Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

3 Point Productions Plays Major Role in Popularity of WNBA's Las Vegas Aces

27/10/2021

3 Point Productions Plays Major Role in Popularity of WNBA's Las Vegas Aces The company has been a partner since the franchise's first day By Kristian Hern ndez, Associate Editor

Wednesday, October 27, 2021 - 10:34 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

With a stake in the NFL, WNBA, and NHL, Las Vegas is slowly becoming a professional-sports town. One of the city's original franchises, the Las Vegas Aces, has risen from the ground floor of women's professional basketball to become a formidable force in the league's Western Conference. Now in its fourth season, the organization continues to grow its creative and in-venue strategies with 3 Point Productions, a production company that has been a steadfast partner since 2018.

We've been a part of this club from the get-go, says Matt Heuer, creative director, 3 Point Productions. It's an opportunity that we still look back on, and I'm very proud of the way it all came together.

Humble Beginnings: Aces Rebrand After Six Years in Utah, 15 in San Antonio The Las Vegas Aces have a long history in the WNBA, but playing under different names in different cities. The organization played first in Salt Lake City as the Utah Starzz from 1997 to 2002, then migrated southeast to play as the San Antonio Silver Stars from 2003 to 2013. The club were the San Antonio Stars from 2013 to 2017, then moved to Las Vegas in 2018 to play under their current name. Looking to plant roots in Sin City, the Aces looked outwards to develop a voice and identity in their new home and turned to 3 Point Productions for its expertise.

The Las Vegas Aces play home games in Michelob Ultra Arena, which used to be named Mandalay Bay Events Center.

We jumped [into the project] before the Las Vegas Aces were unveiled, notes Heuer. We knew that [head coach] Bill [Laimbeer] was going to be involved, and we knew they had some exciting aspects about the brand.

The company not only generates a majority of the team's in-venue content but is also responsible for distributing this material on game days at Michelob Ultra Arena (formerly named Mandalay Bay Events Center). Without many local professional teams at the time - the Vegas Golden Knights had been established in 2017 - the pool of production talent was somewhat shallow. This caused a massive learning curve for Heuer and 3 Point Productions President Patrick Walker to flatten.

There was a lot of training on the front end, so it was almost like a second home for quite a while leading up to the inaugural year, Heuer says. We got [the Aces crew] to a place where we were able to execute an amazing first season, and we've set up a solid foundation from Year 1 that we've been able to grow.

Vegas-Based Ops: Video Village, High-Energy Prompts Light Up Michelob Ultra Arena Fans have finally been welcomed back to the building, but, during the early months of the 2021 schedule, internal COVID-19 protocols from the 2020 Wubble in Bradenton, FL, were carried over. As the season progressed, some restrictions were lifted, allowing more interaction with spectators in the stands.

During the Aces' playoff run, which unfortunately ended in Game 5 of the semifinals against the Phoenix Mercury, the energy level was kicked up a notch for the packed crowds at the venue. The change in pace involved flashing a lot more hype videos, fan-driven prompts, and prize giveaways a lot earlier in the contest. The prompts included the A'ja Wilson Dance Cam, Chelsea Gray Dribble Cam, DJ Cam, and the Kelsey Plum Flex Cam.

The Video Village houses in-venue production technology, including a NewTek 3Play production switcher.

Seattle has always been known as a tough place to play, and I think that's [becoming true] here in Las Vegas, says Heuer. Something that we would traditionally save for the third- or fourth-quarter moment would be used a lot earlier, especially in a deciding game like a Game 5.

The tools that Heuer and his team have at their disposal are in Video Village, the name for the area located at court level and adjacent to the player tunnel. Because the team plays in a smaller venue than, say, the Liberty, who play in Brooklyn's Barclays Center, the control-room layout is driven by a simplified tech arsenal, including a NewTek 3Play production switcher, Chyron graphics, and Daktronics software to run elements to the LED ribbon boards and main centerhung videoboard.

Star-Studded Production: Heuer, League's Best Drive Elements for 2021 WNBA All-Star During the 2021 regular season and playoffs, Heuer was busy with games for the Aces, but, during the extended Olympic and All-Star break, he put in some extra hours at the center of production plans for the 2021 WNBA All-Star Game. Since it was located in Las Vegas for the second straight season (absent the pandemic-canceled 2020 edition), 3 Point Productions once again participated in the annual showcase as it did in Seattle in 2017.

The Aces hosted the Phoenix Mercury during Game 5 of the 2021 WNBA Semifinals.

To produce a marquee event like the All-Star Game, Heuer assembled an Avengers-style crew for this exhibition in Las Vegas. It included Aces in-game host CJ Simpson, Washington Mystics and U.S. Women's Basketball in-arena host Britt Waters, Washington Mystics' in-arena talent DJ Heat, and first-time in-arena host for the Atlanta Dream Bria Janelle.

