New Orleans Saints & New Orleans Pelicans

Executive Director, Game Experience and In-Game Production

New Orleans, LA

Reports to: Vice President, Brand

Background:

The New Orleans Saints (NFL) and New Orleans Pelicans (NBA) are two premier professional sports franchises operating under the leadership of Gayle Benson. Rooted in the vibrant culture and spirit of New Orleans, the Saints and Pelicans celebrate diversity, embrace individuality, and unite people through shared experiences on and off the field and court. Guided by core values of community, teamwork, celebrating individuality, people first, integrity, and excellence, the organizations are committed to fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing workplace culture.

The Caesars Superdome has stood as an iconic centerpiece of New Orleans sports and entertainment for nearly five decades, hosting some of the world’s most celebrated sporting events, concerts, and cultural moments, including multiple Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours, the College Football Playoff National Championship, WrestleMania, and major international tours. Following a transformative $560 million renovation completed in 2024, the venue now features enhanced premium hospitality spaces, upgraded concourses, state of the art technology, and a dramatically modernized fan experience while preserving the history and character that make the Superdome one of the most recognizable venues in professional sports. Together with the Smoothie King Center, home of the New Orleans Pelicans, the venues play a vital role in the cultural and economic fabric of the Gulf South through world class events, fan engagement, charitable outreach, youth initiatives, and meaningful community partnerships.

The New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans operate within a uniquely integrated business structure that supports both NFL and NBA franchises under one organization. This model creates an environment where employees gain broad exposure across multiple areas of professional sports business operations, collaboration, and event management. With responsibilities that span two major league properties and two premier venues, team members have the opportunity to build diverse experience while contributing to the continued success and impact of both organizations across New Orleans.

Position Summary:

The Executive Director of Game Experience & In-Game Production will lead all aspects of the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans live event and game presentation strategy. This position is responsible for creating authentic and memorable in-stadium and in-arena experiences that engage fans and bring both brands to life on game day.

This position oversees all aspects of live entertainment, showcalling, content development, staff leadership, strategic planning, and budget management. The ideal candidate is a strong creative and operational leader with a passion for live events, fan engagement, and delivering a best-in-class game presentation experience.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead all elements of the Game Experience and In-Game Production department, partnering with the VP, Brand Strategy on cross-functional initiatives and long-term strategic planning.
• Interview, hire, train, and develop full-time staff members while fostering a high-performing culture across their part-time and seasonal team members.
  
  • Areas of supervision: Live Entertainment/Live Programming, In-Game Production, Game Experience, and Entertainment Teams/Mascots (Includes Saints Cheer Krewe, PelSquad, Early Birds, Mascots, etc.).
• Ensure the live event experience authentically represents the New Orleans market, fan base, and identity of both franchises while continuing to innovate and evolve the game presentation strategy.
• Lead the development of innovative in-stadium and in-arena entertainment concepts that evolve the fan experience and drive engagement year-over-year.
• Leverage fan insights, audience trends, and performance data to continually enhance game presentation elements, event execution, and partner integrations across video, audio, entertainment, and in-game activations.
• Develop strong, collaborative relationships with the production, creative, digital media, analytics, sponsorship and marketing team stakeholders to foster alignment across the department. Partner closely with Football and Basketball Operations to develop purposeful and impactful in-game elements that support home-field and home-court advantage.
• Serve as the primary game experience/game presentation contact for NFL and NBA league matters, ensuring compliance with league regulations and tracking and following up on all aspects of Game Experience.
• Manage and allocate budgets and resources for game experience initiatives, including live entertainment, halftime shows, apparel, travel, logistics, etc.
• Serve as executive producer for all Saints and Pelicans home games, including showcalling and developing other showcallers, while ensuring seamless coordination across control room, video board, activations, in-game elements, performances, halftime programming, and other elements.
• Oversee the creation and drafting of game day scripts for Saints and Pelicans home games using ShoFlo.
• Partner closely with the partnerships team to execute contractually obligated in-game assets and develop integrations that align with both partner objectives and the overall fan experience.

Qualifications, Skills and Education Requirements:

• Strong showcaller with the ability to train and develop others in live game presentation and showcalling execution; experience calling football required and basketball preferred.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management, Marketing, Communications, or a related field of study.
• 8-10 years of experience producing live entertainment, preferably within the professional sports industry;
  
  • Experience and leadership in calling games is mandatory.
• 5-7 years of leadership experience, including the development of both full-time and part-time staff, as well as training and crewing of production and camera crew staff.
• Strong experience with brand campaign development, content creation, and customer engagement.
• Demonstrated ability to lead high-performing teams in fast-paced, high-pressure live event environments.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to receive feedback from multiple stakeholders and translate it into cohesive creative execution.
• A passion for creating memorable fan experiences that contribute to the overall energy, atmosphere, and home-field/home-court advantage.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other computer skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Must possess the ability to walk, sit, and stand while directing events for extended periods of time.
• Must possess the ability to work with technology and on a computer for extended periods of time.
• Ability to work collaboratively with all levels of the organization.
• Availability and willingness to work extended hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

All Candidates Should Have:

• Commitment to community and a people-first mindset.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Ability to celebrate individuality and value diverse perspectives.
• High integrity and a proactive, solutions-oriented “winning” mindset.

ZRG’S Commitment:

At ZRG, we do not just accept differences—we celebrate and support it. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, marital or partnership status, military or veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. ZRG is an equal opportunity employer and workplace, and we encourage applicants of all backgrounds & communities to apply.