Durant's Thirty Five Media with Apple will create a new scripted series based on his early lifeNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Kevin Durant and his business manager Rich Kleiman are among the new investors in millennial-focused social media app Overtime, which launched 15 months ago and is backed by WME-IMG. Later today, Overtime will announce a new round of Series A funding ($9.5M) led by VC firm Andreessen Horowitz. Durant and Kleiman join other individual investors in this round such as Fox Regional Sports Networks VP/Business Development Michael Spirito, Redpoint Ventures Partner Geoff Yang and Jeff Jordan, who led the Andreessen Horowitz investment. Other firms that are part of this round include Greycroft, Afore Capital, Box Group, Fitz Gate Ventures, Imagination Capital, 645 Ventures and TACK Ventures. Overtime co-founders Dan Porter and Zack Weiner told THE DAILY that they will use the funding to invest in more “long-form” programming, similar to the “Overtime Challenge” with people like high school hoops star Shareef O’Neal. It also will look to develop chat shows with teenage hosts. The idea is that Millennials are too old for Overtime, which is targeting the younger Gen Z audience. Overtime has become somewhat of a media darling since its ’16 launch, thanks mainly to short-form videos that go viral, getting airtime on everything from ESPN’s “SportsCenter” to Steph Curry’s Instagram feed. All told, company execs say Overtime videos have been viewed close to 1 billion times, with 95% of the audience watching via mobile. Overtime, which counts former NBA Commissioner David Stern as an early investor, has deals with two RSNs -- SNY and NBC Sports Philadelphia. It is in talks with other nets, company execs said (John Ourand, Staff Writer).
GOT SWAGGER? TECH CRUNCH's Brian Heater reported Apple is partnering with Durant's Thirty Five Media and producer Brian Grazer's Imagine Media to create a new scripted series "based on Durant's early life." The series, titled "Swagger," will be written and directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood. This marks the "second high profile media deal for Durant in the space of a month" after his recent partnership with YouTube (TECHCRUNCH.com, 2/13). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Lesley Goldberg noted the Apple show will be "inspired by Durant's youth basketball experience and explores the world" of AAU hoops in DC (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 2/13). Grazer said that he had "been looking for the opportunity to revisit the world of 'Friday Night Lights' when he met Durant at Google’s summer gathering of power players in Sicily known as The Camp" (DEADLINE.com, 2/13).
