Pride Night Employee Profile: Hannah Ziegler

Hannah Ziegler, an associate producer for the Kraken, places great value in telling stories the right way. After all, she understands deeply that telling stories can have an impact beyond what someone might even imagine.

Ziegler grew up in Seattle. A huge sports fan, she followed all the local teams including the Seahawks and the Sounders. So, after Ziegler’s education at Washington State University bolstered their skill set in video production, she applied for an internship with the Kraken to marry what she loved to do with what ignited their passion.

The quality of Ziegler’s work earned them a full-time position in January of 2024 and now, on game days, if you look closely, you can catch Ziegler, perched at ice level, tracking play and waiting to capture the magic moment when the Kraken score a goal.

A testament to their talent, getting these moments has become almost instinctual. That’s impressive for someone who didn’t follow hockey before joining the Kraken and initially struggled to follow the puck when she first started in 2023.

How in the world does she get those shots?

“I think it's just the repetition of being so close on the glass and being around the guys so much,” Ziegler said. “You build up your hockey acumen. You pick up on sticks going back. I'm not even looking in my viewfinder anymore on my monitor. I'm following them with my eyes, and the camera just follows naturally, because I pick up when the shot is about to go.

“Now it comes pretty naturally, and it's such a satisfying feeling when before I even look, I know ‘I got that.’”

But it’s not just about getting the shot. The art of capturing the moment also demands the technical skills to quickly deliver a high-quality product to fans as close to real-time as possible.

“It’s one of the cool moments,” Ziegler said. “(The Kraken’s goal song) Lithium is playing and you’re pulling out your computer, your card reader, and you’re cutting (the goal clip) right there.”

Ziegler’s responsibilities go beyond getting amazing goal footage. Every day is about understanding what content is needed and to whom it needs to be delivered. That can be game-specific footage, but it can also be covering the NHL Draft, opening night (a highlight for Ziegler), or developing short-form pieces.

The viral Halloween haunted house tour with Ryker Evans, Tye Kartye, and Shane Wright that the Kraken put out this October was a project Ziegler worked on with fellow producer Brock Brewer.

On pieces like this, she works with the requesting department to understand needs, develop a plan, execute the shoot, and then whittle down the footage into the desired length. For the haunted house shoot, that means tailoring 20-plus minutes into five for a compelling and entertaining story.

“It's a mix of knowing what works and what doesn't on different channels,” Ziegler said. “And also, as creatives who consume content too, you have that initial understanding of what you might want it to look like from the start.

“You build on that muscle and develop an understanding of ‘this is what people are really going to pick up on and enjoy.’ It's really satisfying to create a piece like that and have it be really successful.”

Ziegler also worked on the videos that shared the stories of this year’s Common Thread artists.

Being part of those stories is something Ziegler considers a privilege. She’s quick to point out that as a storyteller, she’s in control of the narrative around sacred stories and she understands the responsibility of that, because telling their own story has been a matter of life and death.

Ziegler identifies as queer and as a lesbian. Fear of a lack of acceptance meant she carefully shared their truth in stages. In their junior year of high school, she told their mom and a few close friends. But she didn’t feel fully safe coming out until 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down life as many of us knew it.

“I was alone with myself, and I was like I can't do this anymore,” Ziegler said. “I'd rather, take this risk and live and love as who I am, versus hide parts of me that are me.

“It was one of the hardest things I've had to do. I knew there was a possibility of a loss, but I'd rather have that than lose out on the people that I love,” Ziegler said. “It wasn't necessarily received all the way by some people, and that's work that's continuing to be done. But I'm grateful that I did it every single day.

“I lived a double life for a while, and it was, it was really terrifying, not knowing what the other side was going to be. The other side hasn't always been easy, but now being fully who I am and being able to live and love as myself, it's the coolest thing, and I'm really appreciative for the support that I got to do that, because it wasn't just me. I had a lot of people rooting for me and still do. I don't have any regrets.”

And that’s why in addition to telling the stories of others, Ziegler stands strong in sharing their own truth and celebrating those who amplify the stories of the LGBTQ+ community.

“It's the position that I have,” Ziegler said. “I don't take it lightly that I wouldn't be here without my entire community, without those who came before me. And it's something I hold very sacred and close to me, and I will go to bat for, for it every single day.

“I know that I'm very fortunate to be where I'm at and to be out and proud and be able to do that loudly. And I know a lot of people don't have that or weren't afforded that. Anything I can do to be a voice in spaces where they're not able to have a voice - I do that without question, or at least I try. It's something that's really important to me.”

That mindset is part of what makes the Kraken feel like home for Ziegler. She calls the production team their “chosen family,” and their eyes light up as she describes how they’ve embraced them “fully” and supported them “like no other.” She highlights the fact that Justin Rogers is the first openly gay head trainer in the NHL, and that she has been able to participate in Seattle’s PRIDE parade with the Kraken.

Nights like Monday’s PRIDE celebration “means the world.”

“Visibility is everything,” Ziegler said. “I know just for myself, seeing other LGBTQ+ individuals in the organization and seeing the support, I'm like, ‘okay, they're there. I can also do this,’ and knowing that their story is getting out to everyone else…and I have people coming to me and talking about it. And my reaction is, ‘You’re hearing about Justin? This is amazing!’ I think it really is game-changing. I also think it would be life-changing. Those stories change lives. Those stories help people stay here and give them hope.

Ziegler’s story is still being written. Just as she’s still writing the stories of others. And both are being done with the utmost care. There was a point in her life when Ziegler didn’t know if she’d be able to make it through another day. Now she feels “the most like myself that I ever have been in my life, out and proudly living my dream and loving really hard.”

That’s the experience she hopes for others, and they are fighting for it every day, both personally and professionally.

“I think that coming out and being a queer woman shapes my storytelling,” Ziegler said. “And telling stories and having conversations, whether they're the tough ones or the more celebratory ones, it's incredibly important and advocating for people, even if you don't know them.

“There's always a kid behind a conversation that you're having who thinks that this world is a better place with them not in it because of who they are or because of what they're facing at home. That's what I think about a lot of the time…any conversation is way bigger than me. If I can try my best to make the world a better, more inclusive place for at least one person, that's something I'll choose every single day because I know what it's like to be within yourself and not feel like you can be here fully and authentically…If I can help someone by just having a conversation, then I’m happy with that.”