Minnesota Lynx Production Team Relies on NBA Crew, Lessons From Timberwolves Season at Target Center The franchise plans to bring back on-court activations soon By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Monday, July 26, 2021 - 2:43 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
After a year filled with calls for gender and racial equity, it's time to celebrate the 25th season of the WNBA. Similar to At the Ballpark, On the Gridiron, On the Hardwood, At the Rink, and On the Pitch, SVG's In the W highlights the efforts, technological solutions, and creative ideas of a handful of production crews in the league.
In Minnesota, basketball is a year-long activity, and with the NBA's Timberwolves and the WNBA's Lynx, hoopers flock to the Twin Cities. The two franchises provide the production team at the Target Center ample opportunities to develop new ideas, but, after COVID-riddled 2020 seasons, the Lynx crew is tapping into lessons learned during the Wolves schedule.
We started Timberwolves season without any fans in the building, but by the end, we were close to 2,000 fans in the building, says Alyse Danikowski, manager, game production, Minnesota Lynx. Since we went months of entertaining only ourselves on the videoboard, we went through the whole process of remembering how to put on a show for spectators again.
MORE IN THE W INTERVIEWS
Los Angeles Sparks Move Operations to Convention Center Nearby, Turn Back the Clock to 1997
After Last Year's Wubble, Atlanta Dream Works With 3 Point Productions To Light Up Gateway Center Arena
Weekend Full of Games: Staffers Handle Busy WNBA-NBA Transition
The control room at Target Center is still observing COVID rules with plexiglass dividers.
When the sports calendar rolls to spring, the basketball world breaks into a frenzy. With the NBA season's delayed start, production teams were struggling to balance the content for the two leagues. At the tail end of the Timberwolves schedule, Danikowski and company faced an onslaught of games kicking off the 2021 Lynx campaign at Target Center. The week after the Lynx's first preseason game on May 8, a tough stretch of contests began.
We had a really crazy period when we had a Wolves game on Thursday, a Lynx home opener on Friday, and then Wolves games on Saturday and Sunday to end the season, she says. We tried to get ahead of what we could by working long hours for a couple of days, so it went pretty smoothly. We had a couple of videoboards behind the benches for the Wolves season and had to design content for the first two Lynx games before those were taken out.
Two professional teams in one building can get a bit complicated, but one of the many blessings that comes with such a situation is leveraging the production crew. The organization is able to bypass some of the effort of bringing new crewmembers up to speed. Given the nature of professional sports, there isn't much of an offseason in Minnesota. While other production teams get a chance to be away from the control room, this Minnesota-based team gets extra work.
We're really lucky to have the same incredible crew for Wolves and Lynx, says Danikowski. There's usually a period at the beginning of the season when you're trying to get back into the flow of brainstorming and creating [ideas], but we don't have that since we're going from one season into the other.
Some of the Same: Media Day Content, Prerecorded Videos Fill Videoboard Newly acquired Aerial Powers on the set of Media Day
With many lessons learned from the WNBA's Wubble season last summer and the recent Timberwolves schedule, besides having the same production crew, the Lynx are set up for the most success possible under today's unique circumstances. In terms of content for the videoboards at Target Center, the Lynx team operates with a full day's worth of video and still photos. Since COVID-19 restrictions are still hindering immediate access to players, preseason Media Day was one of the few opportunities for content-gathering. Although this year's shoot didn't include impressive shots from a drone, the staff still created a dramatic environment at Target Center for eye-popping material.
In the venue, the crew is using Media Day content to generate intro videos and headshots and is implementing that into the daily rotation on game nights.
We haven't gone into the realm of live entertainment in our building yet, notes Danikowski. We're still showing a lot of throwback and previously recorded performances at halftime and quarter breaks. We still have our mascot, Prowl, on the same stage that we had [the Timberwolves'] Crunch, and, since we have a lot of new players in the offseason and through the Draft, we're doing a lot of player features.
The Ones Who Get It Done: Shoutout to the Minnesota Lynx's Production Team Minnesota Lynx's Alyse Danikowski poses before the team's home opener vs. Phoenix on May 14.
Although the production plan has been without many real-time elements, the strategy is to improve by the time the season resumes after the Olympics break. Until then, Danikowski; Senior Manager, Game Entertainment, Sheridan West; Senior Animation and Video Features Producer Josh Harms; and Animation and Video Feature Producer Maggie Frost will spend the rest of July and the first couple of weeks of August to recharge, reset, and get ready to deliver high-quality shows of the four-time WNBA Champions.
Our team is extremely good at what they do, Danikowski says. I'm blessed to work where I do and with the people that I work with.
The Minnesota Lynx will kick off the post-Olympics part of the season with a home game vs. the New York Liberty at Target Center on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. ET.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and gaming, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI - building across...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
14/07/2026
Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...
14/07/2026
Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...
14/07/2026
FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...
Minnesota Lynx Production Team Relies on NBA Crew, Lessons From Timberwolves Season at Target Center The franchise plans to bring back on-court activations soon By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor 
