Chris Strong, a four-time Sports Emmy Award recipient, was named Vice President, Specialist Operations in February of 2026.
Strong first came to ESPN in 2007 as a contracted Senior Operations Specialist, after more than a decade working in the business technology industry. He joined the staff full time in 2014 and steadily advanced through the organization, serving as Associate Director of Specialist Operations starting in December 2021 before being promoted to Director of Specialist Operations in October 2022.
In his current role, Strong oversees three core teams within ESPN’s Content Operations department. Together, these groups provide the operational foundation, technical expertise and innovative workflows that enable ESPN’s production teams to create content across the company’s platforms.
Over the course of his ESPN career, Strong has led or contributed to some of the most significant technical and operational milestones in the company’s history.
He spearheaded ESPN’s transition to 1080p HDR, and in turn the first production of Monday Night Football in 1080p, and is lead of operational planning for ESPN’s first Super Bowl. He conceived and launched ESPN Studios at 7 Hudson in New York City and designed the technical workflow for the ManningCast from its first season through its current run. Strong also led ESPN’s assumption of host, domestic and international coverage of the US Open Tennis Tournament from 2015 through 2025. Strong also made great strides during the COVID-19 Pandemic when he collaborated with colleagues to develop the Live from Home Commentary Kit, which helped restore programming to ESPN platforms. He also devised the remote-control workflow that brought Around the Horn back on air in the earliest days of the shutdown, a solution that would lay the groundwork for future remote and cloud-based production at ESPN.
Strong is a four-time Sports Emmy Award recipient, and he has spoken at industry conferences including the NAB Show in 2023 and the SVG Sports Cloud Production Forum in 2024.
Strong is committed to developing the next generation of broadcast professionals, speaking annually at Baylor University and his alma mater, Texas Christian University. He also mentors veterans transitioning from military service to civilian careers through American Corporate Partners.
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