Everything on the line – Part 1: Stepping Stones with junior TV production manager at the German Football Association Gina Mühlfeld on the thrill of live production

Junior manager in TV production at the German Football Association (DFB), Gina Mühlfeld, working with the DFB in 2025 for a DFB-Pokal Women’s match at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg

Gina Mühlfeld is a junior manager in TV production at the German Football Association (DFB), the governing body of all types of football in Germany. Split into two parts, Part 1 looks at how Mühlfeld got into sports broadcasting, and why she is addicted to the rush that live sports broadcasting brings. Mühlfeld is being featured in Stepping Stones as one of our upcoming talents for International Women’s Day.

What is your job role today and what do you love about it?

Currently, I work as junior manager in TV production at the German Football Association (DFB). I’m part of a team of three and a half people (one team member working at 50%), and together, we are responsible for organising and coordinating all TV productions that the DFB oversees.

What I truly love about my role is the balance between office work and fieldwork. Some days, I’m in the office, focused on planning, while on other days, I’m out in the field, actively supporting and contributing to the production process. This combination ensures that no two days are alike, keeping the job dynamic and exciting.

I also greatly value the opportunity to collaborate with various departments and external partners. It’s fascinating to bring together different perspectives and coordinate all the moving parts required to make a production successful. It often feels like solving a complex puzzle, where you’re constantly working to fit the right pieces together at just the right time. The variety in my work keeps me engaged and challenged.

And of course, there’s the undeniable thrill of live television production; the rush of knowing that every decision needs to be made in real time, and everything is on the line. This level of responsibility and energy pushes me to perform at my best every time. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the results of our hard work in real-time broadcasts. The sense of accomplishment at the end of each successful production is amazing, as you can clearly see the tangible outcome of everything you’ve contributed to.

Junior manager in TV production at the German Football Association (DFB), Gina Mühlfeld, during her bachelor’s project – a music festival called diLive – in 2024 where she acted as the production manager and floor manager

What does your current job entail on a day to day basis?

My daily responsibilities are incredibly diverse. They include preparation meetings, post production reviews and pre-production site inspections to name some examples. Each day often brings a combination of league-level productions and larger, more complex projects, which keeps the work dynamic.

I rely heavily on detailed to-do lists and checklists to keep track of the various stages of production, ensuring that all processes run smoothly. Managing timelines, resources, and budgets is a big part of the role, so I regularly update schedules to reflect any changes.

Communication is a key element of my day-to-day routine. I’m constantly in touch with colleagues across different departments, whether to resolve issues, share updates, or gather information. I also work closely with external partners, such as broadcast teams and service providers, to coordinate logistics and troubleshoot problems in real time.

Can you talk us through your relevant education that helped you break into the sports broadcasting industry?

I originally studied Sound & Music Production at Hochschule Darmstadt, Germany, with the goal of becoming a music producer and songwriter. However, the programme offered much more than just music education; it covered a wide range of sound-related disciplines, including physics, mathematics, and even coding.

The versatility of this field was exciting, as sound plays a role in so many industries, from music and live events to radio, TV, advertisement and even automotive and museums. This diversity attracted a wide variety of students, some creative, others more technically focused, such as those working with networks, microphones, and speakers.

Before my first semester even began, I had the opportunity to volunteer for a welcoming event for the new first year students. Due to COVID-19 the event was held virtually, and a broadcast production was organised. Over 60 people were involved across various departments. The entire project was led, organised, and executed by students, with support from guest lecturers and a professor who has extensive experience in the broadcast industry.

I signed up to help and quickly found myself working in several different departments. This marked my first exposure to the broadcast world, and I absolutely loved it, especially the live event atmosphere. I was particularly fascinated by the production manager and how she kept everything running smoothly, addressing any issues that arose on the fly.

In my second semester, another broadcasting project came up; a large scale music festival. Initially, I aimed for a role as an assistant production manager or floor manager, but due to a shortage of volunteers for these positions, I unexpectedly found myself taking on the role of production manager. The scope of this project was immense; not only were we broadcasting music performances, but we also had to organise the entire festival, including coordinating stages, managing safety regulations, and integrating interactive projects from students across different disciplines.

What made this even more challenging was that we weren’t just producing a standard music broadcast; we were handling all the logistics, including setting up the stages and managing everything from the technical setup to audience engagement. There were multiple rooms on campus with different interactive projects happening simultaneously, and we had to ensure they all fit seamlessly into the overall festival experience. The entire production involved coordination between various departments, including sound, lighting, security, and IT, as well as overseeing the integration of student projects.

It was a truly stressful experience, but it taught me an immense amount about handling complexity, problem solving on the spot, and managing a team under pressure. Despite the challenges, the festival turned out to be a major success. The size and scope of the production were far beyond what I initially expected, but it was incredibly rewarding to see it all come together.

