FRISCO, Texas — Since 2011, the FCS national championship game has been held annually in Frisco, Texas, a town frequently referred to as ‘Sports City USA’ due to the amount of teams, leagues and events that call it home.
But the centerpiece of Frisco is undoubtedly The Star, which serves as the headquarters for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. It’s one of the few professional practice facilities and headquarters in the world that stands as an attraction of its own.
And if you’ve ever seen some of the media content that comes out of The Star, chances are that a man from Winnett, Mont., had a hand in it.
Ted Barnett is the content manager at The Star where he is part of the team that shoots, edits and produces original Cowboys content.
“There's roughly 3,500 monitors across Cowboy Land at The Star and AT&T Stadium that run 24/7 with content that we produce,” Barnett said. “And they needed somebody to manage all that content. And it wasn't just filming. It was motion graphics stuff as well. And somehow through the course of my career, I've developed a fairly equal balance.”
Barnett’s journey from Winnett (population: 209) to Frisco started in high school.
“I always had this knack in high school for taking photos. That was a class we were able to choose through 4-H,” Barnett said. “So one of our teachers allowed us to develop some black and white pictures. And I won best in show at the county fair two years in a row. Things came really naturally, so I wanted to connect with that.”
After Barnett graduated from Winnett High School in 1983, he attended a tech school in Texas before embarking on a career in media.
His first stop was behind the scenes at KULR-8 in Billings before he relocated to Alaska. He spent 20 years working in media jobs there, enhancing his skill set.
“I wanted to do documentaries and do more longform stuff and just did a lot more editing and a lot more storytelling,” Barnett said. “And then a few years later, I started up my own company and ended up getting a few contracts and that grew into oilfield contracts.”
Barnett, a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, bought season tickets while living in Alaska and flew back and forth for games. Eventually, he and his family relocated permanently to the DFW area and Barnett started shooting games and content for the Cowboys on a freelance basis.
That led to a job offer once The Star opened in 2016.
“They said, ‘Ted, would you come work for us?’” he said. “I kind of thought about it and it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.”
Now Barnett gets to work for the most valuable franchise in sports and rub elbows with Super Bowl champions and Hall of Famers every day. Like most jobs, there are stressful days, but his work is very rewarding.
“The coolest feeling I get still today is getting that shot of the tunnel at AT&T Stadium. It’s dark and you see this really bright life at the end and you walk out and all of a sudden you’re in this gigantic stadium as the crowds roar,” Barnett said. “It really is the greatest feeling. I get to create something with the Cowboy brand and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Though Barnett has lived away from Montana for decades, his Winnett roots are very much a part of his story. He still has friends and family in the Treasure State and is looking forward to seeing many of them this week as Montana State fans descend on Frisco for the FCS title game.
“If you could look through my photo album growing up, I think I got a either Montana State University sweatshirt or a Cowboys sweatshirt every year,” he said. “And you can just see the progression through my life. Somehow I've kept those two sports teams tucked away in my heart.”
And Barnett knows he wouldn’t be where he is today without his upbringing in central Montana.
“I wouldn't change a thing for the world,” Barnett said. “I think there was a lot of stuff that I learned there that has helped me in my life and career, from being in a in a small town, and it's been a great ride.”
