![](//www.4rfv.com/images/no_image.jpg)
At the Rink: Los Angeles Kings' Wanton Davis Adjusts to His First NHL Season During the COVID-19 Pandemic His goal is to celebrate the community when fans return on April 20 By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Friday, April 16, 2021 - 9:52 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The National Hockey League was the last of the four major U.S. sports leagues to host a non-bubble regular season. As fans gradually make their return to the seats, how is that affecting in-venue productions and digital content? Similar to At the Ballpark, On the Gridiron, and On the Hardwood, At the Rink looks at the operations of NHL organizations to see how they are coping with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and adapting to a sense of normalcy.
Los Angeles Kings Executive Producer, live events, Wanton Davis had dipped his toe in the sports water before, having spent time with NBC Sports, but, after being named to the L.A. Kings position at the beginning of the season, he began his first foray into in-venue production. For a first-timer working amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the job can be a bit daunting, but, as a professional working in his hometown, he dove in with enthusiasm and zeal.
Starting a new job during the pandemic has been a bit weird, he says. The most challenging part is not having that face-to-face interaction that you would normally have.
MORE AT THE RINK INTERVIEWS:
Tampa Bay Lightning's Stanley Cup Banner Ceremony Serves as Reminder of Normalcy During Unusual Year
Toronto Maple Leafs Follow Production Blueprint From 2020 NHL Bubble at Scotiabank Arena
Top-Ranked Colorado Avalanche Revel in the Return of Fans
Philadelphia Flyers Flex Potential of 4K Kinetic Centerhung as Fans Return to Wells Fargo Center
Nearly 20 Years in Manitoba, Winnipeg Jets' Kyle Balharry Reflects on Productions at Bell MTS Place
In NHL's North Division, Calgary Flames Keep Battle of Alberta Alive in Empty Scotiabank Saddledome
Detroit Red Wings Cover Motor City Storylines With Three Digital Shows, Hockeytown Home Ice
During First Two Months on the Road, San Jose Sharks Develop Engaging Content in Different Ways
Carolina Hurricanes Sidestep Water Leak To Welcome Fans Back to PNC Arena
Vegas Golden Knights Offer Fortress At Home, Debut Studio for 2020-21 NHL Season
Nashville Predators Harness the Passion of Smashville' at Bridgestone Arena
First-Year Experience: Zoom Calls Replace In-Person Introductions Los Angeles Kings' Wanton Davis is nearing completion of his first regular season in the National Hockey League.
In what has become commonplace for new employees at any company since March 2020, In-person introductions have been replaced with virtual happy hours and meet-and-greets through a computer screen. At the start of the season, conversations with his new colleagues about the execution of a videoboard show came a bit naturally: with his expertise in production and entertainment, the topics were east to grasp and understand. But developing the camaraderie that is relied on daily was a little more difficult.
A lot of those water cooler' conversations don't really occur now, so you have to schedule time to speak to people, says Davis. On the flip side, starting during a pandemic in a space that I'm still figuring out has been fun and rewarding.
If the pandemic had any sort of silver lining, it's the gift of time and experimentation. In-venue production is still new to Davis, which allows him to bring a fresh set of eyes to a concept and a different mentality to a practice that has been standard since the invention of the LED display. Sometimes, his lack of experience has been his greatest asset.
I've been able to see things that work and others that don't necessarily work, he notes. It has been exciting to play around with various elements of the show.
Historic Building: In-Venue Show To Match the Legacy of Staples Center The crew is still using lights and music to greet the players on the ice.
Opened in 1998, Staples Center has been home to 11 championship-winning teams: six NBA titles for the Los Angeles Lakers, three WNBA titles for the Los Angeles Sparks, and two Stanley Cups for the Kings. In a building filled with history, Davis is working in one of Tinseltown's most famous sports venues. All season long, he has revamped the game-day experience to reflect the city's history and honor its legacy.
I've tried to focus on and implement an L.A.-centric show, he says. I believe that we're just starting to get our feet wet.
In a major market like Los Angeles, there are many activities and sights to see. With eight other professional organizations based in the area, including two in the same arena, it's an arduous exercise to create a setting that stands out. Drawing on a career that has also included positions in the music industry, Davis is curating a program that brings out the flair of the city.
Our audience is exposed to a lot of different forms of entertainment, he points out. I want to bring all of that together and reward them for being Kings fans. Every time you step foot into the Staples Center, you're not going to forget where you are because we're looking to make it into an L.A. party.
Life of the Party: Honoring the Community at Fans' Return on April 20 Wanton Davis oversees the in-venue production from high above the ice at the legendary Staples Center.
Staples Center will open its doors to a limited crowd for the Kings' final eight home games, starting on April 20 vs. the Anaheim Ducks. After nearly a full regular season, Davis will finally get a taste of what it's like to fire up an NHL fanbase. With a little under a week left until this special game, Davis and his crew are hard at work to finalize their production plan.
After the extended period away f
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
19/05/2024
Missed any of our product coverage during your busy week? The TV Tech weekly product and services news wrap-up provides links to all of our coverage from May 13...
19/05/2024
LeVar Burton will host the new game show Trivial Pursuit on The CW, while Raven-Symon will host Scrabble....
19/05/2024
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to debates, set for June 27 on CNN and September 10 on ABC....
19/05/2024
Young Sheldon signs off after seven seasons on CBS, when the series finale airs Thursday, May 18. Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik reprise their roles as Sheldon Co...
18/05/2024
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. Bundling is back in a big way, with all the major streaming companies and many pay TV operators exploring ways to simplify the consumer experie...
