The Daktronics Experience

Join Justin and Matt as they look back on a big month for Daktronics. From the University of Richmond upgrading the Robins Center with a new display system and Park Outdoor celebrating its 50th digital billboard, to an upcoming Women in Sports event and Dak Prescott’s gift transforming Haughton High School, there’s plenty to cover. We also recap the three podcast episodes released in November, featuring insights on game presentation, DakClassroom and major display upgrades.

Links:

• Park Outdoor Celebrates 50th Digital Billboard with High-Visibility Upgrade Near Syracuse
• Women In Sports Online Event in December to Focus On Fostering an Environment of Excellence
  • Registration Link: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/events/women-in-sports
• University of Richmond Upgrades Robins Center with Daktronics Display System
• Prescott Field: How Dak Prescott’s Gift Sparked a New Era at Haughton High
• (VIDEO) Prescott Field Dedication at Haughton High School

Matt and Justin sit down with Mary Rathburn, Assistant AD for Marketing and Fan Engagement at Elon University, and Patrick Cunningham, Director of Live Broadcast Production for Elon Sports Vision. to take you behind the scenes of how a mid-major athletic department runs a broadcast operation, video board show and fan experience strategy all at once, and often from the same control room. From student-run productions to viral in-game moments, this episode is a deep dive into what it really takes to produce a modern college athletics experience.

Topics Covered

• How Elon runs broadcast and in-venue production simultaneously
• Why preparation off the field is the secret to smooth game days
• How a two-person marketing staff drives fan experience across 17 sports
• The role students play in producing over 135 broadcasts per year
• How Elon’s centralized control room handles multiple venues
• What “idea hacking” means — and why great producers steal (the right way)
• The story behind the viral free-throw distraction moment
• How student crews won a national broadcast award
• Why the “Snack Cam” should never be allowed
• How support systems and testing keep things running smoothly
• Why being willing to fail is critical to creativity
• How video boards are being used for:
  • Fan engagement
  • Sponsor value
  • Weather updates
  • Game timing information

Links:

• Elon Sports Vision captures first College Sports Media Award
• 244 – Hitting the Ice at the University of Minnesota Duluth with Dylon Field
• 39 - The Importance of Video Displays in Minor League Baseball with Katie Dannemiller (Greensboro Grasshoppers)

In this episode, we’re joined by Lucas Dahlberg, Game Presentation talent and student at the University of St. Thomas. Lucas shares how his journey began with running a high school video board and quickly grew into building full game-day productions, leading student crews, and now working hands-on in a brand-new D1 facility.

He talks through his progression from Elk River High School to St. Thomas, what it was like opening a brand-new arena, and how he landed a role with the Minnesota Wild… all before finishing his first year of college.

Lucas also breaks down how he builds shows using Daktronics tools like Show Control, what he’s learned from watching productions at every level, and why giving students access and ownership is so important for growing the industry.

Topics Covered

• How Lucas got his start with video boards as a high school freshman
• Growing an entire student-run events team from scratch
• Transitioning to the University of St. Thomas and producing D1-level shows
• Building the first-ever game presentation for the new Lee & Penny Anderson Arena
• Working promotions for the Minnesota Wild and how that changed his perspective
• Idea “hacking” — pulling inspiration from pro venues and college gamedays
• The tools he uses every day, including Daktronics Show Control
• Advice for students and schools wanting to get into live event production

Whether you're in athletics, production, or just love hearing about passionate young talent in sports, Lucas’s story is a great look at the next generation of game-day creators.

Links:

• University of St. Thomas Athletics: https://tommiesports.com/ 
• DakClassroom: ht tps://www.daktronics.com/en-us/markets/sports/high-schools/dakclassroom
• Camino: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/products/software-and-controllers/show-control/products/camino 
• Show Control: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/products/software-and-controllers/show-control 

To hear all about connecting with students at the high school level for video production, we spoke with Kyle Sydow, Daktronics High School Park and Rec Market Manager. He dives into DakClassroom, what it is and does, and what it provides for students and their communities. We also cover how this solution impacts high schools, colleges and even the professional levels of sports. 

Links:

• 227 – Capitalizing on Future Opportunities via Crew Connect with Brandon Shih
• DakClassroom Webpage: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/markets/sports/high-schools/dakclassroom 

Join Justin and Matt as they look back on a big month for Daktronics! From the excitement of our annual Sales Expo and the record-setting installation at Oklahoma Softball, now home to the largest video board in all of college softball, to a full month focused on our Services team, there was plenty to cover. The duo also recaps the five podcast episodes released in October, featuring conversations with members of our Services group from across the U.S. and around the world.

Links:

• Oklahoma State Engages Fans with Largest LED Video Display in College Softball from Daktronics
• Sales Expo 2025 Strengthens Sign Company Partnerships and Showcases Design Excellence
• Daktronics Blog Site

Services Podcast Episodes:

• 272 – Inside Daktronics Services with Marian Verhaert
• 271 – Inside Daktronics Services with Jack Pickett
• 269 – Inside Daktronics Services with Melissa Carson
• 268 – Inside Daktronics Services with Brandon Johnson
• 266 – Inside Daktronics Services with Thair Kayed

Diving into the LED display upgrades for the Charlotte Knights, Justin and Matt are joined by Dan Rajkowski, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chris Poindexter, Director of Game Presentation and Production. They give the inside story for getting a new display system for the 2025 baseball season including the installation timeline, system capabilities and using Show Control with Camino. They even describe how they customized the production as the season went along.

Links:

• News Release: https://www.daktronics.com/news/charlotte-knights-revamp-digital-display-experience-with-daktronics 
• Charlotte Knights Website: https://www.milb.com/charlotte-knights 
• Camino Webpage: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/products/software-and-controllers/show-control/products/camino 

Rounding out our mini-series on Daktronics Services, Marian Verhaert, Service Manager for Europe, joins the podcast. She shares her role in supporting our customers, how the process works with the services team in her region, including multiple markets and applications, and more.

Jack Pickett, account service manager for Daktronics in the southeast region, is the next to join our services mini-series! He shares experiences from his 22 total years with Daktronics, how important a service agreement is for our customers, what success looks like for him and the Daktronics services team, and so much more.

What’s it like to add 23 LED displays totaling 20,000+ square feet on a college campus? We sat down with Iowa State University’s Tyler Rutherford, Associate AD of Digital Media and Cyclones.tv, and Philip Manley, Associate Director of Game Presentation, to hear all about it. From a massive new display at Jack Trice Stadium for football to a continuous centerhung display at Hilton Coliseum, there were some big changes in the past year. They also dive into digital content with Camino, production capabilities with Show Control and so much more.

Links:

• Daktronics news release: https://www.daktronics.com/news/led-display-upgrades-from-daktronics-will-improve-cyclone-fan-exper… 
• YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWRe1HJfd4E 

Next up on our services mini-series, we were joined by Melissa Carson, Market Service Manager of Live Events and Spectaculars at Daktronics. She goes in-depth on her role in customer service and support, how the Daktronics team is there for customers before, during and after large events, and how the company supports 24/7 uptime.

Links

• Previous episode with Melissa: 113 - Daktronics Approach to Customer Training with Melissa Carson