Most people wait until after college to start their careers, but Brady Holzmiller was running sound for professional hockey games before he even finished high school.

On this episode of "The Fan Experience Blueprint," host Connor Smith sits down with PA announcer and music director Brady Holzmiller. Brady pulls back the curtain on how he broke into the sports industry as a teenager and learned to handle massive crowds early on.

He shares the exact afternoon at Fenway Park that changed everything for him, showing how watching a crowd react to a stadium anthem revealed his true path. We talk about how to create your own opportunities, song selection at games and what it takes to run a show for 20,000 screaming fans.

A current sophomore at Springfield College, Brady is a PA announcer for the University of Massachusetts and is one of two in-game DJs for the American Hockey League's Hartford Wolf Pack. He was also the DJ for the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball National Championship.

Connect with Connor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-smith-0719/

Connect with Brady on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brady-holzmiller-b74ab6281

Connect with Connor on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connornicholas19/

Connect with Brady on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bholzzz/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Behind every major league game presentation is a control room team orchestrating the visual identity and real-time storytelling of the stadium bowl.

On this episode of "The Fan Experience Blueprint," host Connor Smith sits down with freelance game operations producer and motion graphics animator Caleb Bouchy. Caleb breaks down his industry trajectory, starting from his childhood roots in the Arena Football League to working as a student production assistant with the Pac-12 Network at Arizona State University.

Caleb also pulls back the curtain on what it takes to design, animate and execute live in-arena video packages, scorebugs, crowd prompts and full-screen takeovers for major sports franchises, including the Phoenix Suns, Washington Capitals and Arizona Coyotes.

We dive deep into his unique creative process, including how to protect your creative freedom, how to infuse pop culture into stadium entertainment and the mechanical reality of running different venue boards. Caleb also shares a raw look at navigating a sudden NHL team relocation and the reality of building your own independent business.

Connect with Connor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-smith-0719/

Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-bouchy/

Caleb's personal website and portfolio: https://calebbouchy.wixsite.com/my-site

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it actually take to make a stadium experience work for every single person in the crowd?

On our premiere episode, host Connor Smith sits down with professional sports journalist Zain Bando to talk about live sports from a fan-first perspective. Fresh off a wild Cubs walk-off win at Wrigley Field, Zain shares his take on the timeless magic of a day at the ballpark, the crazy high-energy crowd inside of a UFC fight night and the real-world challenges of navigating massive venues.

Zain pulls back the curtain on how teams can do a much better job with disability awareness and why true inclusivity always starts with speaking up and taking action.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.