America's Cup: Stars + Stripes USA bring film producer to Cup
by Condé Nast Entertainment/Sail-World NZ 8 Oct 21:22 BST
9 October 2019
Stars and Stripes Team USA training in a GC32 © Matt Knighton
Condé Nast Entertainment (CNE) and Stars+Stripes USA have announced a development deal for an unscripted show that will follow the Long Beach Yacht Club's America's Cup team, Stars + Stripes USA as they challenge the world’s best and commit to bring the America’s Cup back to the United States.
Focused on the West Coast USA team’s values of inclusion, diversity and equal opportunity, the documentary series will explore the genesis of the team, the boat design and building process, the recruitment and training of athletes, and the unexpected turbulence along the way.
“We couldn’t be more excited to document the making of the first All-American team challenging for the America’s Cup in over 20 years,” said Joe LaBracio, EVP, Alternative Programming, Condé Nast Entertainment. “When we first heard Mike and Taylor’s story, we were all in.”
CNE brings its award-winning sports programming expertise to document Stars+Stripes USA’s untold story. The global studio produced “Fastest Car” and the Emmy-nominated “Last Chance U,” both of which were in the top 10 most binge-watched Netflix series of 2018. Ahead of Condé Nast’s global expansion, CNE also produced its first international project with the release of “Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians” earlier this year on Netflix. On the digital side, CNE and GQ launched a new YouTube channel dedicated to the lifestyle of athletes, GQ Sports.
“We are thrilled to have Condé Nast Entertainment tell our story to the world about the making of our campaign from the inside, how we deal with challenges with fundraising and sponsorship, the state-of-the-art technology that is needed to compete, and the personal stories of our American athletes.” said Tricia Wilber, Special Advisor to the Stars+Stripes USA CEO.
Co-founded by world champion sailors Mike Buckley and Taylor Canfield, Stars+Stripes USA’s mission is to build an inclusive All-American team to win the America’s Cup while showing the world that diversity is a competitive advantage.
The announcement comes on the back of an earlier technology partnership with McKinsey & Co. not formally announced but reported by Associated Press, last week.
The West Coast USA team is building a single AC75 to a base design provided by Defender Emirates Team New Zealand.
Condé Nast Entertainment (CNE) is an award-winning next generation studio and distribution network with entertainment content across film, television, premium digital video, social, and virtual reality. In just seven years since inception, CNE achieved profitability for its digital business ahead of schedule, reached TV-like scale for many of its digital videos, and has won Emmy and Critics’ Choice Awards, as well as garnered Academy Award and Peabody nominations. Culling from IP across Condé Nast’s iconic publishing brands, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, GQ and Wired, CNE has produced series for Netflix, Investigation Discovery, Amazon, and more; and has feature films with Sony and Fox Searchlight. In addition, the Next Gen Studio produces and distributes more than 4,000 pieces of original digital video content a year averaging over 1 billion views a month. CNE has an extensive digital distribution network of nearly 60 partners across about 2,300 websites and ranks 16th in unique viewers in comScore’s Top 100 Properties, ahead of publishers including Complex, Awesomeness, Viacom, Vox, Scripps, Sony Crackle, Vice, Defy, Meredith, Hearst, and Refinery29.
Website: www.condenast.com/cne
Stars + Stripes USA is the first all-American entry in over 20 years to challenge for the America's Cup, Stars+Stripes USA was co-founded by world champion sailors, Mike Buckley and Taylor Canfield with the goal to build an inclusive and authentic, American team to win the 36th America's Cup and inspire the next generation. Representing the Long Beach Yacht Club, Stars+Stripes USA is honored to reignite the Stars & Stripes brand, a name that for decades defined all-American excellence in the sport. The team has assembled some of the best minds in American boat building and yacht design to learn from global experts as part of the team's grassroots approach to win the Cup and create a sustainable legacy for the American yacht industry.
Website: www.starsandstripes.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/starsandstripesteamusa
Instagram: www.instagram.com/starsandstripesteamusa
Twitter: www.twitter.com/starsstripesac