News Aug. 5. To see that version, please Click here
Mike Moore can be reached at mjm12@albion.edu
