Primetime Emmy and PGA award-winning producer Jon Weinbach has been tapped by Skydance Media to lead Skydance Sports, a new division of the company that will develop premium scripted and unscripted sports-related content. Weinbach, producer of “The Last Dance” and “Kareem: Minority of One,” will report to Skydance’s President and COO, Jesse Sisgold.
“Jon joins us with a remarkable track record for producing sports stories that capture the hearts of global audiences, and he holds the perfect mix of leadership, experience and deep relationships to help us build Skydance Sports into a premium destination for storytellers and fans alike,” said Sisgold in a statement.
“Jon possesses an unmatched critical and creative sensibility about the world of sports and happens to be someone who cares deeply about the athletes, teams and leagues,” added David Ellison, Skydance CEO and founder. “We have the right team in place to execute on this opportunity and look forward to giving rise to these stories across the Skydance platform.”
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Skydance’s projects include the films “The Tomorrow War,” “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse,” “The Old Guard” and “6 Underground.” Its upcoming film slate includes “Top Gun: Maverick,” “The Adam Project,” “Heart of Stone,” “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” and the seventh and eighth “Mission: Impossible” movies. Skydance’s television content includes Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie,” as well as “Foundation,” “Reacher,” “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” “Condor” and “The Big Door Prize.” Skydance Sports will create opportunities for league and sports entities to make programming for networks, streaming platforms and other media outlets. The new division will also harness the connectivity of RedBird Capital, a Skydance investor which also owns stakes in prominent sports properties such as the Fenway Sports Group, the YES Network, the XFL, OneTeam Partners, Wasserman, Toulouse Football Club, the Rajasthan Royals and the SpringHill Company.
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“This is a dream opportunity to create a global, independent sports studio,” said Weinbach. “I’m incredibly grateful to David, Jesse and the entire Skydance leadership team for their belief and efforts, and I can’t wait to create memorable projects across all formats.”
Weinbach, a former staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal, will be joined by award-winning filmmaker and editor Dan Marks, who has been appointed as the senior VP of Skydance Sports, and Don Granger, who heads Skydance Films and has helmed scripted sports-centric projects, will continue to manage their development. Bill Bost, Skydance Television president, will also collaborate with Weinbach on all future sports-related scripted content. Most recently, Weinbach was executive producer and executive VP of Mandalay Sports Media.
