MSG Sphere hires content executive

LV ‘Star Trek’ venue among King’s credits

Representatives of the company developing the MSG Sphere at The Venetian have said the massive interior and exterior digital screens of the structure would be programmed with content.

On Friday, Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. announced that the creator of “Caesars Magical Empire” at Caesars Palace and multimedia content for the defunct “Star Trek: The Experience” at what is now Westgate Las Vegas will head the creative process at the Sphere venue.

Ted King, a 35-year entertainment industry veteran, will join the company as president, creative content and studio productions, beginning Monday.

King, who has consulted on the MSG Sphere project, will work from a new, 48,500-square-foot space in Burbank Studios in California that will be used by MSG Sphere Studios, MSG Ventures and other MSG Entertainment employees.

A 10,500-square-foot soundstage that was originally home to “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson” is being transformed into a state-ofthe-art, full-service studio that includes production, editing, camera testing and recording space.

“As an experiential storyteller, Ted understands how to build powerful environments, making him ideally suited to help us unlock

MSG Sphere’s potential and create experiences that truly transport audiences,” said MSG Entertainment Executive Chairman and CEO James Dolan in a release.

Construction on the $1.66 billion Sphere just east of the Strip was stopped in mid-april because of the coronavirus pandemic. Skeleton crews have appeared on the site to manage the shutdown.

A spokeswoman for the company said Friday that there is no update on the resumption of construction.

The Review-journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands Corp. operates The Venetian.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @Rickvelotta on Twitter.