We got a call about helping on some sports docs that Connor Schell and Bill Simmons were working on to celebrate ESPN’s 30th Birthday. They had a name, "30 for 30," and some crazy ambitious plan to make 30 documentaries in a year.

 

The Worldwide Leader had stumbled out of the movie/content gate, but this was going to be different.  These documentaries were going to be made by big-time directors like Barry Levinson, Spike Jonze and Barbara Kopple (who would end up renting us office space in the early days of 77 in NYC).   

 

These directors are picking the topics, have a real passion for the subject, and, then the Simmon’s nugget, they’re going to change the way you look at sports.  That became the brief, a dream assignment, and a 10-year campaign.

 

What if I told you we managed to get 100 independent film directors and their films under the 30 for 30 umbrella and red ticket design and create a property and a brand that delivered ratings for the flicks and insane brand differentiation for ESPN?

 

Starting with an Anthem and spot for Peter Berg’s King’s Ransom and rolling through Ezra Edelman’s Oscar Winning OJ: Made in America, our 30 for 30 ride was a blast.  And those guys were right... it changed the way we look at sports.

 

BUT, the whole thing hangs on one Dahkil Hausif(!)— our amazing editor, who also had the perfect voice. Getting to see the movies first, and a decade of listening to Dahkil read our words on TV was the best part.