Dina DePina on Reggie Miller, Hoop Dreams and the Glory of Madison Square Garden

Dina DePina is vp of marketing production for Madison Square Garden, overseeing content production for the company’s legendary sports franchises, iconic venues, original productions and signature partners—including the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, Radio City Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall, Beacon Theatre, Hulu Theatre and Chicago Theatre.

Prior to joining The Garden, Dina worked in fashion and beauty, leading photo, digital, e-commerce, broadcast and video production for brands including Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Glamour and Allure magazine.

Dina played Division II college basketball at Florida Tech, where she helped take her team to its first Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. In 2014, she was inducted into the Florida Tech Hall of Fame.

She lives in Jersey City with her husband Tyler and their son Aydin. We spoke with Dina for our new Time-Out series, where we chat with folks in the sports world about their creative inspirations and more.

Dina, tell us…

Your earliest sports memory.

Age 10, being the only girl who spent most of my time playing on the neighborhood basketball court.

Your favorite sports teams.

Knicks and Rangers. We represent the Mecca, what more do you need?

Your favorite athletes.

Reggie Miller was my favorite NBA player growing up. He was an amazing shooter and I loved his confidence. Currently, Mo Salah, as he represents my Egyptian heritage and is incredible to watch. 

Your favorite sports show or podcast.

First Take. The passion and humor of that show are extremely entertaining. 

Your favorite sports movie.

Hoop Dreams. It’s more than a movie about sports. Hoops Dreams came out right around the time I fell in love with the game of basketball. To this day it’s still so relatable and emotional.

A recent project you’re proud of.

Knicks Statement Edition Jersey reveal, as the video project was shot, produced and edited with our in-house production team. (I miss shoots and being on set!)

Someone else’s project you admired recently.

Nike’s “Never Too Far Down/You Can’t Stop Us.” I love how inspiring this ad is. We are in such unprecedented times and things are scary right now. This ad helps remind us, through sports, how we can come back from some of the toughest times and still be successful. It’s a nice glimmer of hope we all need. 

What you love about sports generally.

I love the competition, the unpredictability, the promotion of teamwork, the sense of family you get with your teammates and from the fans who root for your team, and the passionate conversations sports provoke. 

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in the sports marketing world.

I would work in tourism, traveling around the world producing content in the most exotic places.