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David Trager

@davidtrager

Documentary showrunner and senior producer for Pluto TV and Scripps Sports/ION, producing athlete features and a health documentary series.

United States

Message

I’m currently showrunning a documentary series developed for Pluto TV and producing recurring athlete documentary features for Scripps Sports/ION. For Health Hero Network, I showran and produced three 22-minute episodes, shaping their narratives through development, interviews, field production, and rough cuts.

For Scripps Sports/ION, I produce 35+ documentary-style athlete features annually for broadcast and digital distribution. I develop stories, produce interviews, and edit rough cuts, while coordinating crews and budgets; production and approval turnaround improved by 30%.

At Warner Bros. Discovery / Turner Sports / NBA TV, I produced and directed Shaq: The Rookie Season, NBA TV’s highest-rated non-game premiere, and produced Magic and Isiah, whose clips generated 7M+ first-week social views. I also delivered 75 stories for the NBA 75th-anniversary project and wrote and produced more than 2,000 promotional and studio elements.

Earlier, at CBS College Sports / CSTV Networks, I developed and produced 50+ annual on-air promotional campaigns across 30+ sports. My work has received 9 Sports Emmy Awards, along with a Promax Gold Award and a Cablefax Top Trailer Award.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Segment Producer

Current

Scripps Sports / ION

Feb 2024 - Present (2 years 9 months)

Produce 35+ documentary-style athlete features annually for national broadcast and digital distribution, including WNBA stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, and NWSL standout Trinity Rodman. Develop stories, script and produce interviews, and edit rough cuts for review before final post; manage up to three simultaneous productions.

Documentary Production Interview Production Scripting Rough Cut Editing Project Management Budget Management Crew Coordination

Current

Freelance Showrunner & Senior Documentary Producer

Current

Independent

Feb 2023 - Present (3 years 9 months)

Independent producer and showrunner across documentary, unscripted, and sports content for networks and streaming platforms.

Documentary Production Unscripted Production Showrunning Creative Development Interview Production Field Producing Rough Cut Editing Post production Supervision Production Budgets Scheduling Crew Coordination Streaming Delivery Talent and Subject Relations

Showrunner & Producer

Health Hero Network

Nov 2025 - May 2026 (6 months)

Showran and produced three 22-minute documentary episodes featuring individuals navigating significant health challenges. Led creative development, interviews, and field production; edited rough cuts to shape episode narratives before collaborating with the editor on final post.

Showrunning Creative Development Interview Production Field Producing Rough Cut Editing Post production Supervision Budget Management Team Coordination

Producer / Creative Lead

Ideas United

Jul 2025 - Mar 2026 (8 months)

Produced 20+ branded and documentary-style patient and provider stories, primarily for Emory Healthcare. Produced sports-adjacent healthcare content in collaboration with the NFL (Crucial Catch), the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, and Georgia Tech.

Branded Content Documentary Production Client Management Project Management Scheduling Final Delivery

Field Producer

Go Media Productions

Sep 2023 - Nov 2023 (2 months)

Directed multi-camera field production across six HBCU campuses for 6 Minutes to Glory: The HBCU Band Experience (aired on Aspire TV). Produced interviews and coordinated camera, audio, and drone crews; completed shoots without schedule overruns.

Field Producing Multi Camera Direction Interview Production Crew Coordination Scheduling

Writer / Producer

Warner Bros. Discovery / Turner Sports / NBA TV

Oct 2008 - Feb 2023 (14 years 4 months)

Produced and directed Shaq: The Rookie Season, NBA TV's highest-rated non-game premiere (184K+ viewers). Produced Magic and Isiah; clips generated 7M+ first-week social views. Delivered 75 individual stories over four months for the NBA 75th-anniversary 75 Stories project.

Writing Producing Directing Story Development Interview Production Editing Project Management Budget Management Crew Coordination Studio Production

Associate Producer

CBS College Sports / CSTV Networks

Dec 2003 - Feb 2008 (4 years 2 months)

Developed and produced 50+ annual on-air promotional campaigns across 30+ sports, coordinating voiceover talent, freelancers, budgets, schedules, and approvals.

Promotional Campaigns Production Coordination Budget Management Scheduling Talent Coordination