Todd McCarthy, Director of athletic video, Georgia Tech

Job: Director of athletic video, Georgia Tech

What I do: When Georgia Tech's football coaches want game films, Todd McCarthy gives them everything they want — except films.

"I've never used film," said McCarthy, 37, director of athletic video at Georgia Tech. "But everyone calls it film."

For 10 years, McCarthy has been using, first, videotape and now digital computer technology to record football practices and games. He also trades "film" with Tech's opponents during the season.

"Computers brought a whole new level to what we do," McCarthy said.

Coaches don't sit and watch game and practice films from beginning to end. McCarthy and his staff combine digital images with statistical information into "cut-ups," films that show just certain players, offense, defense, game situations or anything the coaches want to see.

The coaches watch video to discern the patterns of their own team as well as their opponents. "When people get in pressure situations, they revert to their tendencies," McCarthy said.

Video also allows coaches to evaluate players and potential recruits.

At practices, McCarthy and his crew of three full-time workers and five student assistants run three or four cameras. The images go straight to his editing room in offices inside Bobby Dodd Stadium. They run two cameras at games, both home and away.

For road games, the videos are stored in a laptop computer, and McCarthy can begin editing his cut-ups on the trip back to Atlanta.

Footage of every game and practice session is available to Tech coaches and players 24/7 on a network of 26 computers in the athletic department.

McCarthy also prepares Tech highlight videos, recruiting materials for prospective players who are in high school and content for the video boards in the stadium and other athletic venues.

In addition to football, his crew records Tech's volleyball, baseball, and men's and women's basketball teams.

What got me interested in this: "My dream job was to be a sports anchor," McCarthy said. He got that job at a Richmond TV station after college, "but I didn't enjoy it."

When the University of Richmond was starting a video department, he was asked to run it. "It was totally accidental. I thought I'd help out for the season," and he's been doing sports video ever since.

McCarthy said he always had wanted a job in sports. He was active in several sports until he lost his left leg to cancer at age 13.

But jobs in sports video "didn't even exist when I was a kid."

Best part of my job: "I get paid to watch football," he said, smiling. He also pointed out that he's part of the Tech team and able to get close to the players and coaches. "People look at this job and say, 'Wow!' "

Most challenging part: "The hours," he said. During football season, 100-hour workweeks are normal, and the important stuff happens on weekends. "It's tough to have an outside life in football season," he said.

What people don't know about my job: It's a full-time job all year long. Football season and practice run from August often into January, when recruiting begins.

After that come spring practice, more recruiting and fall practice.

And then there are the other sports.

"If something's going on, someone is here shooting it," McCarthy said.

What keeps me going: "I love what I do," he said. The players "are some of the greatest kids I've ever worked with."

Preparation needed for this job: You need a communications background in video and nonlinear editing, a basic knowledge of cameras and training in video software. And you have to love sports, he said.

McCarthy said he learned the video basics while earning a bachelor's degree in communication at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Besides a short career as a sports anchor, McCarthy has run the athletics video departments at Richmond and the University of Pittsburgh.

- By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.