
When Brad Baker moved to the Land of 10,000 Lakes in 2012, he was one of three employees of the then Minnesota Stars FC. The staff of the burgeoning NASL club worked out of owner Bill McGuire's kitchen in those early days.
Four short years later, the senior director of video production for the now Minnesota United FC (MNUFC) is hustling to take Major League Soccer's 22nd franchise to the national stage.
Minnesota United FC's video team: (from left) Jonathan Whitney, motion graphics artist; Scott Sikich, production assistant; Sam Plucker, producer; Brad Baker, senior director, video production
When I came here, I think, we had 200 some season-ticket holders, he says. Now we have close to 10,000. We've been selling out games in a second division in a stadium 15 miles north of the city, and Major League Soccer has picked us as a new franchise. It's kind of hard to wrap my head around.
Hello, Big Board!
MNUFC's video team runs four deep these days (Baker, producer Sam Plucker, motion graphics artist Jonathan Whitney, and production assistant Scott Sikich), but, with a promotion to the top U.S. league comes some pretty big steps. The most significant is being prepared to host games at the club's new (but temporary) home, TCF Bank Stadium. The big challenge? This is the first time the club will be responsible for producing a top-of-the-line in-venue videoboard show.
In anticipation of the club's first home match, on March 12, Baker spent a few weeks at the end of last season traveling to various clubs across the league (including the New York Red Bulls and MLS Cup Champion Seattle Sounders) to absorb as much as he could of their stadium shows. Seeing the different philosophies helped him formulate a concept for the style of videoboard production he hopes to bring to MNUFC.
[As with] any sporting event, a lot of people are going to tailgate and hang out outside the stadium until not long before kickoff, he says. So I'm sort of thinking that last 20-30 minutes before kickoff is going to be our sweet spot. I want it to be like the end of a rock concert where you just start annihilating the fans and their senses with all kinds of sensory overload. We want people to be on their feet and jumping up and down, and, by the time that ball is kicked off, I want the kickoff to almost be like a release.
I think it's important for us, he continues, to build that atmosphere and give us a home-field advantage.
TCF Bank Stadium - which regularly serves as home to the Minnesota Golden Gophers - boasts one of the largest videoboards (48 ft. high x 108 ft. wide) in all of college football. This presents its own challenges to the video team as it determines content strategy.
Although MNUFC has some history and isn't a purebred expansion team like, say, Atlanta United FC will be, the video team is still very wary of using footage from its history, simply because many of the players who were on the NASL version of this club are not making the leap to MLS. In addition, the club has a desire to portray a top-flight image, so using highlights and clips from the club's days playing in significantly smaller stadiums against non-MLS clubs is not footage it wants to play on the big board. So fans will notice a very graphics-heavy videoboard presentation in the club's first year.
Establishing a Brand Voice Through Video
Besides the videoboard show, MNUFC's video team will (for the foreseeable future) also oversee the live broadcasts of home and away matches not covered by MLS partners Fox Sports and ESPN. The video also produces much of the video content that appears on the club's website and various social-media channels.
Baker takes pride in the voice that he feels his team has helped establish through its video content.
I think it's one of the things that have helped build and elevate the brand, he says. We exist in a saturated sports market. One of the philosophies we have to live by is trying to cut through the clutter. We can't look like any other team in this market because it just becomes white noise. We try to focus on creative ways of doing that, and I think we've always done a pretty good job of that. As we move forward, I think, there will still be some of that outside-the-box, off-the-wall kind of video content that we've built a reputation for.
On the gear end, MNUFC is primarily a Sony house, having started with some - and -in. ENG cameras that could also be deployed for live broadcasts. Three years ago, the team invested in an FS-700, which became the team's primary ENG camera. For the excitement of its first MLS campaign, the club is also set to buy an F55 to start acquiring 4K footage even though it is not yet producing anything in 4K.
You only get your first season in Major League Soccer once, Baker points out, and we want to have the highest-quality images that we can from that first year.
In addition, the club made the full switch to Adobe Creative Suite last season, using Premiere and After Effects, among others, to build video content and motion graphics.
Keepers of the Flame
Across the board, MNUFC understands that, although the club has a rabid hardcore fan base (which caught the eye of MLS and helped earn it the promotion), there will be many new faces in the stands checking out the Twin Cities' newest major professional sports team. Extending a welcoming hand to those folks is critical to the club's early success, and video plays a key part.
Frankly, with all the new players and coaches, I think there's a lot of stories to tell, says Baker. So where the hardcore fans who follow the team may know everything about a player before their contract is even signed because they're scouring football scouting websites from all over the planet, your general fan who liv
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...
12/03/2025
Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...
12/03/2025
12 Mar 2025
VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...
12/03/2025
Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...
12/03/2025
THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: AI Commentary, Shared-Reality Viewing at COSM, La...
12/03/2025
Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...
12/03/2025
Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...
12/03/2025
With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...
12/03/2025
Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...
12/03/2025
Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...
12/03/2025
New HVS-Q12 Represents a Quantum Leap in Switcher Design...
12/03/2025
Telespazio and ABS Expand Partnership to Deliver Tailored C-Band Connectivity So...
12/03/2025
ABC conducts independent audits across the TAG programs. In the March 2025 TAG s...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Moonlight: ESA program to create a satellite con...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
In 2025, Thales ranks among the top 0.01% of the...
12/03/2025
Consumer show back following hugely successful first series
10 March 2025 Following a hugely successful first series, The Complaints Bureau returns to RT ...
11/03/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
11/03/2025
Salsa is making a comeback, captivating new listeners with its infectious energy...
11/03/2025
For many people, music can serve as a reflection of their roots and upbringing. ...
11/03/2025
The solution delivers reliable, scalable and secure connectivity for critical pu...
11/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced that Weigel Broadcasting has deployed Harmonics VOS Media Software, which offers playout-to-delivery capabilities, inclu...