Leveraging its in-house media resources and the vision of team owner Ryan Smith, the Jazz released the first teaser of its upcoming docuseries on the 50-year journey of the franchise. Co-produced by Smith Entertainment Group and directed by Rashad Floyd of Heart & Hustle Productions, the film encompasses the team’s debut as the New Orleans Jazz in 1973 with star guard Pete Maravich, its eventual move to Utah, its championship run with Karl Malone and John Stockton and its current role in the Salt Lake City community.
Titled “Note Worthy: 50 Seasons of Jazz Basketball,’’ the full docuseries will air in the spring of 2024 on the team’s direct-to-consumer app Jazz+, its proprietary 50th season webpage, YouTube and other Jazz digital outlets. Smith -- a Salt Lake City native who tells stories of sneaking into Jazz games as a child -- created Jazz+ and negotiated a free-over-the-air broadcast deal this season with Sinclair’s KJZZ with the intent of creating original content to accompany game broadcasts.
“What we're really excited about is showing our fans content that they never see,’’ Smith told SBJ earlier this year. “Like, there's 18,000 cameras per se on our team every day. And this is a chance for us to be able to show and tell some stories in a different way…It’s being self reliant and betting on yourself.’’
The team released its first trailer today in conjunction with its first “Decade Night’’ of the season, celebrating Jazz teams of decades past. Five more trailers will be released in the coming months.
The Jazz declined to share the cost of the project. The team said in a statement: "We anticipate each teaser and the resulting documentary will increase our following and engagement with fans across our digital platforms, help drive more Jazz+ subscriptions, and support an increase in residual benefits to the business.''
