Kent French, Production Manager the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Hockey Team

Kent French, Production Manager The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Hockey Team

“IN OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO CREATE AN OPTIMUM IN-GAME GUEST EXPERIENCE, WE RELY ON QUALITY CAMERA SHOTS TO ENGAGE OUR FANS, BRING THEM CLOSER TO THE ACTION, AND MAKE THEM PART OF THE EVENT. THIS INCLUDES THE USE OF WIRELESS RF SYSTEMS THAT CAN DELIVER SOLID, RELIABLE SIGNAL QUALITY, AND I’VE FOUND NONE BETTER THAN THE WIRELESS RF SYSTEM PROVIDED BY GLOBAL MICROWAVE SYSTEMS.

OUR GMS WIRELESS SYSTEM HAS SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED THE ABILITY TO ACCESS OUR ENTIRE ARENA WITHOUT SIGNAL LOSS OR IMAGE DEGRADATION. ITS PERFORMANCE IS TRULY IMPRESSIVE! WE USE THE GMS SYSTEM TO PROVIDE SOLID, GLITCH-FREE IMAGES NOT ONLY FROM THE ICE SURFACE AND THE MAIN SEATING AREA, BUT ALSO FROM THE CONCOURSES, OUTSIDE THE LOCKER ROOMS, UP IN THE CATWALKS, EVEN OUTSIDE THE BUILDING.

AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE MULTIPLE UNITS WITH DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES BEING USED SIMULTANEOUSLY INSIDE THE ARROWHEAD POND OF ANAHEIM DURING OUR EVENTS, WE HAVE NOT SUFFERED SIGNAL INTERFERENCE OF ANY KIND. WE ALSO INCORPORATE A WIRELESS MIC SYSTEM WITH THE CAMERA USING THE SAME GMS SIGNAL TO DELIVER LIVE, ROVING REPORTER FEATURES WITHOUT ANY AUDIO DELAY.

THE WAY THE SYSTEM WORKS IS SIMPLE. THE GMS DIGITAL TRANSMITTER ON THE CAMERA SENDS A DIGITAL SIGNAL TO THE DIGITAL RECEIVER LOCATED HIGH ABOVE THE ICE. THE RECEIVER THEN RELAYS THE SIGNAL BACK TO THE CONTROL ROOM VIA FIBER OPTIC. AND SINCE THE UNIT IS MOUNTED TO THE CAMERA ITSELF, THE NEED FOR AN ADDITIONAL CAMERA ASSISTANT IS ELIMINATED.

WE’VE BEEN SO SATISFIED WITH THE GMS WIRELESS SYTEM, THAT WE PURCHASED A SECOND UNIT AND HAD IT MODIFIED TO FIT ONE OF OUR MINI DV CAMERAS. BOTH UNITS ONLY DRAW 9 WATTS GIVING OUR CAMERAMEN PLENTY OF “PLAY” TIME.

WE’RE ALSO EXPLORING OPTIONS TO OUTFIT AN ADDITIONAL UNIT ONTO OUR IN- ARENA BLIMP.

IN SHORT, OUR GMS SYSTEM IS EASILY THE BEST WIRELESS SYSTEM WE’VE SEEN, AND WE’RE HAPPY TO RECOMMEND IT. EQUALLY AS IMPRESSVE AS THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN THE SUPPORT OF GMS BOTH ON SITE AND BY TELEPHONE. ON THE RARE OCCASION THAT THE SYSTEM NEEDS MAINTENANCE, GMS IS ALWAYS THERE TO MAKE SURE THE SYSTEM IS IN TOP CONDITION AND READY FOR GAME TIME.

GMS HAS TAKEN OUR WIRELESS CAMERA CAPABILITIES DURING OUR EVENTS HERE AT THE ARROWHEAD POND TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. WE’RE TOLD, IN FACT, THAT THIS GMS ON-CAMERA SYSTEM ACTUALLY HAS A POTENTIAL CLEAR SIGNAL RANGE OF UP TO 5 MILES – WE’RE STILL WORKING ON A FEATURE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR EVENT PRESENTATION, IF YOU’RE EITHER IN OR ANYWHERE NEAR THIS BUILDING, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED!”

About Kent French After working behind the scenes at KFWB radio in Los Angeles, Kent took an internship with Century Communications (now Adelphia) serving as a sports reporter on a nightly news program and launching a weekly local sports show. During his 4 year tenure with Adelphia, Kent was the creator, producer and host of “This Week in Angels Baseball”, a weekly program highlighting the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, “Center Ice”, a weekly program highlighting the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and the “4th Quarter” a weekly high school football show. Kent also served as a pit reporter for the SPEED Channel, radio color analyst for Division I high school football, sports anchor for “This Week in Garden Grove” and sideline reporter for the COX 3 “Game of the Week.”

Today, Kent is currently the Production Manager for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, hosts and co-produces the new sports and entertainment show “AMP’d” for the Arrowhead Pond and continues to host and produce “This Week in Angels Baseball”.