Behind the curtain with Carolina Panthers stats guy Will Bryan

Cat Crave contributor David Clingenpeel spoke to Carolina Panthers staff member Will Bryan on his experiences with the team across almost five years.

Although things didn’t go as expected for the Carolina Panthers on the field in 2021, staff working behind the scenes remain among the league’s best. Social media engagement and the overall fan experience continue to excel, even if the product Matt Rhule is putting out didn’t amount to anything more than another five-win season.

Cat Crave contributor David Clingenpeel had the opportunity to chat with Will Bryan, who is the web and mobile experience manager with the Panthers, at the conclusion of the 2021 regular season for a Q&A on life behind the scenes of the organization from his perspective to learn about what it takes to keep the wheels running.

David Clingenpeel: When thinking about a thriving sports organization, some may focus solely on the athletes, but so much of a team’s success happens off the field. Before we get into things, could you tell us what your role as the web and mobile experience manager of the Carolina Panthers entails?

Will Bryan: At its most basic, everything that goes on our website and app goes through me in some way. Obviously, I don’t write every article, shoot photos or make videos, but ultimately have a hand in what fans see posted on those platforms.

More broadly, I work to make sure that all of the technical pieces, including sponsor integrations, search optimization, thumbnails, layout, all of that stuff. That’s in addition to running the digital arm of areas like ticketing, community relations, broad-based marketing, and fan experiences.