“Not A Sports Show” Debuts on the Free
Video Streaming Service on March 25, Hosted by Actor & Comedian
Lil Rel Howery
Anheuser-Busch, the country’s leading brewer and home to
America’s most iconic beverage brands, and Panay Films today
announced the upcoming release of their dynamic new talk show –
“Not A Sports Show.” Hosted by actor, comedian and writer
Lil Rel Howery (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), the show
will feature Howery interviewing current and former professional
athletes in a six-episode run. Anheuser-Busch partnered with Panay
Films to develop and produce the project in association with
Stampede Entertainment. Episodes will be available on Ficto, the
free video streaming service and interactive short-form content
company.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005191/en/
“Not A Sports Show” debuts on Ficto on
March 25, hosted by actor & comedian Lil Rel Howery.
“Not A Sports Show” was created for 21+ sports lovers who
are curious to know more about the personal lives of the athletes
they love watching compete. Set in a relaxed bar atmosphere, Howery
and his guests will kick back for refreshing conversations about
anything and everything, and not just the game. From their greatest
fears to their greatest triumphs, guests share their worst dates,
personal beliefs, family life, and much more about themselves
beyond their athletic achievements, all while having some fun. Lil
Rel gets the athletes out of their comfort zones with lively
activities, including a lie detector test, chili tasting,
recreating a karate film, an improv nickname game and more. Watch
the trailer here.
About the experience, Howery notes, “I got to hang with some of
my favorite athletes, have great conversation and drink some beer.
I can’t wait to do it again with our partners at Panay Films,
Anheuser-Busch and Ficto.”
Each episode will be dedicated to an interview between Howery
and a featured athlete. The show’s first episode will be a two-part
interview with former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce, followed by
the release of new episodes every Thursday through April. Guest
stars include:
- Chiney Ogwumike: Los Angeles Sparks WNBA player and
first Black female ESPN host
- Joc Pederson: MLB All-Star and World Series
champion
- Kenny Smith: 2x NBA champion and Inside the NBA
analyst
- Melvin Ingram: 3x NFL Pro Bowler
- Paul Pierce: NBA champion, finals MVP and former Boston
Celtics star
- Sabrina Ionescu: 2x John Wooden Award winner, 2020 first
overall draft pick and New York Liberty WNBA player
- Shannon Sharpe: 3x Super Bowl champion, NFL Hall of
Famer and co-host of Skip and Shannon: Undisputed
- Shaun White: snowboarder, skateboarder, 15x X-Games gold
medalist and 3x Olympic gold medalist
Known for its brands’ award-winning advertising campaigns,
Anheuser-Busch’s work with Panay Films to push into mainstream
programming marks a shift for the company as it continues to
reinvent the way it shows up in audience’s lives and feeds. Panay
Films developed the “Not A Sports Show” platform to give 21+ fans a
dose of entertainment and Anheuser-Busch’s brands a vehicle for
organic, meaningful connection. “Not A Sports Show” was executive
produced by Andrew Panay, Lil Rel Howery, Adam Glass, Brian
Klugman, Nate Tuck, Jared Iacino and Spencer Gordon in partnership
with Greg Silverman of Stampede Entertainment. Walt Becker
directed.
“One of the key pillars of our consumer-centric marketing
strategy is to make our brand connections relevant to people,
rather than focusing on visibility alone,” said Marcel Marcondes,
CMO, Anheuser-Busch. “Our brands are meaningful enough in culture
to be part of the content, and so in ‘Not A Sports Show’ it was
great to see how coming together over a beer allowed us to get to
know the more human side of our favorite athletes.”
“Innovating and maintaining relevance among our consumers
requires that we go beyond traditional approaches and craft
meaningful content that’s part of the fun, instead of part of the
‘interruption’ of a typical ad,” added Spencer Gordon, VP Digital,
Anheuser-Busch. “Working alongside talented filmmakers who share
our vision and passion for authentic storytelling was very exciting
and we can’t wait for everyone to watch the show.”
“We had so much fun working with Spencer and the A-B team,
finding ways to translate the brands’ values into a widely
appealing entertainment property,” said Andrew Panay, CEO of Panay
Films. “Even though our approach to solving brand challenges comes
from different places, we share a common thread: a history of
comedic storytelling and an ability to reach wide audiences, be it
through advertising or film.”
In their first-ever partnership with Anheuser-Busch, Ficto CEO
and founder Mike Esola says, “We’re excited to be part of the
re-invention of streaming content with a partner like
Anheuser-Busch who regularly sets new standards for branded content
and creativity.” Esola continues, “We’re pioneering some new models
at Ficto, where genuinely great content can be infused with the
creativity from best in class brand partners to create a show that
appeals to today’s millennial mobile audiences.”
Stay up to date on future episodes by following “Not A Sports
Show” on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
About Anheuser-Busch
For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy
of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied
beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate more than
120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution
centers, agricultural facilities and packaging plants, and have
more than 19,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home
to several of America’s most recognizable beer brands, including
Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA and Stella Artois, as well as
a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a
choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From
responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water
donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided
by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call
home. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow
Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Panay Films
Panay Films is a full-service film production company and
creative agency. Founded by film producer Andrew Panay, the company
tells stories across film, TV, branded content and advertising. Its
team is comprised of Hollywood creative minds and visionaries who
use their filmmaking talents for a range of creative projects and
pursuits. Known equally for their feature film work and their
ability to work with corporations to solve marketing challenges,
Panay Films applies strategy, storytelling and design to content
across all screens and channels. For more information, follow Panay
Films on LinkedIn.
About Ficto.tv
Based in Los Angeles, Ficto is a free streaming service offering
audience participation in its shows and is currently available to
download on iOS and Android. Ficto’s shows have unique features
including two-way engagement, livestream, location activations, and
audience submissions. Ficto's programming is centered on niche
audiences and fan bases who are often underserved. For more, visit:
https://ficto.tv/.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005191/en/
Anheuser-Busch Lacey Clifford
lacey.clifford@anheuser-busch.com Panay Films Leigh Cashman
leigh@cashmanco.com Ficto.tv Marie Remelius
marie@teamclick.com Caitlin McKinley caitlin@teamclick.com
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