The first stop this day begins with an elevator ride to the second floor of the Caesars Superdome. Theo Mitchell and the co-workers who accompany him — a videographer, photographer and two members of the Cheer Krewe among them — turn left out of the elevator and begin a concourse walk that takes them halfway around the Superdome.

The stylish 40-year-old (in a sequin fleur-de-lis-clad varsity jacket today, made by Baton Rouge-based brand Queen of Sparkles) can't seem to walk more than a few yards at a time without interruption — a glad-hand here, a high five there, lots of waves and hellos. Once he and the crew reach their destination, at least a couple of fans attending the game between the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots request a selfie with him.

One fan takes a picture and says, "You're the Higher-Lower guy!" — a reference to one of the popular trivia games Mitchell often orchestrates at the mouth of a vomitorium during breaks on the field. If you haven't played along with "Higher-Lower," you've watched as Mitchell emceed a "keep your eye on the football" shuffle game on the jumbotron or a smoothie-chugging contest at a Pelicans game. Or you've felt a surge of energy bringing you to your feet as Mitchell played hype man — imploring you to "Make. Some. Noise."

New Orleans knows him.

"That's been an adjustment," said Mitchell, the Saints' in-game host for the last five years. He also serves as in-game host for the New Orleans Pelicans, and periodically for Tulane men's basketball.

"I wasn't preparing for that because I figured when people spend their hard-earned money, they want to see the names that are on the back of the jerseys," he said. "I expected to put in the work, I expected early mornings and late nights. I didn't expect to get stopped at Creole Creamery. But it's truly humbling and special, and I don't take it for granted. It makes it that much more of a blessing."

Right man for the job

Born in San Francisco, Mitchell took a circuitous route to New Orleans. He graduated from the University of San Francisco in 2007, then went abroad to teach English in Japan. He returned to the states and pursued his master's degree in sports business, focusing on marketing and media, at New York University.

Shortly after, he went abroad again and worked for an NGO (non-governmental organization) in South Africa called WhizzKids United, which uses soccer to foster youth development in Northern Ghana. After an eight-month stretch, he returned home.

"When I returned to the states, I took a sales job," he said. "It was a traditional cold-calling sales job. I realized: I understand everything is rooted in sales but it just wasn't my bag. I wanted to get back to what I was familiar with, which was more experiential."

And then, the hosting journey. He started an internship at Stanford University focused on game presentation and fan experience — everything from setting up entertainers to coordinating talent, mascot performers, dancers, and in-game hosts. "I was like, this is what I've enjoyed the most," he said. "And then everything came together."

In fall of 2019, he was hired by the New Orleans Pelicans as the in-game host. Two seasons later, the Saints job opened up.

It didn't take long for Chryssi Flores, director of game experience for the Saints and Pelicans, to realize the man for the job already was working the job.

"Theo is somebody that makes everybody better, just his presence and being around him," Flores said. "He really makes (fans) leave having a better time than when they got there. Which is one of those intangibles that you can't just find in an audition or on a resume.

This past February, Mitchell was selected to be an in-game host at NBA All-Stars weekend after Flores' nomination. "He's awesome to work with and takes feedback really well," she said. "But I think it's those one-on-one interactions with staff and fans that make him stand out quite a bit."

A fan no matter what

For Mitchell, this a labor of love. Recently, it has had to be, because there hasn't been an abundance to gravitate to on the Superdome field the last handful of seasons.

Entering Sunday's home game against Tampa Bay, the Saints (1-6) are 15-22 in Superdome games since 2021; one home victory, against Green Bay in the '21 season opener, was registered in Jacksonville, Fla., due to displacement from Hurricane Ida.

"My biggest strength is that I'm a fan no matter what," Mitchell said. "It's easy to become a fan of the Saints because of the personalities that are on the team. Whether it's a Drew Brees, or leaders that are still around like Demario Davis. People that I can attach myself to, like a Cam Jordan or (Alvin) Kamara, Taysom Hill – the list goes on and on."

And it helps to be a fan when a camera beams you up onto the jumbotron where you'll reach every Saints fan at the game. "For me, it's that you've always been a fan of sports — football, basketball — but now you're the fan with the mic," he says.

He doesn't take the airtime lightly. "You have parameters that you have to respect, and boundaries and lines that you can't cross. You don't want to be that type of fan. But now the spotlight is on you for a couple of seconds, and you can connect with fans that are probably feeling the same thing you've felt — coming to games with my mom or coming to games with my friends.

"So, whether the Saints are up or the Saints are down, if I can just tap into that feeling, I feel like we always have a chance to connect," he said. "Fans have an opportunity to connect with someone that looks like them, feels like them, speaks like them and can understand. And is someone you can actually reach or see in your section. I can't hide. And that's a good thing."

The connection is genuine even though Mitchell grew up 2,000-plus miles and two times zones away. It comes down to right time, right place, right man, perfect job.

"Yes, or as close to it, for sure," Mitchell said. "I knew early on that I probably wouldn't make it as a professional athlete, but I still wanted to be a part of sports. So, seeing an opportunity to kind of carve my own lane — and, yes, people say this is very niche — but at the same time it's needed, it's appreciated."