Since 2011, I have cultivated innovative ways of entertaining audiences of all sizes and interests. From small basketball gymnasiums to baseball stadiums filled with passionate fans, I have dedicated my professional life to keeping those fan engaged using a combination of public address audio, music, live & produced video, fun skits, mascots, and so much more. I believe the key to keeping an audience entertained is creating a fully immersive environment where the fan feels like they are part of the action.
Creating an all-around entertainment experience.
Arena vision.
At Rider, Alumni Gymnasium is home to the men’s and women’s basketball teams, wrestling, and volleyball. The 1,650-seat arena is among the smallest in Division I, which means it is often packed with college students on event days. In my role, I ensure the fans are always entertained by utilizing the LED video screens. During live game play, up-to-the-second statistics combined with custom-designed team logo graphics are on screen. Between whistles, live fan cams and motion graphics coordinated with public address audio keep the fans captivated.
Making A Mascot
In 2015, the Trenton Thunder were looking to complement its well-established mascot Boomer (far left) with a new character. I helped lead a team that worked with a well-known west coast marketing agency to design and implement a new heroic mascot - Cloudman (right). Aligning Cloudman with the Thunder’s tradition of honoring local individuals and organizations for their charitable contributions enabled the character to be immediately accepted and integrated with the community.
A year later, I helped design Slice (left), a slice of pork roll to help promote the Thunder’s new pork roll-inspired alternate brand.
Minor league problem.
Major League Eating.
During every offseason, Minor League Baseball teams look for new and innovative ways to host events and engage fans. The Thunder’s solution was to celebrate pork roll - the salty breakfast meat that originates in Trenton, New Jersey - with a themed festival. It featured live music, craft beer tasting, various pork roll menu items, and activities for attendees of all ages. The event would culminate in an officially-sanctioned pork roll eating competition, featuring the world’s number one eater, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut. I coordinated with Major League Eating to run the competition and secure Chestnut, designed a custom event website, created digital and print marketing material, and worked with our planning team in all other aspects of the festival.
The festival has continued since my time with the Thunder and River Fest enjoyed its fifth successful year in 2019, including Joey Chestnut setting the world record by eating 61.5 pork roll sandwiches in 10 minutes.
(Left) New York Yankees Hall-of-Famer Reggie Jackson speaks to Special Olympics athletes before a Trenton Thunder game in 2013. The Thunder 68-foot video board can be seen in the background.
(Above) Rider Broncs fans enjoy “Bongo Cam” on the video board during a timeout.
(Top Right) Young fans participate in one of many interactive games between innings at a Trenton Thunder game.
(Bottom Right) The “Eye Ball Race” is a must-see between-innings skit at Thunder games. I was inspired by a similar race at another Minor League team, and introduced the race in 2016.
