Laura Rutledge on Her New SEC Network Fan-Experience Series

This Monday, the SEC Network will be debuting their new recurring series  The Moment with Laura Rutledge. Rutledge spoke to The Big Lead about the fan-experience show she created and produced.

“This idea came about because I was trying to think of something that could really make a difference to fans,” she said. “I wanted to give them something really special. When I started working through the concept with the coordinating producer Baron Miller, we set out to make this a VIP, all-access experience for a fan at their favorite school. Something they couldn’t get anywhere else.”

The series was a far different experience from the many other assignments she has done for the network, and she credited the “incredible” access the schools gave her throughout the process, as well as her small but dedicated team.

“I couldn’t have done it without Tom McCollum, Baron Miller, Alex Gajewski, Brooke Miller, and Jonathan Whyley,” she said.

They looked for unique, never-before-told stories from die-hard fans given once in a lifetime moments at the schools they are so passionate about. Receiving the stories was one of the moments Rutledge remembers most vividly.

“I’ll never forget when all of them started to roll into the email account we set up,” she said. “It was incredible. I loved reading through the hundreds of stories and trying to narrow them down was so hard but we are really pleased with the ones we picked.”

“This show takes the fan and the viewer places they couldn’t otherwise go,” Rutledge said. “Tennessee and Alabama are the two schools featured first and they pulled out all the stops for our fans. I was in awe of their dedication to the project.”

Each episode will be 30 minutes long with the series’ first airing Monday, August 19 at 7 p.m. ET on Josh Ricker, active duty Army (101st Airborne) and an avid Tennessee fan.