New York Yankees legend and FOX Sports analyst Derek Jeter is trading in his cleats for clapboards.
The Baseball Hall of Famer secretly started a production company, Cap 2 Productions (named after his jersey number with the Yankees and his role as the team’s captain). He hopes to make the most of the growing interest in sports-related matters. Content from TV channels and streaming services.
“This isn’t just some random company that we founded to say, ‘Okay, we want to start producing now.’ This is an extension of what we’ve been building over the last 10 years,” Jeter says of Cap2. He told The Hollywood Reporter in his first interview.
Jeter envisions Cap 2 as an extension of what he did with The Players Tribune, the athlete-focused digital publication he co-founded with Jamie Messler in 2014.
“When we started TPT, we had a vision of what it would become, and I think it has grown into something bigger and better than many people, including myself, expected. ” Jeter says. “I’m sure 10 years from now we’ll be saying the same thing about Cap 2.”
Cap 2, represented by WME, has quietly developed a series of projects, many of them baseball-related, with a number of TV and streaming partners.
These include ESPN’s documentary series “Yankees Win” and the World Series documentary series set at Apple. However, it also includes shows such as the upcoming History Channel series “The Greatest Warriors of All Time” and the recently concluded “Icons Who Built America.”
“For example, I’m always interested in where greatness comes from. How people get to that place in their lives and how they overcome failure,” Jeter said. , talks about the philosophy behind Cap 2 so far. “I’ve always wanted to tell these stories. To inspire, educate and motivate.”
Cap 2 joins a growing list of entertainment companies led by current and retired superstar athletes. Tom Brady has one, LeBron James has one. Lionel Messi recently launched it and Serena Williams also has it.
Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions has been a prolific player in this space, while Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media is making a big push into scripted work with Peacock’s Mr. Throwback.
It’s a lucrative field for those in the sports world, and those connections give them access that other production companies can’t match. And, frankly, having a star athlete at the helm makes meetings in town easier. This is made even more important by the ongoing content pullbacks across Hollywood.
For athlete-driven production ventures, that sometimes means “you have to do what people want you to do first,” says Erick Peyton, president of Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media. Although a lot of the content was basketball-related, I realized that that’s what got me interested in the first place.
Once you see a click, another opportunity arises.
Jeter said he wants Cap 2 to prioritize family-friendly storytelling, whether in documentary or scripted form. He also said he is “deeply involved in everything and every decision.” And that will continue. ”
“We want stable growth and we want to build a foundation from the beginning. We want people to understand what Cap 2 means and the types of projects we are going to do and be involved in. “I want to do that,” Jeter said. “But, you know, five years from now, 10 years from now, who knows? We don’t want to put a cap on it by any means, but we want every project to be meaningful and impactful. ”
He also argues that the role athletes play in the national consciousness has changed dramatically since he founded The Players Tribune 10 years ago. At the time, it was a novel way for athletes to share their stories, but now many top athletes, musicians, and entertainers have become social media giants with millions of followers.
In a way, this provides an opportunity for athlete-led media companies to step in and take viewers behind the scenes in a longer format.
“I don’t want to be the person I was before, but it’s been 10 years since I retired. I don’t think there are as many secrets now because people want to know everything about athletes and entertainers. ” Jeter says. “I think athletes and entertainers are very comfortable sharing things, so when you start talking about sports, you want to know everything you can about a particular athlete. People want to know the background of where they came from, the bumps in the road along the way. People are more interested in that because it humanizes them. Because I think it used to be more mysterious, but now it seems like everything is out in the open.
“People have millions of followers, but it’s just a snippet and they can’t really tell you the long version,” Jeter added. “That’s where I think Cap 2 becomes important.”
In fact, despite the massive content withdrawal, sports-related content is still experiencing a boom period.
Streaming services like Netflix, Peacock, and Prime Video have all ordered documentaries and docu-series featuring athletes and sports teams, but traditional TV channels like ESPN are still active in this space as well.
For athletes who know the game and the players well, that often means raising their legs when throwing shows.
“I love being behind the scenes helping recruit players and making suggestions,” Peyton Manning said. The company’s Omaha Productions produces “The Quarterback,” “Receiver,” and now “The Starting 5” on Netflix. “I’m learning a lot. I’m not the smartest guy in the room when it comes to Omaha Productions concepts, but I’m learning a lot from the smart guys on the Omaha team and the NFL movies and the people we work with. I like to listen to stories,” Netflix, and give you everything I’m thinking about. ”
There is also a burden of proof. Veteran Hollywood producers have a proven track record, and ultimately athlete-led ventures will need to do the same if they are to survive long-term.
They need to “understand what the market needs and wants, and at the same time what’s true for us. Naturally, we need to win some wins along the way.” Curry says. “You have to have that belief, the belief that we are doing things the right way in the way we approach everything.
He added that we also need to “express ourselves in a way that shows we are legitimate and demonstrate that we do the work and show up and just follow.” “And you can trust that we will uphold the end result of the negotiations in every way, every step of the way.”
This is a strategic push into content, done with confidence, but not bravado. And that’s an approach Jeter wants to take as well.
“I think it’s about starting slow and not rushing it, taking your time and doing it the right way,” Jeter says. “Cap 2 doesn’t succeed because of me; it succeeds because of the projects we are involved in.”
This article was published in the October 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.
