UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A pair of recent Penn State graduates will be working at one of the world’s most famous golf tournaments this week, helping ESPN produce coverage of the Masters.
Mike Esse, an associate producer, and Maddie Brightman, a content associate, will be part of the sizable contingent of ESPN personnel on site in Augusta, Georgia, for the event. The network’s coverage includes the Masters Par 3 Contest on Wednesday as well as the tournament’s first and second rounds on Thursday and Friday.
Coverage will be available on cable, online with streaming services and through the ESPN app.
Esse and Brightman earned journalism degrees in 2015 and 2017, respectfully. They are members of the production team — working pretty much side by side in one of ESPN's production trucks — for the tournament preview show and “SportsCenter at the Masters” live broadcasts from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday. They also support all Masters “SportsCenter” programming during the week and weekend.
Their specific duties include tape producing for all shows and crafting pre-round coverage, in-round highlights and sound, and post-round highlights and sound.
Both were active on campus at Penn State and with the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. Esse and Brightman also advanced to leadership roles with CommRadio, the internet-based radio station housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, and served as the station’s general manager during their undergraduate years.