18/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the June Open Commission Meeting schedule...
18/05/2024
Matthews Studio Equipment has introduced Grip Rail, which the company said offers a better way to mount equipment on location, in the studio, or on the fly....
18/05/2024
In a notable development in the industry-wide effort to address privacy concerns while improving efficacy of marketing efforts in a cookieless ad landscape, IAB...
18/05/2024
Missed any of our product coverage during your busy week? The TV Tech weekly product and services news wrap-up provides links to all of our coverage from May 13...
18/05/2024
DHD Elevates the Art of Podcast Production
Brie Clayton May 17, 2024
0 Comments
Hero image: the DHD DX2 base and expansion modules
Latest-generation ...
17/05/2024
Aerojet Rocketdyne has worked to modernize facilities at its Camden, Arkansas, l...
17/05/2024
The FCC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would revise rules governing low power TV stations (LPTV) in a number of areas, including online ...
17/05/2024
Demystifying Post-Production: Introducing Cinema 4D Particles Week 4
Brie Clayton May 17, 2024
0 Comments
With the spring release of Maxon One, we...
17/05/2024
Takashi Yamazaki Film Godzilla Minus One Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 17, 2024
0 Comments
Hero image credit: 2023 TOHO CO., LT...
17/05/2024
Sterling Event Group Streamlines Live Event Productions with AJA
Brie Clayton May 17, 2024
0 Comments
Live event productions only happen once, which ...
17/05/2024
Muster Ngobi, product manager at LYNX Technik tells TVBEurope how the ever-evolving media industry provides a truly dynamic working environment
By Matthew Corr...
17/05/2024
NEW YORK As declines in linear TV viewing make the ongoing popularity of live sports, particularly football, central to financial success of the TV industry, th...
17/05/2024
During Netflixs second Upfront presentation to advertisers, Amy Reinhard, Netflix's president of advertising, walked advertisers through the continued growt...
17/05/2024
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company has added to its leadership team for news by promoting Jeff Kiernan a veteran journalist and general manager of Scripps'...
17/05/2024
Top executives from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery have consistently insisted that their joint venture to launch the Venu Sports streaming bundle in the...
17/05/2024
ESPN has announced that its coverage of Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut in the Indiana Fever versus the Connecticut Sun season opener was the most-watched WNBA g...
17/05/2024
ATEM Mini Extreme ISO switcher and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Brie Clayton May 16, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design announced today that Yoic...
17/05/2024
Pixomondo's Virtual Production Academy Expands with Programs at Sony PCL, Vo...
17/05/2024
The Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation took place Wednesday, May 15 at ...
17/05/2024
Season 25 of The Voice wraps on NBC Tuesday, May 21, with performances from The Black Keys, Jelly Roll, Kate Hudson, Lainey Wilson, Muni Long, Thomas Rhett and ...
17/05/2024
New CNN CEO Mark Thompson spelled out his plan for the struggling news network d...
17/05/2024
Netflix, a newcomer to the advertising business, said it plans to launch an in-house advertising technology platform....
17/05/2024
Netflix shared some programming projects at an upfront presentation in New York. Those include the basketball-themed comedy series Running Point, a Mindy Kaling...
17/05/2024
Plex is offering movie and music collectors a 20% discount off its Lifetime Plex Pass as part of its Geek Week sale....
17/05/2024
Giant media buyer GroupM said it named Toby Jenner as global president, Group M Clients, a new position at the company....
17/05/2024
Smaller advertisers are increasingly buying connected TV programmatically, according to a new report from FreeWheel, Comcast's ad-tech unit....
17/05/2024
TCLtvPlus, the streaming app on smart TVs made by TCL, has added live linear channel from music-video programmer Vevo....
17/05/2024
StackAdapt said it made a deal to integrate data from Samba TV into its programmatic advertising platform....
17/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lehasa gets a rude awakening when Kgosi blackmails himDon't miss Friday, 17 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem ...
17/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: Dorothy is blown away by Ona's sketches for her w...
17/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Dintle has a visit from her past that leaves her very unsett...
17/05/2024
WO Traffic provides a solid foundation from which stations can manage, execute, and scale end-to-end ad trafficking and sales, both today and into the future. W...
17/05/2024
Broadcast Innovation in India: How AI and Automated Production Helps Smaller Spo...
17/05/2024
SVG Sports Cloud Production Forum Gives Refresher Course on Cloud-Based Tools, E...
17/05/2024
WNBA Tip-Off 2024: Scripps Sports Constructs New Studio for Second Season of WNB...
17/05/2024
SVG College Summit 2024: Auburn's War Eagle Productions Breaks Down How They...
17/05/2024
Back to All News
Netflix & Shondaland Announce the Song List and Soundtrack for...
17/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 16 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soa...
17/05/2024
Prison Journalism: Letter to my mothersThabo Mthembu was incarcerated in Pollsmoor Prison from 2014 to 2019. Read Thabo's story
by Thabo Mthembu
17-05-20...
17/05/2024
Paul McCartney becomes UK's first billionaire musicianMusic icon Paul McCartney has become the UK's first billionaire musician, according to the Sunday ...
17/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Sakhile advises Tiny against sabotaging PetuniaDon't miss Friday, 17 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Smoke ...
17/05/2024
RT has today announced that Operation Transformation (OT) is to end after 17 seasons. As series come to an end each year, RT undertakes an editorial review to...
17/05/2024
By Craig Anderton
When I heard about binaural beats, I was interested-I like beats, and I'm into binaural audio. But this has nothing to do with either o...