It's always such an honor to be a part of those games, Heuer says. It was a little different than what we did in 2019, but, all of that considered, it was magical. We were able to take a page from the NBA playbook and bring in talent from various WNBA markets.

Split Squad: Crew Balances Aces Work With Ops for Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream Although there are a lot of show elements to control in Las Vegas, 3 Point Productions also has co
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/10/27/3-point-productions-plays-major...
See more stories from svg

North America Stories

27/05/2026

Telestream Appoints Benjamin Desbois as CEO, Effective July 1

Telestream has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Benjamin Desbois as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Desbois, currently Teles...

27/05/2026

FOX MLB Leads Live-Event Categories; ESPN Is Tops Overall at 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards

ESPN garnered 10 awards; NBC's Sunday Night Football received the Outstandin...

27/05/2026

Matrox Video Marks 50th Anniversary, Announces New Product Launch for June

Matrox Video is celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of operations from its headquarters in Montreal, Canada. Founded in 1976, the company has...

27/05/2026

MLB Announces Fan Engagement Initiatives for Americas 250th Anniversary

Major League Baseball has announced a series of initiatives tied to America's Semiquincentennial, including a national marketing campaign, Fourth of July br...

27/05/2026

Advanced Systems Group Hires Brian Gross as Account Manager for Audio Team

Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has announced that Brian Gross has joined the company as an Account Manager on its Audio team, based in the Burbank office. He will...

27/05/2026

Nielsen Research: Hispanic Fans, Asian Markets Drive Global Soccer Audience Ahead of World Cup 2026

Nielsen has released new research on soccer fandom ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2...

27/05/2026

ESL FACEIT Group Debuts First Ever Esports Vertical Stream Co-Developed With TikTok

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has unveiled a new partnership with TikTok to bring broad...

27/05/2026

Two Weeks Away: FIFA Outlines Production Plans for Highly Anticipated North American-Based World Cup

FIFA's Oscar Sanchez gives a deeper look to how this tournament will be cove...

27/05/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Maggie Lynn, Virginia Tech

The soon-to-be senior from Charlottesville is building her skills in replay, TD, and even creative content for HokieVision and its ACC Network productions In t...

27/05/2026

A Global Festival of Football: FOX Sports Illustrates Strategy to Bring Every FIFA Mens World Cup Match to the U.S. Audience

FOX Sports' Mike Davies breaks down the vision for this summer's showcas...

27/05/2026

Top-Tier Storytelling: Host Broadcast Services Works at Capturing the Atmosphere of the FIFA Mens World Cup

HBS's Paul King, FIFA's Oscar Sanchez preview how the masses at home wil...

27/05/2026

Matt Gangl & Pete Macheska on FOX MLBs Huge Night and an Unforgettable Postseason Run

FOX's MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards...

27/05/2026

FOXs Mike Davies and Team on Outstanding Technical Team Win for 2025 World Series

One of the most memorable Postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...

27/05/2026

NBC Sports Rob Hyland Reflects on an Unforgettable Sunday Night Football Season

NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most decorated and most watched programs in the history of television. It added to its jam-packed trophy case on Tu...

27/05/2026

Prime Videos John Ward and Mike Francis on Groundbreaking NBA on Prime Video Studio

The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...

27/05/2026

Countdown to FIFA World Cup 2026: SVG Launches SportsTechLive Blog in Lead-up to Winter Games

With the Opening Match just over two weeks away, the entire sports-production-te...

27/05/2026

L3Harris Introduces the XL Converge 300P Portable Public Safety Radio

The XL Converge 300P radio system emerges with a groundbreaking feature set enhancing the mission-critical communications of public safety, federal and critica...

27/05/2026

Modernizing Public Safety Communications

Pairing Two47 MCX software with existing LTE networks means tailored system upgrades that can save time, money and lives....

27/05/2026

L3Harris Strengthens Global Solid Rocket Motor Supply Chain With New PAC-3 Propulsion Supplier

PAC-3 MSE offers improved range, speed, and maneuverability, making it an effect...

27/05/2026

Brightcove Adds New Features to Its AI Suite for Video Advertising

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/05/2026

Star Trek VFX: Recreating John Knoll's Iconic Warp Stars without a Slitscan Camera

Star Trek VFX: Recreating John Knoll's Iconic Warp Stars without a Slitscan ...

27/05/2026

Adventure World Uses Blackmagic Replay for Marine Live

Adventure World Uses Blackmagic Replay for Marine Live Brie Clayton May 27, 2026 0 Comments Large screen displays and slow motion replays dynamically ...

