Deal with production firm will bring Jimmer to a screen near you

GETTY IMAGES Fredette was a breakout star in college hoops this year.

Brigham Young University star Jimmer Fredette signed a deal with New York-based production company Tupelo-Honey Productions to chronicle his life in the days leading up to the NBA draft, June 23 in Newark.

Fredette committed to allow Tupelo-Honey to shoot more than 100 hours of footage over 30 days. The New York-based production company plans to sell online and mobile vignettes and packaged 30-minute TV shows.

No programming has been sold yet, but Tupelo-Honey President Cary Glotzer said he’s already been having discussions and plans to sell footage to several outlets.

Glotzer plans to produce daily two- to four-minute webisodes, a daily video blog and weekly recap features. After the 30 days, Tupelo-Honey will produce a long-form documentary for a TV channel or theatrical release.

He also plans to sell sponsorship around the video content, and said some brands already are showing interest. Glotzer said he could make some video clips available for sponsors’ websites.

Glotzer said he was drawn to Fredette this season when his company produced Mountain West basketball games for Versus.

“I was there when he dropped 52 points on New Mexico,” Glotzer said. “At that time, I said, ‘We have to do something special with this kid.’”

Glotzer asked Dave Checketts, chairman of SCP Worldwide (which has a controlling interest in Tupelo-Honey), to contact Fredette’s dad. Checketts and Fredette’s father know each other from Salt Lake City.

Two and a half weeks later, the two reached an agreement that gives Fredette a participation fee. Company officials would not say how much Fredette is getting paid.

Footage is expected to highlight Fredette’s transition from student athlete to NBA player. It will show how Fredette picks an agent — he hasn’t selected one yet. It will show how he keeps up his training. And it will show how he goes about planning his financial future.