United Talent Agency has signed one of the biggest content plays to come out of the NFL.
The agency has signed Foolish Club Studios, the entertainment and production studio launched by the Kansas City Chiefs last year. UTA will work with Foolish Club (the name is a tribute to team and American Football League founder Lamar Hunt, with the original owners embracing the “foolish” effort to try and take on the NFL) to help it grow its global content footprint across film, TV and media rights.
Foolish Club’s projects have included Hallmark Media’s Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story as well as the ESPN and Disney+ docuseries The Kingdom. Most recently it released Chasing Goals, a documentary it produced in partnership with Trevor Noah’s Day Zero Productions and Wavelength about Global KC, a Kansas City-based youth soccer club composed of refugee athletes representing 29 countries.
“Foolish Club Studios was created to tell compelling stories that reflect the values, determination, and vision that have defined the Kansas City Chiefs for more than six decades,” said Mark Donovan, CEO of Foolish Club Studios and president of the Kansas City Chiefs. “As we continue to build our slate and expand our ambitions in entertainment, UTA’s expertise and relationships across film, television, and beyond make them an ideal partner to help bring these stories to audiences around the world.”
“Foolish Club Studios has a clear vision for translating the spirit and legacy of the Chiefs into compelling entertainment, and we’re excited to help expand that work across film, television, and media rights,” added UTA Partners and agents Marissa Devins and Ryan Hayden. “The combination of Foolish Club’s commitment to original storytelling and the Chiefs’ global reach creates a powerful platform for projects that connect with audiences well beyond sports. We’re thrilled to partner with Mark, Lara, Gelsomina, and the entire Foolish Club team as they grow the studio and its slate.”
The Chiefs, of course, have dominated popular culture in recent years, thanks to their superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, among other star players.