Byron Abt serves as the assistant director of athletics for GATA Productions, a role he assumed in March of 2022. Abt acts as the liaison between ESPN and Georgia Southern University. He oversees the production of ESPN+ events for the Eagles, along with videoboard productions, television shows, and other major digital projects. Abt comes to Georgia Southern after two years as the director of video services at Furman University.

Abt, a 2011 graduate of SUNY Fredonia, joined the Paladins after spending the previous three years as the director of video services at USC Upstate. While at USC Upstate, Abt revamped the department’s entire sports broadcast operation while introducing a new standard for creative video production.

In his first year at Georgia Southern, Abt established a brand known for pushing the envelope while producing high quality broadcasts. He increased student involvement five-fold from the previous year and exceeded viewership numbers on ESPN+ from the previous years.

Abt got his start at the collegiate level as a member of the University of Missouri Broadcast Operations Freelance staff from 2014 – 2017. He served as a production assistant before working his way up to lead production assistant, camera operator, and lead camera operator.

Abt has also worked as a freelance camera operator with ESPN for events such as the ACC Football Championship, SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament, SEC Swimming Championship, and NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.He received his Bachelors of Science from SUNY Fredonia in TV and film production.