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Josh Allen is joining the ranks of athletes getting into content production.
The Buffalo Bills quarterback has announced the launch of Out of Pocket Studios, a media venture that will have him backing entertainment,
commercial and experiential projects. Allen will serve as CEO of the new company and as an executive producer on all work.
The new production outlet builds on an alliance Allen struck Skydance Sports , part of Paramount Skydance, in January of last year. Lindsey Cohen, president of strategy and operations at Out of Pocket Studios, will oversee the company’s day-to-day operations. She previously served at Meadowlark Media and DAZN, and began her career at CAA.
“Skydance Sports has given me a platform to turn the ideas I care most about into something real,” said Allen, in a prepared statement. “We’re excited to share what Out of Pocket Studios has created so far, and for everyone to see what we’re building from here.”
The new studio’s initial slate includes “America’s Tailgate,” a TV special slated to air Labor Day on Paramount’s CBS. The program, which will feature music and celebrities, is produced with Skydance Sports, EverWonder Studio, and Lost Tribe Studio, and is hosted by “CBS Mornings” anchor and “The NFL Today” studio analyst Nate Burleson, along with co-host Melanie Collins and correspondent Whitney Cummings. Allen makes an appearance as well.
Also set to launch is “NFL Play Action,” a weekly football-analysis studio show is slated to debut on Paramount+ on September 9. The show is hosted by by Kyle Brandt and co-hosted by fitness instructor Ally Love. The pair offer a weekly cultural recap of NFL action in a program meant to spur family viewing. “The Buffalo Miracle” is directed by documentarian Ben Proudfoot and produced with Breakwater Studios and Skydance Sports,. The film captures the heroism of a McDonald’s manager in Buffalo who, during a deadly blizzard in 2022, opened the restaurant to stranded citizens on Christmas Eve.
Other projects, including a comedy series conceived by Allen that has already been sold, is in the company’s content pipeline.
Both Allen and Out of Pocket Studios are represented by CAA.
