Andy Jeffers
“Henry Joy was my teacher and coach and he was a huge influence in my life,” says Jeffers. “I still remember what ‘ESP’ is all about – Effort, Spirit and Pride – and keep it close to me, even after 36 years.”
And he definitely lives it. Jeffers, who owns and runs Knoxville-based Sports & Entertainment Media, LLC wouldn’t have any idea about how to give less than 100 percent of effort. He is blessed with an indefatigable spirit and is definitely proud of the business his father built which shows in the many relationships he has cultivated with clients, all of whom he also considers friends.
Once his baseball-playing days were done, Jeffers, under the tutelage of Barry Rice and Link Hudson who are part of UT’s Athletic Broadcasting Department (VFL Films), learned how to write and edit, produce and also developed his skills as a videographer. By the year 2000, when he graduated from UT, he had landed a full-time position with the athletic department.
While at Tennessee, Jeffers produced “Inside The Orange,” as well as features for various coaching shows, while also editing sales elements for video boards at football, basketball and baseball games. He worked with Tennessee from 1998 into 2004, building strong relationships with CBS, ESPN, Comcast Sports, FOX Sports when those networks covered UT sporting events.
Jeffers moved on to Beyond Media in Knoxville in July of 2004 where he worked on various shows for the History Channel, Comcast and DIY, just to name a few. And then, when his father fell ill in July of 2005 and was diagnosed with a brain tumor, his entire world was forever altered.
Lyn realized there was no sponsorship or advertising inside the car. If there were in-car cameras, shouldn’t somebody be advantage of some pretty amazing revenue opportunities? Not long after that, Jeffers’ brainchild of selling sponsorships with the in-car cameras came to fruition and thus, Lyn Jeffers & Associates, as it was originally called, really took off.
When Lyn fell ill in the summer of 2005, Andy left Beyond Media, asking if he could fill in for his father on the NASCAR beat. Without hesitation, Andy did just that, thinking at first it would only be temporary.
When Andy and his family were told that Lyn had brain cancer, Andy went to work full-time for Sports and Entertainment Marketing, as it was called then, working first for FOX and NBC coordinating the placement of in-car cameras from 2005 through 2006. During that time, Lyn passed away in December of 2006.
In 2007, Andy changed the company’s name to Sports & Entertainment Media, LLC and since then has worked with FOX, TNT, ESPN, and NBC’s sales departments, handling and selling in-car cameras for both NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series races. At that time he also continued to work with the University of Tennessee’s athletic department, helping assist produce the video boards for football and men’s and women’s basketball.
With the announcement from NASCAR stating 2022 would be the delayed debut of the new Cup Series “Next Gen” car, a great deal of 2021 through the 2022 NASCAR season Jeffers spent a massive amount of time focusing on the changes that would occur with the in-car camera systems. “That was a massive overhaul from everybody at NASCAR, the teams, and the technical side of the industry. Combat that with the hurdle of supply lines being delayed, it was very impressive what the sport did to make sure fans experienced one of the most competitive seasons in NASCAR’s history,” Jeffers said. Early 2022 Jeffers worked the pregame show for Super Bowl LVI for NBC as the network won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Technical Team Studio.
And while sports and work are important to him, organizations such as Victory Junction Camp, Stand Up 2 Cancer, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Second Harvest Food Bank and Joy of Music are very near and dear to his heart.
One thing that is certain about Andy Jeffers, whether it concerns business, sports, music, or production… he puts his whole heart into it. With Effort, Spirit and Pride always in ALL ways.