Proven Leader in Media Production
Michael Fountain is a proven media leader, recognized for building dynamic teams, creating and producing award-winning content, and maximizing his resources in a financially efficient fashion. He pushes the creative envelope intending to provide viewers with the best experience possible.
Michael has delivered winning results on high-profile, large projects throughout his career. From 2004-2012, Michael was the Coordinating Producer of ESPN College Gameday, the highest-profile and highest revenue-generating college sports show on television. Under Michael's leadership, College Gameday saw a multi-million dollar increase in sponsorship revenue. The show was nominated for several Emmy awards and won three Emmys in the "Best Weekly Sports Show" category. As an Assistant News Director and Executive Producer in local news, Michael ran large newsrooms daily. He was committed to providing the best coverage and the best perspective to help viewers understand each story's importance. His daily responsibilities included selecting storytelling, staffing assignments, oversight of show rundowns, promotion of shows, budget oversight and, professional development of individual staffers.
As a Senior Producer of the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, Michael traveled extensively with the talent, covering breaking news, both in the United States and overseas. He also produced long-form features for CBS "Sunday Morning". Michael won an Edward R. Murrow Award and multiple Emmy's during his time at CBS.
Michael most recently worked with The Undefeated Digital site's video department, where he helped manage the video team and had oversight of various video projects. In that role, Michael served as an Executive Producer on the following films; “A Love Letter To Black Women”, “We Are All Jackie”, “Bearing Witness” and the film, “A Profile Of Darnella Frazier.” Before taking on the Undefeated assignment, Michael oversaw the Noon and weekend morning editions of ESPN SportsCenter. In addition, Michael was responsible for the planning and executing all SportsCenter on the Road projects, including high-profile events like the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, the World Series, the College Football Playoffs, etc. Men's NCAA Final Four. Each assignment saw ratings growth and optimization of resources to meet budget demands.
Michael was the lead producer on-site in Louisville for ESPN's coverage of Muhammad Ali's funeral in 2016. At the time, company leaders praised his work as among the most important in ESPN's history. The company's coverage won a Silver Medal from the New York International Television and Films Festival and earned an Emmy nomination.
Michael has also overseen the production and execution of several ESPN specials, including the Black History Month shows, "The N-Word in Sports", "Rise Up" & "Trailblazers". "The N-Word in Sports" special was awarded a 2015 New York International Television and Film Festival, Grand Award Medal.
Michael oversaw the 2016 production of ESPN'S the Undefeated's Town Hall/Conversation with President Barack Obama and an Undefeated special on Athletes and Guns that focused on gun violence in Chicago. He also planned and oversaw the execution of ESPN's multi-location coverage across Las Vegas leading up to the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight in 2015. At the time, the fight coverage was the largest undertaking in the history of SportsCenter.
As part of his special event assignments, Michael has also been responsible for the network's "Salute to Veterans'; marking ESPN's and the sports world's links with those who have and continue to serve our country. He has orchestrated live SportsCenter Veterans Day coverage from the United States Naval Academy, Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and, Arlington National Cemetery.
Professional Highlights
Other Professional Experience
• Public Relations Intern at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh
• Producer at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh
• Executive Producer at WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh
• Executive Producer at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia
• Senior Producer with the CBS Morning News in Washington
• Assistant News Director at WUSA-TV in Washington,
• Vice-President of News and Public Affairs Programming at BET
• Executive Producer (Freelance) at Discovery Health Channel.
