“The Evolution of the Black Quarterback” benefits from the meeting between Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes during the Super Bowl last February.Pictures
Beautiful stories Unforgettable moments and captivating characters that utilize elite production value are all part of the equation for members of our first 4se list when taking on a new project. But it never hurts to have a little luck too.
This is especially true when it comes to timing. Take, for example, last February’s Super Bowl LVII, which was the first to feature both teams starting with a black quarterback. With Patrick Mahomes leading the Kansas City Chiefs against Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles, the impact of Black QBs has never been more evident than in last season’s biggest moment.
Turns out it was the perfect time to make a documentary series on this topic.
But the idea for “The Evolution of the Black Quarterback,” the working title of a project produced by SMAC Productions and Fubo Studios, dates back well before the Chiefs’ three-point victory in Arizona. FredAnthony Smith, SMAC’s vice president of unscripted who directs the eight-part docuseries, spent more than 16 years working on original content for the NFL while the premises for such a series bubbled in his mind before joining SMAC in early 2022.
It is now among the most anticipated sports projects of 2024, headlining a packed list as networks and platforms continue to double down on their investments in sports. Michael Vick, who in 2001 became the first black quarterback to be selected with the first overall pick in the NFL draft, hosts the series.
“This will remain some of the most important work we have ever committed to,” said Constance Schwartz-Morini, co-founder and CEO of SMAC.
Over the summer, legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young flew to film with Vick in Los Angeles, shortly after the former ESPN analyst was part of a group of on-air personalities fired by the channel in June. A left-hander who took his dual-threat skills to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Young was among Vick’s football idols. Likewise, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen counts Vick among the players he most admires; Vick traveled to Buffalo earlier this year to film with Allen.
Two MVP-winning quarterbacks – Mahomes and former Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton – will also be interviewed by Vick for the series. So are NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Hall of Fame coach and longtime analyst Tony Dungy and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. And then there’s Doug Williams, who became the first black quarterback to start a Super Bowl in 1988 and led Washington to a 42-10 rout of Denver that included a record 35-point second quarter and helped change forever the narrative about black QBs.
“The people who have joined us to participate in this project are truly impressive,” Schwartz-Morini said. “It’s humbling because they really wanted to be a part of it.”
Amazon Prime became the series’ distributor earlier this year. Schwartz-Morini said they are tentatively looking at Pro Bowl week in February as a potential premiere date, which would align it with Black History Month, although those conversations are fluid and the project could also coming out later this year.
“This is such an important story,” said Matt Newman, head of original content for Amazon Sports. “Having Vick as the voice on screen, doing the interviews and looking at the situation through a single lens is going to be super entertaining. But alongside that entertainment, there is a very important message: It’s time for their story to be heard .”
Here is an overview of some other projects from our 4th winners.
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1. SMAC/Amazon Prime
In addition to the Black Quarterback docuseries, these two have teamed up again for a second season of “Coach Prime,” the series that takes viewers behind the scenes of Deion Sanders’ journey as a coach. The first season, which looked at Sanders’ final season coaching the Jackson State football team in late 2021, was a ratings success. Season 2 will follow Sanders to Colorado, where he now leads the most talked about story in college football.
With cameras documenting the surprising Buffaloes through immense heights – like their season-opening victory at then No. 1. 17 TCU — and devastating lows — like blowing a 29-point lead in a double-overtime loss to Stanford on Oct. 13 — early in the season, “Coach Prime” has plenty of drama to look forward to.
“There are so many fascinating stories following Deion in this new chapter,” Schwartz-Morini said, “but the most important thing is that kids don’t just win on the field — which is obviously extremely important — but they ensure that student-athletes and staff members are all better after experiencing the Prime Effect.
2. Netflix: NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs
The streamer that has hosted series like “Formula 1: Drive To Survive,” “Full Swing” and “Break Point” has teamed up with Words + Pictures to try to capture some of that same magic with a new series focused on the playoffs and the NASCAR Cup Series championship race this fall. Filming began this summer and the series is expected to air in early 2024.
As with Netflix’s previous unscripted content, Gabe Spitzer, the company’s vice president of nonfiction sports, said, “we see it as sort of a joint relationship (with the sports property). We never want to force access on anyone or impose stories on anyone. We view this as a true partnership and try to create a story together.
Spitzer said that when Netflix engages with leagues about potential partnerships, it depends on who they hope to reach.
“If they want to reach their true core fan, there are other great places to do it,” he said. “If they want the opportunity to potentially expand their audience, across the United States and around the world, we want to be that home.” We’ve proven that with really good, authentic storytelling with really good access and really good partnerships with these leagues and athletes, we can grow the audience. That’s our hope the same way with NASCAR.
3. ESPN Movies
Their upcoming documentary features two-time WNBA champion Candace Parker. This feature film, the first from W. Studios, was filmed last year and follows Parker as she shares her life on and off the field, including time spent with her wife and their family as she plays for his hometown Chicago Sky in the latter part of his film. illustrious professional career. The premiere is scheduled for November 12 at 9 p.m. on ESPN. The film is produced by ESPN Films and W. Studios, produced by Film 45 (the unscripted division of Film Forties) and Baby Hair Productions, and directed by Joie Jacoby.
ESPN’s next “30 for 30” subject is NFL Hall of Famer Reggie White. “The Minister of Defense” will be released later this year, although an official release date has not yet been announced. Told in part through never-before-seen footage from a 2004 interview filmed two months before his death at age 43 from a cardiac arrhythmia, the film chronicles White’s dominance on the field for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers, and his spiritual journey as an ordained evangelical minister who questioned his blind faith late in his life. The documentary is directed by Ken Rodgers and Courtland Bragg.
4. ESPN+: “In the Arena: Serena Williams”
In developing and producing the series, which will air on ESPN+ next year, Gotham Chopra said he was captivated by every interview with the tennis superstar.
“We could make 20 episodes with the material we have,” said Chopra, who directs the series and whose production company, Religion of Sports, co-produces with ESPN, Tom Brady’s 199 Productions and Williams and Caroline’s Nine Two Six Currier. Productions. “She’s so deeply committed to it.”
The documentary series is an expansion of ESPN and Religion of Sports’ “Arena” franchise, the first season of which debuted in late 2021 and centered on Tom Brady.
“It’s not just about getting the biggest name,” said Brian Lockhart, senior vice president of original content for ESPN+ and ESPN Films. “It’s also about what we can expose from the inside out.”
5. Nyad: Little Monster Movies
Directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the husband-and-wife filmmaking team behind the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo,” “Nyad” captures swimmer Diana Nyad’s years-long efforts to swim from Cuba to Florida and sparks buzz of the first Oscars. for stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster. Vasarhelyi, from Nyad, said: “Here is a person who speaks unapologetically about the audacity of his dream, his ambition, his drive. »
The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and hit theaters last week. It arrives on Netflix from November 3.
ESPN Movies
6. Ensemblexr
In May, Amazon Prime Video acquired “Power of the Dream,” a feature-length documentary from Togethxr, Industrial Media, Joy Mill Entertainment and Trilogy Films from award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter about the impact of WNBA players, and particular from the members of the Atlanta Dream, on the 2020 elections. “It’s about how the 144 women of the WNBA took on an owner who happened to be a United States senator and in turn flipped the Senate seat of Georgia,” Togethxr co-founder Jessica Robertson said of the players’ clash and eventual ouster. , former Dream minority owner Kelly Loeffler, who lost a critical 2020 runoff to Raphael Warnock. WNBA legend Sue Bird and Los Angeles Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike are producing the film.