27/05/2026

Berklee Alumna and Assistant Professor Olivia Prez-Collellmir to Premiere Original Work at Gaud Centennial in Barcelona

Berklee Alumna and Assistant Professor Olivia P rez-Collellmir to Premiere Origi...

27/05/2026

Gravity Media Expands Into Creative Services With New Agency

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/05/2026

Tegna Names Patrick Paolini as CEO

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/05/2026

Telestream Taps Company Vet Benjamin Desbois as CEO

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/05/2026

HDR10+ Technologies to Launch Eclipsa Video Certification Program

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/05/2026

ATSC to Gather in Washington Next Week for Annual Meeting

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/05/2026

Telestream Appoints Benjamin Desbois as Chief Executive O...

Co-founder Dan Castles to transition to Executive Chair; internal promotion reinforces continuity and long-term growth Telestream, a global leader in media wor...

27/05/2026

Big Blue Marble Announces First End-to-End 5G Broadcast S...

Big Blue Marble today announced that its Nakolos platform is the first end-to-end 5G Broadcast solution worldwide to implement the complete feature set introduc...

27/05/2026

Lightware Continues Its ESG Commitment Through Girls Day...

Lightware recently hosted the Girls' Day event in April at its headquarters in Budapest, welcoming students for an interactive introduction to engineering a...

26/05/2026

Matrox Video Marks 50 Year Milestone

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/05/2026

Roku Expands Premium Subscriptions With Fox One

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/05/2026

Brian Gross Joins ASG's Audio Team as Account Manager

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/05/2026

MPA Urges FCC Not to Reclassify vMVPDs

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/05/2026

Cobalt Digital to Showcase End-to-End IPMX Ecosystem at I...

Cobalt Digital to Showcase End-to-End IPMX Ecosystem at InfoComm 2026, Making ST 2110 Easy for Pro AV blueCORE standalone processors headline solutions designe...

26/05/2026

Matrox Video Celebrates 50 Years of Innovation and Looks...

Matrox Video today celebrates its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of innovation, engineering excellence, and customer-focused evolution from its headquar...

26/05/2026

Cuez Helps ITV Studios Run Three Live Shows as One includ...

ITV Studios, the production arm of the UKs largest commercial broadcaster, has deployed the Cuez live production platform to unify the management of three back-...

26/05/2026

CETA Software releases Morpheus, an AI tool for real-time post-production project oversight

CETA Software releases Morpheus, an AI tool for real-time post-production projec...

26/05/2026

Ikegami Accelerates Motorsport Broadcast Innovation with...

In a move set to redefine motorsports coverage across the Asia Pacific region, Ikegami Electronics announces that Two Wheels Motor Racing Sdn Bhd (TWMR), a lead...

26/05/2026

Netflix Releases Official Trailer and Poster for 'The Root Of The Game,' A Documentary Series Premiering June 20

Back to All News Netflix Releases Official Trailer and Poster for The Root Of T...

26/05/2026

'MED,' Production Begins on Netflix's First Medical Drama From Brazil, Starring Clara Moneke

Back to All News MED, Production Begins on Netflixs First Medical Drama From Br...

26/05/2026

Netflix Announces Five New Brazilian Productions and Expands Its Presence at Rio2C 2026

Back to All News Netflix Announces Five New Brazilian Productions and Expands I...

26/05/2026

Netflix Celebrates the Release of the New Animated Series 'Due Spicci' With a Major Event at Circo Massimo in Rome

Back to All News Netflix Celebrates the Release of the New Animated Series Due ...

26/05/2026

Made In New Mexico: Building The Boroughs' From the Ground Up

Back to All News Made In New Mexico: Building The Boroughs' From the Ground Up A photo from The Boroughs.' (Courtesy of Netflix 2026) Entertainme...

26/05/2026

Broadcast Pix Introduces ONix Pro Control Panel

Smart Production Control. Total Confidence. Tyngsborough, MA, May 27, 2026 - Broadcast Pix today announced the ONix Pro Control Panel, its most advanced hard...

26/05/2026

NVIDIA Vera CPU Is Packing a Heavy-Hitting Punch' Against Competition

The shift to agentic AI creates a new CPU requirement for the AI factory: fast cores, massive memory bandwidth and the ability to sustain high performance when ...

25/05/2026

SVG All-Stars: LJ Helbig, Senior Manager, Broadcast Engineering, FloSports

The former University of Wyoming wrestler is essential in helping the rapidly growing streamer delivers more than 50,000 live events per year The sports-produc...

25/05/2026

Enabling Persistent Arctic Surveillance

Image courtesy of GA-ASI...