Skip to content
MarketScale
Demo
Creator Hubs›Behind the Screens
Behind the Screens logo

Inside the Dallas Stars organization, far beyond game night.

Behind the Screens is the Dallas Stars' branded content channel, pulling back the curtain on the people, production, and decisions that shape one of the NHL's most active game-day operations. The show covers everything from arena technology and fan experience design to the staff who execute it each night. Sports and entertainment professionals use this channel to see how a major league franchise runs its business off the ice.

10 episodes
Channel Brief·Behind the Screens · 10 episodes
Updated Apr 1, 2019

Entertainment strategy beats spontaneity in non-traditional sports markets

The Dallas Stars prove that win-or-lose fan loyalty in hockey-skeptical cities rests on deliberate production planning, not reactivity. This channel maps how.

Behind the Screens argues that professional sports entertainment in non-traditional markets succeeds through formulaic preparation disguised as spontaneity. The Dallas Stars entertainment team prepares 80-85 percent of each game's plan 24 hours in advance, yet Jason Danby frames the discipline as enabling rather than constraining creativity. The channel's recurring proof pattern is on-the-ground reporting from team members who execute this strategy daily: control-room operators, DJs, hosts, and content creators who explain how structure creates space for real-time adaptation.

Drawn from Behind the Screens with the Dallas Stars: Meth… and 2 more →

“Everything's got to be ready by five o'clock the day ahead of time. I enjoy the necessity of being that far ahead.”

Jason Danby, Senior Director of Brand Presentation, Dallas Stars

By the numbers

80-85%

game entertainment plan completed 24 hours before puck drop

41

regular season home games per year requiring unique entertainment

14

years Celena Rae has worked as anthem singer and in-game host

90

seconds allowed for Celena Rae to sprint from ice to concourse

What the channel argues

Data80-85 percent of each game's entertainment is planned 24 hours ahead, five o'clock deadline enforced.→
InsightDallas Stars treat game-day experience as primary retention tool, not secondary to team performance.→
DataCelena Rae has executed dual roles as anthem singer and in-game host for 14 years with minimal downtime.→
InsightFanpictor app enabled ultrasonic-activated lightshow giving fans direct control of pre-game atmosphere during 2018-19 season.→
InsightContent rivalry creation through opponent-specific jabbing is deliberate strategy to energize crowd, not reactive spontaneity.→

What you'll learn

•Why a 24-hour planning window for live entertainment allows faster real-time decisions, not slower ones.
•How non-traditional sports markets must treat the in-arena experience as the primary product, independent of game outcome.
•What role video directors, DJs, and hosts play in turning first-time attendees into repeat customers even when the home team loses.
•How opponent-specific content and crowd psychology create synthetic rivalries in markets without deep sports tradition.
•Why fan participation technology like Fanpictor deepens retention by shifting attendees from spectators to co-creators.

What to do about it

→Adopt a fixed pre-game planning deadline at least 24 hours before live events and staff roles to protect it.
→Measure fan experience quality separately from team performance, and invest in experience improvement during losing streaks.
→Create opponent-specific content and messaging to energize crowds, treating visiting teams as foils rather than neutral competitors.

Who and what shows up

Jason Danby

Senior Director of Brand Presentation, Dallas Stars

Articulates the core planning philosophy, the role of rivalry creation, and the necessity of structure in non-traditional markets.

Terri McCormack

Video Director, Dallas Stars

Has executed home games from the control room since 2006 and demonstrates how the director's role is as crucial as on-ice action.

Celena Rae

Anthem singer and in-game host, Dallas Stars

After 14 years with the organization, represents the high-visibility face of the Stars entertainment operation.

Michael Gruber

DJ, Dallas Stars

Developed a cult following by treating music curation as mood direction rather than gap filler, working closely with the video team.

Fanpictor

Technology company

Provided ultrasonic-wave technology enabling fan app participation in pre-game lightshows during the 2018-19 season.

Questions this channel answers

Q

How do you keep fans engaged when the home team is losing?

By maintaining entertainment quality independent of game outcome. The Stars expect to give fans a positive memory regardless of score, using content and atmosphere as a buffer when on-ice performance falters.

Behind the Screens with the Dallas Stars: Changing the A… →
Q

Why does planning entertainment 24 hours ahead matter more than reacting in real time?

A 24-hour planning window with a 5 p.m. deadline ensures 80-85 percent of the show is ready, which paradoxically allows faster real-time decisions during the game itself because the framework is locked in.

Behind the Screens with the Dallas Stars: Method Behind … →
Q

What makes a non-traditional sports market different from a legacy market?

Dallas as a non-traditional hockey market has first-time attendees as the norm, meaning the Stars have one game to convert a casual visitor into a repeat customer, regardless of hockey expertise or team loyalty.

Behind the Screens with the Dallas Stars: The Psychology… →
Q

How do you create a rivalry in a market without deep sports history?

By weaponizing content production to spotlight opposing players as adversaries and using opponent-specific material to energize the crowd. As Jason Danby notes, sometimes you have to throw the first punch to start a rivalry.

Behind the Screens with the Dallas Stars: How Content Cr… →
Q

What role does the video control room play in live sports entertainment?

Video Director Terri McCormack executes the entire content plan from the control room and rarely sees the game in person, meaning the director's real-time decisions about replays, graphics, and pacing directly shape fan perception of the event.

Behind the Screens with the Dallas Stars: Calling the Sh… →
Topics:Game day entertainment productionFan engagement and retentionNon-traditional sports marketsLive content operationsCrowd psychology and atmosphere
Themes:Structure enables spontaneity, not constrains itExperience transcends scoreboard in untapped marketsFan participation replaces passive spectatorship

Industry context

Media and entertainment are shifting toward immersive, participatory experiences that engage audiences beyond passive consumption, with AI and social platforms enabling more interactive formats.

Want a show like this for your brand?

MarketScale produces and distributes branded shows like Behind the Screens for B2B companies.

Build your show →