In this next installment for the South Florida Women’s Profile Series, I interviewed Shanon Irish, coordinating producer for “Inside the HEAT” —a 30-minute, documentary/biography-style television show on the Miami Heat basketball players.
The show profiles players and who they are off the court, where they’re from, their journey getting to the NBA, and their aspirations as basketball players. Irish is responsible for producing the show, which airs every three weeks during basketball season.
“I set up the scheduling with all our players and hosts, and I also create content for the show,” explains Irish. “We have four segment producers to edit the material, and once we review it for final cut, then we send it to Sun Sports to air on television.”
Irish received her bachelor of science degree in media production from Florida State University in 2004. Upon graduating, she walked into her dream job editing all of ESPN’s live shows (such as “SportsCenter” and “ESPN News”). As much as she loved the experience, she realized something was missing—her family. As a daughter, sister, and aunt, Irish longed for closer family ties and moved back to South Florida in search for another job opportunity. Her work garnered the respect of colleagues from ESPN, and she was recommended for position with “Inside the HEAT.”
“You can’t orchestrate that,” she told Gabrielle Bill of Career & the City about her choice to make the move. “It was really special and fortunate. I could have been unemployed for a long time.”
A little more than 10 years later, she is successful, happy, facing challenges head on every day, and is still being recognized for her passion and skill for production—yes, that’s Irish with five Emmy Awards.
“It is a very special honor that means the world to me. It’s the highest recognition we can get for our show. I’ve never actually seen them all together, because I gave my first one to my parents; I gave one to my aunt; and I have three at home, which is still amazing, but it was definitely a surreal moment to see them together [for this photo].”
She also has two championship rings, because Owner of the Miami Heat Micky Arison “believes everyone contributes and we create for the overall [working] environment, so it’s an honor to receive them to show appreciation by this sports organization,” says Irish about Arison’s decision to give rings to all Heat staffers.
“The Miami Heat is one of the best sports organization—especially in South Florida, and I believe this is true from being in the industry for a while and because our owner treats us with the utmost respect; he really takes care of us and recognizes our work.”
I asked Irish to give us a behind-the-scenes vantage point for her job and her creative process.
BeautyLens: What are some rewarding aspects of your job?
Shanon Irish: One player said, ‘That’s the best show anyone has ever done on me,’ and another player’s mom personally thanked us for documenting her son’s life in a unique way. Those kinds of comments are flattering. We gather everything we need to tell a player’s story, and this show goes beyond sound and visual … it’s photos with players, high school video footage, etc. It’s not a news piece. It’s almost like a keepsake for the players.
BL: How do you conceptualize these shows in order to make each one different?
SI: In the summertime, we will meet and collaborate as a unit and brainstorm concepts until we come up with a ‘wish list,’ and we present this list to our PR department. Then they give a yay or nay. If yay, then they will run it [concept] by the player for a green light. Every question we want to ask is done prior to the show in pre-production.
Everyone on our show has a voice—and an important voice—no idea is a bad idea. Even if we can’t do it the way it was envisioned, the complete product is always something to be proud of.
BL: Is there any part of the process that’s creatively restrictive or inhibiting?
SI: For the most part, we have a lot of creative freedom, because we do lots of research to figure out the best angle. We want Heat fans to know who the players are and where they come from, and the players are typically on board with the creative aspects or pieces that are ‘a little outside the box.’
With this creative freedom, it makes every day different and every season different. The ideas from the producer meetings morph into refined products. Sometimes we have logistic issues that change the concept; for example, not being able to film at a certain location because of weather.
Every day is a grind, but we are all a family and cherish each other, and that makes for a positive environment—that’s very satisfying. With my job, I love that every day I get to be creative and challenged. It takes away the staleness.
BL: In the male-dominant world of sports entertainment, do you feel like there is a prominent female voice and presence?
SI: The sports industry as a whole is male dominant, but there’s definitely been a shift.
The Miami Heat is very progressive as an organization. I think the production departments are stronger in female presence. The staff for “Inside the HEAT” is mostly women.
BL: How do you maintain a work/life balance?
SI: I’m fortunate that my position now allows for a regular schedule. The one thing I’m mindful of is workload management. I keep reminding myself that the work will be there tomorrow. That helps me personally, because I could stay late every day at work. There’s always so much to do; but at the end of the day, I put it down and step away from it—sometimes in order to have a fresh look at it. It’s not always easy, but it’s a process I still am getting used to after all these years.
BL: What’s next for your career?
SI: I just want to be the best at what I’m doing. I don’t necessarily want to start my own thing, or be at a different sports team, I just want to be creative and be the best version of me. There’s always another way to make myself better and grow with my job. Most importantly,
I am enjoying the space that I’m in, which is really loving my job and trying to work toward being a better version of me. Whether that’s being a better manager or coming up with versatile ideas, that’s what I strive for. I don’t have an answer for 10 years from now, because I haven’t allowed myself to think that way. I’m good. I’m happy.
Beauty Lens 