Fighting stereotypes: IMG’s Gurjit Kharbanda on carving out her own path in sports broadcasting

Gurjit Kharbanda, a production executive at IMG

“The stereotypical path for a first-generation British Indian didn’t appeal to me and I was always privileged that my parents allowed me to follow my heart when it came to education,” says Gurjit Kharbanda, a production executive at IMG. “This eventually led me to study Media at both sixth form and then university.

“Sports broadcasting, however, wasn’t something I initially planned on,” she continues. “My journey to this point happened by chance! I joined IMG to manage a short entertainment series back in 2014 after working in the entertainment sector for a decade prior. I was immediately drawn to the passion of the people within IMG. I started out in OB production management on IMG’s motorsports portfolio, and from that point I’ve never looked back.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Speedway, Rallycross, UEFA and FIFA, as well as my current role working on the Saudi Pro League.”

Perseverance for success

The start to many careers in sports broadcasting is a difficult one, and Kharbanda is no exception. She says she experienced a lot of rejection before finally getting her break into the industry.

“After graduating from university, I had the naive belief that I’d land my directorial debut in a Hollywood movie right away,” explains Kharbanda. “But reality hit me hard, and I remember when I started applying for media sales jobs and I was met with rejection after rejection.

“One of the biggest elements that has progressed my career has been the ability to cross genres. I didn’t start out in sports broadcasting. I actually built up half of my career in comedy and entertainment programming, moving between multiple fixed terms, freelance and staff positions”

“Each interview left me in tears,” she continues. “I had no idea how challenging it would be to land my first job in the industry, nor did I fully understand what the roles actually entailed. University prepared me with theory, but it didn’t give me insight into the jobs I could realistically pursue.

“That’s when volunteering became my gateway into the industry. I started at a small radio station in Southall called Desi Radio, a local charity-run Punjabi and Sikh station. I volunteered for just one shift, but it turned out to be pivotal. The station manager, who I’ll always be grateful to, handed me an application form for a special internship course she’d received. It was one of the few diversity programmes in the early 2000’s launched by ITV.

“I still remember the nervousness when I received the interview invitation, which I went to armed with VHS tapes of my university short film. Thankfully, my enthusiasm as a young 20-something paid off, and I was offered a three month internship at ITV, rotating through various departments including entertainment, sports, and news. That experience truly shaped my career, and I’m thankful for it every single day.”

She goes on: “I’ve never turned a job down in the broadcast market full stop. If it sounds like a challenge, then take it on.”

Blended roles

Kharbanda has followed a common route into broadcast, beginning as a runner. She reminisces: “My pathway has been a traditional one. I started out as a runner, to production coordinator, manager and then executive. From school, I understood that it was better to focus on subjects I genuinely enjoyed rather than forcing myself into something I wasn’t naturally drawn to.

“I knew early on that my passion lay in the creative and artistic fields. I was lucky to be surrounded by a group of like-minded, creative friends who have all grown up in West London; a place where you’re immersed in a blend of cultures, religions, and races. This melting pot environment played a huge role in my journey into TV. It was this group of likeminded people who inspired me to study Media at Sussex University. It was those conversations and diverse perspectives that were key in shaping my pathway.”

Kharbanda has worked through a number of genres before she hit sports broadcasting, and has bounced between staff roles and freelancing throughout her career. She says: “One of the biggest elements that has progressed my career has been the ability to cross genres. I didn’t start out in sports broadcasting. I actually built up half of my career in comedy and entertainment programming, moving between multiple fixed terms, freelance and staff positions.”

She notes: “That often scares people when they see so many companies on a CV, but it’s never hindered my progression. I’ve gone from job to job with little breaks in employment throughout my career, which is quite an achievement in my opinion! I consider one of the biggest challenges of my career to worked on the biggest European football tournament in 2021 under the challenge of COVID and managing to deliver crews across Europe safely and securely.”

Not afraid of change

Today Kharbanda is production executive for the Saudi Pro League at IMG, based in Saudi Arabia. She got the job, “through sheer hard work and showing that I’m not afraid of change or moving countries (even if it means family are dragged on that journey)”.

On why she went for it, she says: “It’s a massive undertaking! On the Saudi Pro League, IMG are producing three matches per day, per season across this vast territory, with games taking place from Jeddah to Riyadh to Najran. The logistics are insane and enough to make your eyes water, but we are doing our very best to enhance our production day by day.

“I have an incredible number of senior managers who have supported my progression at IMG and throughout my career all the way,” she adds. “The biggest challenge is mentally knowing that you are good enough to keep going! It’s a massive change of work culture and adjusting everything about how you work in the UK versus another new territory, but it’s a new day every day. We are constantly evolving and working on ways to improve our production values.”

Creative heart

Balancing the budgets is one of the hardest things of Kharbanda’s career. “The most challenging thing about working in live sport today is probably the funding or lack of it for creative ideas. As production managers, the budget is always at the forefront but I’m really aware that crushing the budgets and funding ultimately kills a bit of my creative heart.”

Also, getting that balance between family and work life has been a challenge, but she has made it work. She says: “There has never been a shortage of production management work in my career, but it has been difficult to balance motherhood, family life and working in broadcast in general. Mum guilt has been in full force for most of my career, being away from home and on location is always a particular challenge but if you have your right people around you, that surrogate family gets you through.”

Yet there is a lot to pull Kharbanda towards sports broadcasting and keep working in the field. She explains: “The people draw me to my career in live sport. If it didn’t involve the passionate crews, the stadiums, the crowds and the buzz of delivering a programme that a viewer is invested in, it wouldn’t appeal to me.”

Overall, there have been a lot of high points in Kharbanda’s career. She notes a couple of highlights: “I’m lucky to say that I’ve had too many to describe. I’ve worked with Ken Block on a grid racetrack, and Kevin Hart doing stand-up; it’s been a pretty epic journey so far.”

On Wednesday 19 March, SVG Europe Women is hosting A City United, a learning, inspiration and networking event taking place at the Hot House in MediaCity, Salford, in association with Dock10. Find out more and register here.