Dome Productions Delivers for First WNBA Game in Canada

A sellout crowd witnessed the Chicago Sky–Minnesota Lynx game in Toronto

In 2020, the WNBA set its sights on holding a preseason game in Canada. Last weekend, the vision became a reality, when the Chicago Sky faced off against the Minnesota Lynx before thousands of Canadian WNBA fans at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.

According to Dome Productions Production Manager Patty Bradley, it was worth the wait: “There was a buzz that was infectious and smiles all around as we were a little part of history here in Canada. It was excellent.”

The Dome Productions team that handled the Chicago Sky vs. the Minnesota Lynx game at Scotiabank Arena

The game was produced out of Dome Vista (which also handled the international feed in Salt Lake City for the NBA All-Star Game) and deployed four hard cameras, two handhelds, a Megaladon shallow–depth-of-field camera, and a beauty cam. Ross Xpression was used for graphics.

The Toronto Raptors didn’t make the playoffs this year, allowing producer Dave Leiter and director Chris Phillips to lead the coverage.

“We wanted to try to get as many women working it as possible and had a smattering of ladies on the crew,” Bradley says. “We also worked with the WNBA to figure out who the talent could be and lucked out with Amy Audibert [who works for the Miami Heat] as analyst and Meghan McPeak, who was our play-by-play [and usually calls games for the Washington Wizards]. We also had Nikki Reyes for the sideline reporting. They are also all Canadian, which was a huge plus.”

With the Heat in the playoffs, Audibert had to fly in on the morning of the game, but, fortunately, flight delays were not an issue.

Inside Dome Vista production truck at the WNBA game in Toronto last week

“The pre-planning was pretty seamless because we were at Scotiabank Arena,” says Bradley. “The only difference was, it was a smaller show. We didn’t have super-slo-mo, but it looked great on-air.”

The game was a sell-out, a plus for a preseason game in any sport.

“The outpouring of interest from Toronto fans was a pleasant surprise,” says Bradley. “The crowd even had many young ladies screaming at the top of their lungs and wearing jerseys. The spectrum of fans covered all walks of life and ethnicities, as Toronto is a hugely diverse city.”

It was a full house at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto for the first WNBA game north of the border.

For Dome Productions, the hoops work will continue. The company will be providing a truck for the world feed at the East Coast NBA Finals. Dome is also the facilities provider for coverage of the 10-team Canadian Elite Basketball League, which tips off on May 24 and features 13 shows on TSN.