Veteran producer and film executive Jason T. Reed has been named as the head of Skydance Sports, the company announced on Thursday.
Skydance Sports is the sports-focused studio collaboration that was established in 2022, a joint effort between David Ellison’s Skydance Media and the NFL.
With more than 20 years in the media and content industry, Reed’s history includes the creation and production of significant film and TV intellectual properties, such as “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and the live-action version of “Mulan.” Furthermore, he had an 18-year tenure at The Walt Disney Company, where he excelled in international production and franchise management.
In his newly created role, Reed will spearhead Skydance Sports operations and oversee the development and production of the studio’s entire slate of sports-driven storytelling. This will encompass both scripted and unscripted content, documentaries and events, including NFL-related content.
Reed will report directly to the Skydance Sports Board of Directors. Jesse Sisgold, the president and COO of Skydance Media, will take on the role of chairman for the board.
“Jason is an outstanding executive with a proven track record of running complex organizations and producing top-quality films and series,” Sisgold said in a statement to TheWrap. “His versatility, creative sensibility, and expertise launching some of the world’s most recognizable franchises is a boon to Skydance Sports, as we look to harness our early successes and scale the global footprint of the studio.”
Reed added: “I have always been drawn to sports stories because of their powerful ability to reveal character and explore themes. It is an incredible opportunity to work with both Skydance and the NFL; two organizations uniquely positioned at the top of their industries to grow in a dynamic media landscape. As we continue to work with the world’s premier filmmakers, documentarians, brands, and athletes, across all sports, we could not have better partners to bring these stories to life.”
Before joining Skydance Sports, Reed ran his own production company, which emphasized creating premium film, TV, and digital content for global audiences, producing a number of notable projects. During his tenure at Disney, Reed was responsible for numerous hit films, such as the “National Treasure” franchise, Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Armageddon,” “Enchanted,” “High School Musical 3” and “Bringing Down the House.”
Reed also has extensive experience in crafting sports-centric films. His credits include “Prefontaine” featuring Jared Leto, “The Waterboy” with Adam Sandler, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” headlined by Shia LaBeouf and Stephane Dillane and directed by Bill Paxton from Mark Frost’s book, “Mr. 3000” starring Bernie Mac and Angela Bassett and “Glory Road” featuring Josh Lucas.
Jon Weinbach, who has served as president of Skydance Sports since its 2021 formation, will now focus on managing the studio’s extensive unscripted and documentary lineup. Under his guidance, the division recently launched “NFL Draft: The Pick Is In,” a behind-the-scenes docuseries on Roku that became the most-viewed original documentary in the platform’s history and has received a greenlight for a 2024 release. Additionally, “Kelce,” a documentary spotlighting the renowned Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jason Kelce, premiered at #1 across both film and TV on Amazon Prime Video.
Don Granger, president of features at Skydance, adds Skydance Sports to his title, reporting directly to Reed. The duo is set to expand the studio’s live-action film portfolio.
Granger’s tenure at Skydance has seen significant success. He led the development and production of the company’s feature film lineup, including “Top Gun: Maverick.” The film shattered various box-office benchmarks and garnered six Academy Award nods, notably for Best Picture.
Granger produced several other Skydance films such as “Heart of Stone,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” “The Adam Project,” “The Tomorrow War” and “The Old Guard.” He also holds an executive producer title for the highly praised and commercially successful “Reacher” series under Skydance Television.
Skydance Sports has also formed a Television division and will name its lead soon.
Earlier in the year, Skydance Sports released the highly praised “Air,” which centered on the formation of the Air Jordan brand. The movie, directed by Ben Affleck and featuring Affleck, Matt Damon and Viola Davis, was given a theatrical release via Amazon and is accessible on Prime Video. The studio’s inaugural film, “Good Rivals,” premiered on Prime Video in fall 2022 and subsequently earned a nomination for “Outstanding Documentary Series” at the 44th Annual Sports Emmy Awards.
Beyond its collaboration with the NFL, Skydance Sports has formed strategic partnerships with Meadowlark Media, Mandalay Pictures and the Religion of Sports initiative by Tom Brady and Gotham Chopra.