NESN Hires Former FSN, ESPN Exec Joseph Maar

NESN announced today that they have hired former FOX Sports North Coordinating Producer and ESPN Coordinating Director and Dir of Operations Joseph Maar as their new vice president of programming & production, executive producer.

Here is their full release:

BOSTON, MA – NESN, New England’s most watched sports network, announced today that Joseph Maar has joined NESN as the vice president of programming & production, executive producer. Maar’s responsibilities will include leading, overseeing and managing NESN’s production, programming and network operations teams.

Maar comes to NESN with over 25 years of experience in the sports media industry, leading and developing the operational, logistical and creative aspects of studio and remote event productions. In his most recent position at FOX Sports North (FSN) regions based out of Minneapolis, Maar led the redevelopment of their original programming. He oversaw live events, studio shows, interactive projects, second screen media and new channel initiatives for two FOX regional sports networks across a five-state region of the Upper Midwest. The telecasts Maar oversaw included the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers (MLB), the Minnesota Wild (NHL), the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks (NBA), the University of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Vikings (NFL).

“Joseph has a rare combination of experiences in live sports, original programming, production, operations, and social media that he’ll bring to the management team at NESN,” said Sean McGrail, NESN’s President and CEO. “We’re thrilled to have someone of Joseph’s caliber join the management team at NESN.”

Prior to working at FSN, Maar worked in ESPN’s Original Entertainment division and helped launch 20 new shows including Pardon The Interruption (PTI) and Around The Horn. Throughout his career he has received three national Emmy Awards, three Telly Awards and over two dozen regional Emmys. In addition, for over a dozen years Maar wrote feature stories and a monthly print column on television production and operations for national trades Television Broadcast and SportsTV Production. He is an oft-requested moderator and panelist at national television industry conventions.

”I am very excited at the opportunity to work with the storied franchises of the Boston Red Sox and Bruins, combined with the tiffany reputation of the programming and staff at NESN,” said Maar.  “I’m equally grateful to serve a network with such a high commitment to volunteerism and charity–something that speaks to my core values.”

Maar is an honors graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also taught for eight years as an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He will be relocating to Boston with his wife and three children this summer.

Maar actually announced he was joining NESN last week on his Twitter account:

Let’s hope this leads to some improved programming from NESN.