From there, I continued taking on various roles in student-led broadcast projects at the university, including production manager, floor manager, intercom coordinator, and camera operator. I also took courses on broadcast networks and participated in excursions to companies like ZDF, which broadened my understanding of the technical side of broadcasting. In parallel, I continued my audio courses, where I gained more practical and theoretical knowledge, particularly in operating a mixing console. These experiences proved invaluable in helping me anticipate and address technical challenges, which in turn made me more efficient in my role as production manager.

Throughout my studies, we worked on a range of different productions – live theatre, talk shows, game shows, and music festivals – which deepened my understanding of the unique requirements each production type demands and how to adapt systems to meet those needs. For my bachelor’s thesis, I planned and executed a practical production, applying all the knowledge I had gained over the years, which further solidified my skill set. Across all of the productions I was involved in during my studies, there were between 40 to 110 students from different disciplines, highlighting the scale and collaborative nature of these projects.

Throughout my time at university, we were supported by major broadcast companies such as Riedel, Shure, ZDF, Sky, NEP, PMT, and Lawo. This exposure gave me valuable industry contacts, which have been crucial in my career. Overall, my studies were very project-based and hands-on, which was essential in equipping me with the skills and knowledge I needed to break into the broadcast industry.

Alongside my studies, I also worked as a production manager for a company specialising in image processing systems. Although this role wasn’t directly related to sports or broadcasting, I found that the core responsibilities were remarkably similar. Managing a production is fundamentally the same across industries; the main difference lies in the content you’re working with. This experience allowed me to refine my production management skills while gaining new insights into aspects of the job I hadn’t considered before. These skills have proven to be surprisingly relevant and transferable to the world of sports broadcasting.

How did you get your first job in sports broadcasting, what was the role, and when?

My first job in sports broadcasting was a six month internship at Sky Germany, which I undertook during my fifth semester (October 2023 to March 2024). I joined the outside sports production department, marking my first foray into the world of sports production. Given my previous experience working on various productions, I initially thought there wouldn’t be much of a difference. However, I was quickly proven wrong; sports productions, especially recurring ones like the Bundesliga, require a completely different approach and present their own unique challenges.

During this internship, I gained an in-depth understanding of sports production, learning about the specific workflows, the fast-paced nature, and the logistical hurdles that come with live sports broadcasts. I also had the opportunity to connect with many different professionals across various companies and roles in the industry.

While I was exposed to a range of sports productions, my primary focus was working on the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga, where Sky Germany acts as the host broadcaster. As an intern, my tasks were diverse, and I helped out wherever needed. My main responsibilities included creating dispositions, managing shooting requests, and liaising with licensors and other involved parties to resolve any emerging issues I also had the opportunity to take on the role of floor manager for several productions like the Special Olympics National Winter Games 2024 in Erfurt. For a number of productions, I was either on-site or in the broadcast centre, observing and learning firsthand about the live production process.

What happened next to get you where you are today?

After completing my internship, I had one semester left of my studies and my bachelor’s thesis to finish. With Euro 2024 taking place in Germany, I was fortunate to secure a job as a broadcast venue assistant in Hamburg, working for HBS/UEFA on a freelance basis for seven weeks.

The scale of the TV production for the Euro was truly impressive, and I had the privilege of working alongside some incredibly talented professionals. I learned so much from this experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with such a skilled team.

In my role at Euro 2024, I was responsible for onboarding new team members and companies, ensuring their smooth integration into the production process. I also handled any issues or challenges that arose, from accreditation and logistics to content-related questions. I kept detailed protocols of the various broadcast positions, ensuring everything was prepared for the arrival of broadcast partners. A significant part of my role involved working closely with the broadcast venue manager and production manager on topics such as bibs, parking spots and access on match days. This exposure helped me gain a deep understanding of UEFA’s production processes and nuances, which has proven invaluable in my current position at the DFB.

Alongside my role at Euro, I took on several freelance positions as a floor manager and production assistant, before heading to Hamburg. I also continued working on my sixth-semester projects and planning my bachelor’s thesis production.

This entire experience taught me invaluable lessons in managing multiple productions and projects simultaneously, while ensuring each received the attention it required. Three weeks after returning from Hamburg, my bachelor’s project was realised, and I was able to start writing my thesis.

Immediately after completing my thesis, I began my current position as a junior manager TV production at the German Football Association (DFB) in mid-October. Since then, I have been fortunate to continue building on the skills and experiences I gained during my studies, internship and freelance jobs.

Read part 2 of this profile: https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/everything-on-the-line-part-2-gina-muhlfeld-from-the-german-football-association-talks-career-goals-and-top-tips-from-a-junior-production-managers-perspective/