ESPN Rides Wave of Women’s-Hoops Momentum Into WNBA Draft Production at Brooklyn Academy of Music

The broadcaster will deploy two onsite sets, 15 cameras at the historic theater

The next chapter in the Caitlin Clark era begins with Monday’s WNBA Draft in Brooklyn, and ESPN is marking the occasion with its largest production for the event to date. With fans in the stands for the first time in years and more attention on the Draft than ever before following a historic NCAA Women’s Final Four, ESPN has big plans for Monday night’s festivities at the historic Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).

“We look to ride that momentum [from the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament] straight into Monday night with our WNBA Draft,” says Sara Gaiero, VP, production, ESPN. “From a coverage perspective, we have a healthy complement that we’re bringing to [BAM] to help us document the event in terms of cameras and [production elements]. The hope is that we can capture the beauty of what the theater brings and incorporate that into our overall coverage, because it will be unique and different.”

Beginning at 7 p.m. ET, WNBA Countdown will air live from the WNBA Draft for the first time, as will the 6 p.m. SportsCenter, leading up to the Draft tipoff at 7:30 p.m. Host Ryan Ruocco, analysts Rebecca Lobo and Andraya Carter, and reporter Holly Rowe will provide comprehensive coverage throughout the evening, from the arrival of the prospects on the signature WNBA “Orange Carpet” through the completion of the third round. In addition to covering the stories of the players and teams, ESPN will lean into the Draft’s largest onsite audience to date.

“We’re excited that there will be fans in the theater to partake in all of the night’s festivities,” says Gaiero. “We’ll incorporate all of that and weave that in our coverage throughout the night. I think it will be amazing to see what that feel and vibe and energy is like on Monday night.”

Getting To Know BAM: ESPN Welcomes the Unfamiliar Venue

ESPN production will be housed in Live Media Group MU-12 and MU-15 mobile units, with production offices, storage space, NEP Fletcher robotics, and RF operations in space inside BAM. Because BAM is a theater, not an arena, there is no typical broadcast-truck parking or broadcast infrastructure. To operate out of the unfamiliar venue, ESPN’s ops team has been doing site surveys since the WNBA Finals in October and conducting regular planning calls with the venue and the league to determine the best location for parking production trucks.

“The venue is beautiful and will make a one-of-a-kind backdrop for such a historic WNBA Draft,” says Catherine Chalfant, remote production operations supervisor, ESPN. “The beauty of the BAM Theater allows us to do some unique things in terms of camera placement and a WNBA Countdown set separate from the main stage.”

In addition, ESPN sought assistance from counterparts at Walt Disney Co. sibling ABC and The Jimmy Kimmel Show — particularly Kimmel Line Producer Matt Musgrave — to get an understanding of how they have produced the show from BAM over the past few years. ESPN Senior Remote Operations Specialist Brian Ristine says Musgrave and his team have been “wonderful partners” throughout the planning process and ESPN will return the favor by sharing lessons learned during its live show on Monday for future editions of Kimmel at BAM.

Gaiero adds, “We’ve learned a lot just in the last couple years, and we’re bringing that experience into this event. We’ve had collaborative conversations with the league, and that has helped position us to come into this new venue and hit the ground running.”

Design for the Draft: ESPN’s Onsite Sets, Arsenal of Cameras, Miked Players

ESPN has expanded its footprint for the Draft this year to include two sets. The main desk will be built on the main floor of the theater, a few feet from the Draft stage, and will be used throughout the broadcast. New this year is a separate WNBA Countdown set in the theater lobby in front of the orange carpet. Rowe will also have her position to the left of the commissioner’s podium, where she will have first access to interview each draftee after their name is called.

“We’re somewhat limited to what the venue can provide, but we tried to take a look at [how we could grow the production],” Gaiero says about the impact of the growing popularity of women’s hoops on ESPN’s Draft plans. “We have a whole different WNBA Countdown setup that’s separate from what we will do inside the theater. Inside, we’re positioning our cameras to capture the entire vibe of the theater that’s different from the venue we were in last year. We’ll scale with the venue and with the event.”

ESPN will deploy 15 cameras at BAM: two dedicated to WNBA Countdown, three on the main WNBA Draft set, one dedicated to wall-to-wall press-conference coverage, three roaming RF handhelds, two jibs (one with virtual-graphics capability), three Fletcher robotic cameras throughout the theater and on the orange carpet, and a Steadicam that will be deployed, Chalfant says, to “help capture the special moments of these young women’s realizing that their dreams are becoming a reality and creating that emotional connection for the viewers watching at home.”

On the audio side, ESPN has partnered with the league to have four prospects wear mics throughout the night.

Beyond BAM, ESPN’s telecast will also have cameras inside five team Draft Rooms: Indiana, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington — each having a First Round pick. Additionally, the broadcaster will have live coverage from Indiana Fever and Los Angeles Sparks official Watch Parties. In return, ESPN is supplying numerous feeds and comm both to the venues for in-venue use and to the league for internal use and communications.

After Years of Pro/College Women’s Hoops, ‘This Year Feels Different’ for ESPN Crew

Rarely does the same operations crew work both the college and pro packages for a broadcaster, but that’s the case with ESPN’s coverage of women’s basketball. Multiple key crew members for the WNBA Draft — spanning production, operations, and tech — also lead components of the Women’s Prime College Basketball package and Women’s Final Four.

As a result, the transition between college and WNBA coverage is a tight turnaround. Chalfant and company arrived from Cleveland on Monday, some from Phoenix on Tuesday, and still others traveled into Brooklyn Thursday night.

“It’s a yearlong commitment between the two sports,” says Chalfant, “but we have found our rhythm in how we champion these busy times. This year, more than ever, we have so much momentum to remain determined until the job is done.

“The ops-management team is lucky to be able to work on women’s basketball — both college and WNBA —  throughout the entire year,” she continues. “From a management perspective, being able to work alongside Sara Gaiero all year long has been amazing. We have been able to short-term plan, long-term plan, and look at the overall synergies in growing both the college and the WNBA game. The partnership we have, I believe, is a formula for great success in the women’s-basketball space over the years to come.”

Although having a consistent operations team across both women’s college basketball and the WNBA makes for some very busy weeks in March and early April, Chalfant, Ristine, and company have embraced the challenge. And, as women’s basketball captures the cultural zeitgeist courtesy of Clark, Angel Reese, and the other up-and-coming stars who will be on hand Monday night, it’s also a moment of validation for the ESPN ops team.

“While the Draft is special every year as we watch these young women achieve their lifelong dream of joining the WNBA,” says Chalfant, “this year feels different. It feels like the rest of the world finally sees what we see. It’s an unbelievable feeling when something you fight so hard for year in and year out is finally recognized by the rest of the world. But make no mistake, the lack of recognition never stopped us, and the newfound glory is just fueling our fire to propel us forward as we continue to play our part in one of the biggest movements in sports in this lifetime.”