Meet the Director Who Orchestrates Kinnick Game Day

PHOTO: John Emigh Brian Clarke references the run-of-show script on his laptop and uses an intercom key panel to switch between the various contacts he communicates with via headset throughout game day.

Brian Clarke scans Kinnick Stadium as thousands of fans raise their arms in unison, lifting an imaginary burrito in the air. Sensing an opportunity to elevate the energy even more, Clarke makes a request via headset to a colleague on the field.

Do you know if Big E wants to rile them up again at the end?

Seconds later, former Iowa football player and professional wrestler Ettore Ewen (08BA), better known as Big E, appears on the jumbotron and emphatically implores the Iowa fans to make some noise. They willingly oblige.

PHOTO: John Emigh Former Hawkeye football player and professional wrestler Ettore Ewen, better known as Big E, awaits his cue from the public address booth to rile up the crowd.

The moment is one of dozens throughout game day that Clarke, director of marketing for UI athletics, coordinates to create a seamless and enjoyable experience. Perched in the front of the public address booth on the fourth floor of the press box, Clarke orchestrates the run of show for every Hawkeye football home game. He develops a script down to the second of what happens on the field and video boards and over the public address system, balancing sponsor promotions and special recognitions with fan prompts and prerecorded content.

PHOTO: John Emigh Iowa athletics host Laura VandeBerg (16BA) needs minimal prep for on-field interviews, such as this one with former Hawkeye football player Jordan Lomax (15BA). Much of her role is about ad-libbing and adapting to the energy of the crowd, her guest, and the game. While she has specific sponsorship messaging she’s required to mention and follows a script of questions her interviewees receive in advance, she doesn’t know how her guests will respond—or whether a mic will malfunction—until it’s live in front of 70,000 fans. Says VandeBerg: “It’s a little bit more about who I’m interviewing and not so much about what I need to say.”

The outline details the duration of each segment, its audio source, and key talking points for the public address announcer and for Hawkeye Sports host Laura VandeBerg (16BA). Meanwhile, Clarke must adjust to match the energy and timing of what’s happening on the field. “It’s all a delicate balance,” he says. “You have to know when to make decisions, when you’re falling behind or getting too far ahead, and what do you do in the little fill moments.”

PHOTO: John Emigh Brian Clarke, seated far left in the front row, directs the Kinnick game day run of show. He communicates via headset with numerous colleagues, including sound technician Rick Von Lienen, middle, and Kinnick DJ Demarcus Heglar in the second row of the public address booth.

Clarke follows the event outline on his laptop and sits next to the public address announcer, providing visual cues or countdowns when it’s time for an announcement or transition. He communicates via headset with the video board operator at HawkVision, event management staff, and colleagues managing on-field operations like VandeBerg’s segments, as well as to Kinnick DJ Demarcus Heglar and sound technician Rick Von Lienen who are positioned behind him. Clarke uses an intercom key panel to switch between his contacts and also uses a two-way radio to communicate with student employees on the field.

PHOTO: John Emigh Mark Abbott (73JD), Iowa football’s in-game public address announcer for 26 seasons, uses a game day script for sponsor promotions, announcements, and special recognitions. He reviews a roster card for both teams with his own handwritten name pronunciations for players. A couple spotters help him identify what happens on each play and the down and distance for the next one, while the marketing director gives him cues for when to go on air. Abbott, who retired after last season, presses and holds a button when he’s ready to speak, and releases it to mute his microphone. Rod Lehnertz (02BA), who has served many years as the voice of Iowa wrestling, assumed the role this summer.

Creating a cohesive flow on game day requires many hours of preparation—and each game presents a new puzzle for Clarke to solve. Identifying the TV provider and kickoff time, which dictate timeout lengths and the timing of pregame operations, are like finding corner pieces to shape the framework of each “show.” From there, he assembles the secondary pieces, such as on-field recognitions, upcoming Hawkeye sporting event announcements, and sponsorship fulfillments. New video content is created and graphics are updated to include sponsor logos specific to the upcoming game.

Clarke runs through the script with campus partners ranging from Hawkeye Sports Properties and Iowa Spirit Squads to the Hawkeye Marching Band and Iowa’s Army ROTC Color Guard. Clarke also meets with HawkVision staff at their control room to walk through every line item, including where recognitions will take place on the field, which camera angles to use, and how new features will be implemented on the video boards.

Despite all the preparation, every game day requires adaptability. An extended injury timeout might require combining a couple elements like the I-O-W-A chant with the T-shirt cannon to ensure all sponsorship fulfillments are met. Other times, it’s situational, like delaying the smile cam if Iowa just committed a turnover. Throughout the game, Clarke discusses “if this, then that” scenarios with colleagues to ensure they’re ready for various outcomes. “It’s trying to pick the things that are appropriate for the moment,” says Clarke. “How we build the show [allows] the flexibility to stick to what we have to do. It’s having a big moment or a key item in the timeout, knowing that if something had to change, you could shift things around.”

PHOTO: John Emigh Hawkeye host Laura VandeBerg (16BA) awaits her cue from Brian Clarke to interview former Hawkeye football player Jordan Lomax (15BA).