Behind The Scenes

Green Room Kate: Inside SportsCenter’s Concert Series featuring Wiz Khalifa, Wale

Front Row recently debuted a new series as editorial assistant Kate Rosen transforms into “Green Room Kate (@GreenRoomKate).” While using her alter ego, Kate roams the studios, hallways, green rooms and other ESPN campus hot spots as celebrities, athletes and newsmakers visit the Bristol, Conn. campus. The series continues today as Green Room Kate spends time with Wiz Khalifa as the multi-platinum recording artist kicked off SportsCenter’s Concert Series last Thursday.

SportsCenter’s Concert Series “Center Stage” launched last week with recording artists Wiz Khalifa and Wale on consecutive 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter shows. Khalifa’s segment was shot on the SportsCenter set at ESPN’s Bristol headquarters (also see behind-the-scenes video above), while Wale’s concert was telecast from outside ESPN’s Los Angeles studios at the BET Fan Fest in the L.A. Live plaza.

Production crews began setting up the stage for Khalifa, completely transforming the SportsCenter studio, at 1:00 p.m., 90 minutes before the rapper arrived. After a quick rundown and meet-and-greet with anchor Lindsay Czarniak in the green room, Khalifa rehearsed, performed, and was out a little after 4 p.m.

After running Khalifa’s taping in Bristol, coordinating producer Galen Gordon immediately flew out to Los Angeles. He arrived at his hotel after 1 a.m. and joined the BET Experience team at 9 a.m. that morning for Wale’s segment.

“The great part about the launch of “Center Stage” was the unique experience for each engagement. Wiz Khalifa’s performance on Thursday marked the first time a full band has performed inside SportCenter’s new Bristol studio,” said Gordon.

Front Row spoke with Gordon about the launch of the Concert Series.

How did both shows go over?
“Center Stage” went very well based on how fans responded on TV and our social platforms. Both Wiz Khalifa and Wale clearly have strong appeal with SC audiences. We learned a lot about what’s possible inside SportsCenter’s new studio.

What’s next for the concert series?
We want to continue to engage fans with music and diversify the acts performing on “Center Stage.” Stay tuned. We’re already hearing from other artists looking for opportunities to engage with SportsCenter.

What was the fan reaction to the concerts?
We saw significant audience growth on SportsCenter for Wiz Khalifa and Wale which is a good sign that SC “Center Stage” is moving in the right direction.

Video produced by Kate Rosen

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