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Photo credit: Unanimous Media
As the Golden State Warriors prepare for yet another playoff run, a docuseries about star point guard Steph Curry is preparing for its release.
Unanimous Media and Facebook partnered for the upcoming six-episode “Stephen vs. the Game,” which chronicles Curry’s season. The exact premiere date is still yet to be determined, but it will air exclusively on Facebook Watch.
Along with footage of Curry and the Warriors, the documentary promises to give an in-depth look at what drives the player from his family to faith and behind-the-scenes footage from last year’s NBA Championship run and childhood footage.
“This past year has been an incredible chapter in my life — from the birth of my first son to winning a third championship — and we’ve been capturing it all,” Curry said. “This series is deeply personal, providing an in-depth look into the pivotal moments from the last year and exploring everything that is important to me. It’s been a fun project to work on with my Unanimous team and Facebook. I have incredible fans, and I’m excited to share my life with them in a way I never really have before.”
It was that fanbase community on Facebook that helped spurred this project, said Jeron Smith, CEO of Unanimous Media, a company he founded with Erick Peyton.
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“Stephen has cultivated a vibrant community on Facebook and has always had a strong partnership with the platform,” Smith said. “We’ve worked with them on a handful of initiatives and have leveraged the platform to raise support and awareness for important causes like Nothing But Nets and Nia Wilson’s family.
“They were putting an emphasis on Facebook Watch programming and the concept developed from there.”
The series is produced by Unanimous Media and Religion of Sports and directed by Gotham Chopra, and it’s the second installment of Facebook Watch’s “VS” series — the first of which was “Tom vs. Time,” a series from last year following New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s season as a 40-year-old in the NFL.
Chopra co-founded Religion of Sports with Brady and former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan aiming to create content, ranging from short-form video, feature films and podcasts to answer “Why sports matter.”
“Stephen has an amazing story that should really resonate with the Facebook community, which makes him the perfect next subject for our ‘VS’ series,” Chopra said. “A lot of people have heard about his faith, but I don’t think they know the half of it. Being able to ride shotgun with Stephen across this historic season and get a glimpse into the three foundational elements of his life — faith, family, and hoops — has been an amazing ride and something, I think, millions around the world will be fascinated by.”
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Like Brady’s quest to cement his legacy as the greatest quarterback of all time, Curry has become a transcendent basketball player who is shaping how fans and players alike look at the game.
“Stephen vs. the Game” is a simple extension of the platform Curry has already established with his fans.
“Facebook Watch enables you to build a community around a show and use social media to build community and engage with fans, which is really important to Stephen,” Smith said. “Stephen’s social-media presence has always been engaging and genuine, and we saw this as a natural extension of what he’s already doing while offering fans a richer storytelling experience and honest look at who he really is.”
As for Unanimous Media, Smith said the company wants to continue to establish itself as a trusted brand delivering high-quality entertainment.
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Unanimous Media has multiple additional projects underway, including “Emanuel,” a documentary following the survivors and family members of the 2015 Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. The documentary debuts in June.
Also in the works by Unanimous Media is “Benedict Men,” a series looking at the St. Benedict’s Prep high school basketball team from Newark, New Jersey, and “Breakthrough,” a drama based on the Joyce Smith book, “The Impossible.”
“For all of our projects, we aim to create unique and compelling content that brings people together and entertains, and ‘Stephen vs. the Game’ is another example of this,” Smith said. “It will undoubtedly give fans an unprecedented glimpse into Stephen’s life.
“Many of our stories are anchored in inspiration — we strive to encourage, empower and uplift audiences through a variety of diverse narratives. We want to work on projects that move people, with storylines and narratives that draw people in.”
