Jason T. Reed, a veteran producer who spent 18 years as an exec at Disney overseeing a number of top franchises, has been named Head of Skydance Sports.
The division of David Ellison’s Skydance Media last year formally teamed with the NFL and NFL Films. In his newly created role, Reed will lead overall Skydance Sports operations and the development and production of the studio’s entire slate of sports-driven scripted and unscripted projects, along with documentaries and events.
Jon Weinbach, who has served as President of Skydance Sports since its 2021 formation, will now focus on overseeing the studio’s unscripted and documentary slate. That unit produced NFL Draft: The Pick Is In, a docuseries that became Roku’s most-watched original documentary title ever, earning a renewal for 2024. Another title shepherded by Weinbach was Kelce, a feature documentary on Prime Video about Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
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As Reed takes on the head role, Don Granger, President, Features at Skydance, is adding Skydance Sports to his title, reporting into Reed in that capacity as the two look to expand the live-action film offerings of the studio. Granger has played a key role in developing and producing notable Skydance films like Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, The Adam Project and The Old Guard. Granger is also an executive producer on Reacher for Skydance Television.
The scope of the Skydance Sports includes but is not limited to NFL-related projects. One of the first projects since the Skydance-NFL teaming is a docuseries centered on Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys franchise. Earlier this year, Skydance Sports was behind the feature film Air, about the creation of the Air Jordan brand, directed by Ben Affleck and starring Affleck, Matt Damon, and Viola Davis. The film was given a global theatrical release by Amazon and is available on Prime Video. The studio’s first release, Good Rivals, debuted on Prime Video last fall and received a Sports Emmy Award nomination. In addition to the NFL, Skydance Sports has strategic partnerships with Meadowlark Media, Mandalay Pictures, and Tom Brady and Gotham Chopra’s Religion of Sports.
Reed has more than two decades of experience in the media business and spent 18 years working in both international production and franchise management at Disney.
Reed will report directly to the Skydance Sports Board of Directors, of which Jesse Sisgold, Skydance Media’s President and COO, will now serve as chairman.
Prior to Skydance Sports, Reed ran an eponymous production company that was active in film, TV and digital. Under that banner, he produced projects like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and the live-action feature film adaptation of Mulan. At Disney, Reed oversaw a wide range of successful films, including the National Treasure franchise, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Armageddon, Enchanted and Bringing Down the House. Reed also has experience with sports-related features, including Prefontaine, The Waterboy, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Mr. 3000 and Glory Road.
Skydance Sports has also formed a television division and will name its lead exec soon, the company said.
“Jason is an outstanding executive with a proven track record of running complex organizations and producing top-quality films and series. His versatility, creative sensibility, and expertise launching some of the world’s most recognizable franchises is a boon to Skydance Sports, as we look to harness our early successes and scale the global footprint of the studio,” Sisgold said.
Reed said he has “always been drawn to sports stories because of their powerful ability to reveal character and explore themes. It is an incredible opportunity to work with both Skydance and the NFL; two organizations uniquely positioned at the top of their industries to grow in a dynamic media landscape. As we continue to work with the world’s premier filmmakers, documentarians, brands, and athletes, across all sports, we could not have better partners to bring these stories to life.”
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