Is there a future for sports anthology documentary series? ESPN launched 30 for 30 in 2009 and revolutionized the format. Originally planned as 30 documentaries related to the channel’s 30th anniversary, it became a documentary series in its own right. Connor Shell helped create that ESPN franchise along with Bill Simmons. Mr. Schell, who currently runs his own company Words + Pictures (part of Peter Chernin’s North Road Company), is the director of the sports anthology Game 7, which was released on Prime Video on October 22nd. I’m trying to reconsider.
This series takes a closer look at the most famous and infamous Game 7 matchups with the highest stakes. The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Schell about the series and the future of sports docs.
Let’s talk about Game 7. Can you tell us where the idea for this series came from?
The idea came from a meeting several years ago with an unlikely pair: (actor) Danny DeVito and (NHL legend) Mark Messier. The two had a connection and began talking extensively about the concept for Game 7. , and explain that just by hearing those words, you can determine the time and place and immediately understand the stakes. Sometimes the best ideas just sit there staring in your face, and sometimes they’re too obvious to recognize.
And when we started talking about that and talking about the kind of epic moments that just hearing that word conjures up in your mind as a sports fan, I just thought that was a great driving force for an anthology series. I thought. As I said, this is clearly a great title that immediately evokes stakes of the moment and reinvents itself every year. There’s always a great game seven. That was the origin, we started putting it together, we started thinking about what kind of story we wanted to tell, we found a great partner at Amazon, and we spent the last year creating these five episodes.
Back to the idea of an anthology series for a moment. Despite the boom in sports docs we’ve seen, the truth is that the same kinds of anthologies don’t seem to exist as they once did. It still exists, but it used to be a little more common. There are also other one-off documents. Having a franchise seems like a good thing. It’s sustainable in a way that a one-off wouldn’t be possible.
I think that’s exactly right. So the whole content marketplace is very crowded. And the sports content marketplace is also very crowded. So I think the idea of anthologies and umbrella brands that can be continuously replenished with great stories can help you stand out. As long as you can continue to tell great stories within it, you can continue to create. This allows you to move your audience from one story to the next. That’s why I’m especially excited about this. Because I think this is a concept that works and has the potential to be successful.
Going back to this idea of the current state of sports docs, there’s still a boom in sports docs, but it’s an interesting mix of journalism-driven stories, investigative stories, access-driven stories, and combinations of those. Can you tell us how you see the current situation in terms of the overall sports document market? Is it still strong? And do you think it is sustainable? How many stories and access stories do I have left?
I think the state of that market is very healthy. You can talk a lot about why. To me, sports still represent the most dominant form of American culture. And because it’s the last great gathering place where everyone can come together and cheer for something, telling a great sports story taps into a pocket of passion that already has an audience. If you do it really well, there’s a level of both nostalgia and discovery. I believe this genre can really work if done right. I think it’s because sports thrives so much in the media environment that exists today and has such a consistent and ever-growing audience.
When I started this job 20 years ago, when we started thinking about telling sports stories at ESPN in a documentary format, the question was: How much could we do? I think somewhere along the way, not too long after I started, I realized, “Oh, great stories are happening right in front of me all the time.” The world of sports is constantly evolving. I think you’re right, it just changes. Can it continue to evolve by finding new formats, new ways to engage viewers, and new angles to tell stories? But I don’t see this genre going away anytime soon.
I think the fact that all the streaming services and TV networks are investing in live sports rights suggests that they’re looking for sports-adjacent content alongside them.
Indeed, when you bring people into the live window, fans want more. They want to be broadly involved with their favorite athletes, their favorite teams, and their favorite sports. I think there’s a strong appetite for really good storytelling in this genre. It’s just being put on the producers, directors, buyers people who are asking them to do a really good job. Because if you end up with a work that people don’t want to see, these things will burn out.
Another theme I’ve been covering is the massive content retreat across streaming and television. But like you said, sports and sports documents don’t seem to be affected by that. Or, if not, at least less susceptible than other types of content.
I think that’s right.
So can you talk about the access part of this? Because a lot of athletes are participating in the production themselves, and a lot of these stories can’t be told without the access and participation from the athletes. Because it might. There are places where you don’t necessarily need that access. But how important is it to have access to the key players involved, rather than just approaching them as an outsider trying to tell the best story?
I think it totally depends on what you’re making. In Game 7, the guys that were really cool in this series were Aaron Boone, Dirk Nowitzki, and Mark Messier. These are players who have been successful at the highest level, and they’re so excited to tell the story of this moment, and they all wanted to do it. that. I don’t know if we could have done this show without the really healthy participation of our participants. I think there’s definitely a boom in access to content behind the scenes for different teams and leagues, but I think those projects depend on participation.
I think when you do different historical work you have to be very careful about how you construct it. What are you talking about? Make sure everything you do is authentic and honest. I’m really passionate about making sure from the beginning that the project is set up in the right way for success and that the story we’re telling is uncompromising.
