ESPN Films

ESPN Films (formerly known as ESPN Original Entertainment) is a production company which produces and distributes sports films and documentaries. It is owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%).

ESPN Films
Formerly
ESPN Original Entertainment
Subsidiary
IndustryFilm
GenreSports television and films
Founded2001 (2001)
Headquarters
Bristol 
,
United States of America 
OwnersThe Walt Disney Company (80%)
Hearst Communications (20%)
ParentESPN Inc.
Websiteespn.go.com/espn/espnfilms/

Created in March 2008, ESPN Films produces films covering sports-related stories. Projects from the subsidiary include 30 for 30 (and its offshoots 30 for 30: Soccer Stories and the digital series 30 for 30 Shorts), the critically acclaimed Nine for IX series and SEC Storied.[1]

History

ESPN Films traces its history to 2001, when ESPN Inc. formed ESPN Original Entertainment, a programming division which produced various talk shows, series, documentaries and made-for-TV films that aired on ESPN and its related networks. The subsidiary ceased operations for several months starting in 2007. The company's logo did not appear as a vanity card on any ESPN programs, with the exception of the daily talk show Jim Rome is Burning.

Dan Klores at the 68th Annual Peabody Awards for Black Magic

On 3rd March 2008, ESPN announced that it would relaunch the unit as ESPN Films.[2] Under the restructuring, ESPN Films began producing projects for theatrical release in addition to television; majority corporate parent The Walt Disney Company holds the right of first refusal on all projects. In addition, ESPN announced a new alliance with the Creative Artists Agency, which among its various clients, represents athletes such as LeBron James, David Beckham and Peyton Manning.

The first production under the ESPN Films banner was Black Magic, a four-hour documentary that premiered on ESPN without commercial interruption over two consecutive nights starting on March 16, 2008. The film, which won a Peabody Award in 2009, about the history of basketball played at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.[3] The company's first theatrical film was X Games 3D: The Movie, which was released on August 21, 2009.

On October 6, 2009, ESPN premiered 30 for 30, a 30-hour series produced by ESPN Films that debuted in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the cable network's launch. Among those participating in the project included Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Barry Levinson and Mike Tollin. The series, which earned Peabody and Producer's Guild Awards and was nominated for an Emmy, featured thoughtful and innovative reflections on the previous three decades in sports told through a diverse array of sports fans and social commentators. Positive reaction from both critics and viewers led to a spin-off 30 for 30: Volume II. ESPN took its first ever Academy Award when O.J.: Made in America film won in the category of Best Documentary Feature at the 2017 Oscars.[4]

List of ESPN Original Entertainment/ESPN Films productions

Talk shows

Series

Mini-series
  • The Bronx is Burning (2007)

Events

Reality

Game shows

Documentaries

Films
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References
  1. "ESPN Films' Upcoming "The Price of Gold" Focuses on Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan, and the Whack Heard Around the World 20 Years Ago". ESPN MediaZone. December 2013.
  2. "ESPN Films Established". ESPN.com. March 3, 2008.
  3. "68th Annual Peabody Awards: Award Profile: Black Magic". Peabody Awards. May 2009.
  4. Ng, David (February 26, 2017). "Lionsgate wins big at Oscars but A24 conquers with 'Moonlight'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  5. Fleming, Jr., Mike (January 9, 2015). "David Oyelowo & Lupita Nyong'o In Talks To Star In 'Queen Of Katwe' For Disney". Deadline. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  6. "ESPN Films' "World Beaters" on 2016 Little League World Series Champions to Premiere August 13 on ESPN" (Press release). ESPN. August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
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