Fox Sports EVP of Production Doug Sellars Dies at Age 50

Doug Sellars, Fox Sports Media Group EVP of Production and Executive Producer passed away on Friday, Dec. 30 due to effects from a recent heart attack. Sellars is being remembered today on all FSMG networks.

In a statement, Fox Sports Media Group expressed “great difficulty and deep sadness” for the passing of “a truly good human being, a great friend, and consummate professional. He will be missed terribly by all of the lives he touched personally and professionally and will be remembered for his kind words and comforting demeanor.”

The statement also previewed the text of today’s on-air tribute, voiced-over by FOX Sports Media Group Chairman David Hill, is as follows:

There are many ways to describe a man like Doug Sellars. He was a brilliant television producer, an overwhelmingly proud Canadian, a true sports fan, and one of the kindest, people you will ever know.

Eleven years ago, Doug joined the FOX Sports family, overseeing live event production at Fox Sports Net. He was a main architect in the formation of SPEED, and in the last year, Doug Sellars became an Executive Vice President of FOX Sports.

He brought a leadership-style of teamwork, balance and fluidity with his easygoing personality, self-deprecating sense of humor and firm hand. A leader known for direct approach and honesty, Doug was calm yet assertive.

While he had an illustrious career in sports television, Doug lived for his family. So perhaps the best way to describe Doug Sellars is to say that he was a devoted husband and a loving father, because he lived and breathed for the ones he cherished – his family.

Doug is survived by the three loves of his life – his wife of 26 years, Barb and his two proud children, Tyler and Kelsey.

Doug Sellars, gone too soon…respected and loved by so many…he will be missed by us all.

Sellars oversaw all studio and event production for the networks and entities within FSMG including FOX Sports, Fox Sports Regional Networks, SPEED, FOX Deportes, FOX Soccer, FUEL TV and FOXSports.com. Sellars also served in an advisory capacity to the Big Ten Network.

Sellars served as Executive Vice President, Production/Executive Producer for FSN before his promotion last year, where he was responsible for FSN’s live regional and national event production, which included nearly 5,000 live telecasts annually.

In addition to overseeing FSN’s local MLB, NBA, and NHL game production, he also guided national production of FSN’s collegiate programming, including ACC and Pac-10 basketball and Big 12 and Pac-10 football. From this position, Sellars also oversaw FSN’s multi-year transition from standard to high definition production.

Prior to being named to lead production at FSN in January 2007, Sellars had been senior vice president/executive producer with FSN since 2004. Previously, he had served as coordinating producer, Fox Sports Net, where he was responsible for the production of all hockey and NASCAR telecasts, while also concurrently serving as vice president and executive producer of Speed Channel (now SPEED).

Before joining Fox Sports Net in 2000, Sellars spent 12 years with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation holding a variety of production responsibilities, including senior executive producer. While at the CBC, Sellars covered a variety of events including the Olympics (1988, 1992, 1996, 1998), Blue Jays baseball, Hockey Night in Canada, World Cup Skiing, and the World Figure Skating Championships. Sellars began his career with the Canadian Sports Network as an associate producer.

Sellars attended Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto, where he graduated with a bachelor of applied arts degree in radio and television. A Toronto native, Sellars was residing in Los Angeles with his wife and two children at the time of his passing on Dec. 30, 2011.