New York, NY,January23,2019 — CP Communications, a leader in innovative solutions and services for live event productions, has appointed Jerry Gepner as Chief Operating Officer. Reporting to CEO Kurt Heitmann, Gepner will drive strategic and business development efforts to help transform the company into a broader media-centric solutions provider that goes beyond its core broadcast focus.
CP Communications has long been an industry leader in RF content acquisition for live production. The company provides services and solutions for many of world’s largest annual sports and live broadcast events, including the World Series, Super Bowl and the U.S. Open, the annual open championship of golf.
Gepner’s appointment comes at a time of aggressive growth for CP Communications, including an increased focus on IP, cloud solutionsand bonded cellular technologies for content acquisition and streaming using its Red House Streaming solutions. Gepner will oversee the continued development of the Red House Streaming solutions offering, including the addition of new services and technologies that serve a broader array of platforms and customers.
“The broadcast and production industry’s acceleration towards an IP infrastructure has opened new business models and opportunities for content producers and distributors, as well as suppliers and service providers,” said Gepner. “CP Communications has provided contentacquisition services for broadcasters at the premier level for three decades, and is well-positioned to spread its expertise into adjacent markets. My background in senior management, finance, technology, and services, including a strong awareness of marketplace dynamics, offers the tools we need to collaboratively grow the CP Communications business with our employees, customers and partners.”
Gepner brings extensive experience to his new role, with proven success in creating and implementing transformative strategies for mid-sized technology businesses. He has held diverse executive-level positions of increasing responsibility with industry suppliers, broadcast networks and service providers over nearly three decades. This includes several years as EVP Field Operations and Engineering for FOX Sports, and CEO of The Vitec Group’s Services Division. He most recently served as CEO of Tekserve and T2 Computing, which were acquired by Axispoint, Inc. in 2017.
Gepner is also a successful entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of Sportvision, the Silicon Valley company that created products ubiquitous in televised sports today. Sportvision, acquired by SMT in 2016, created innovations that include First & Ten®, the virtual first down line used in American football, Racef/x®, the GPS-based auto tracking and data systems for NASCAR, and the Emmy-winning K-Zone® for baseball broadcasts. He is also a five-time Emmy Award winner for technical excellence in sports production.
“Jerry’s impressive track record demonstrates the rare ability to transform niche businesses, opening them to a broader marketplace, leveraging new technologies, business strategies, and organizational structures to build something new and exciting,” said Heitmann. “We’re pleased to welcome him to CP Communications in this important role as he helps to lead the company into its next era of growth and profitability.”
AboutCP Communications
For more than three decades, CP Communications has provided high-quality, cost-effective live event production solutions to major broadcasters, sports leagues and teams, and event and production companies. Our solutions include access to experienced professionals, state of the art equipment, and innovative technologies and techniques for wireless audio & video content acquisition, transport and delivery. Our culture of innovation, coupled with the highest quality assurance standards and passion for customer service, promote collaboration with our clients to determine the best custom solution for each live event, whether it’s the U.S. Open, Super Bowl, World Series, Kentucky Derby, Tony Awards, or a political convention, corporate conference, fashion show, parade or marathon. CP Communications offers six HDRF Mobile Production trucks, two ENG Vans, five motorcycles, and a full-service machine shop, and offers a custom design for each event from box rentals through to turnkey production solutions.
