MTP and LaLiga Studios are partnering to develop a slate of soccer-centric projects.
The details of the slate have not yet been announced, but the first of its projects is already in the works, led by MTP and Emmy-winning producer-director Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (“Rulon Gardner Won’t Die”).
“I’m beyond excited about what we’ve been preparing. This is such a perfect match. MTP’s unmatched track record developing the most memorable projects in recent years and Spain’s LaLiga being the most dynamic soccer league globally are the perfect platform for developing the biggest, and most enjoyable new shows that will expand the categories of how sports can engage a global audience,” said Hurtado de Mendoza.
Since its founding in 2023, LaLiga Studios, led by CEO Chalo Bonifacino Cooke, is a joint venture between Banijay Iberia (part of media and entertainment powerhouse Banijay) and LaLiga. Its partnership with MTP echoes Banijay’s wider ambitions to grow across sportainment, documentary and digital via new partnerships, content investments and M&A following the recent launch of Banijay Sports.
“LaLiga is the most exciting soccer league in the world. It touches people across the globe with a passion that’s unrivaled. And now, through our collaboration with MTP we can develop a global slate of projects that will take the sport from the pitch to a whole new audience worldwide,” said Cooke.
MTP (previously Mandalay Sports Media) is a sports-focused media company in L.A. helmed by Mike Tollin. Tollin is best known as the executive producer of “The Last Dance,” the miniseries on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The series became the most-watched documentary ever on ESPN in the U.S. and a record-breaking hit globally on Netflix. It also won a 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding documentary or nonfiction series.
MTP followed up its sports doc success two years later with Netflix’s “The Redeem Team,” which won the Sports Emmy for outstanding long documentary.
Tollin’s Hollywood career also includes scripted films, television hits and documentaries such as the Oscar-nominated “Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream.” He was one of the original producers on the landmark “30 for 30” series for ESPN, and in the last decade, has been trusted to tell the stories of sporting icons Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Allen Iverson, and Shaun White. He has also worked on projects alongside EA Sports, 2K Sports and Jordan Brand.
“Over the last decade, soccer and sports at large have become fully mainstream in the U.S. and beyond. Sports fans around the country are embracing the same aspects of the game that have made it the most-played sport in the world. Our partnership with LaLiga Studios will amplify this trend and bring the sport to a new demographic through accessible human storytelling,” said MTP’s unscripted division president Jonathan Vogler.
Tollin and MTP are repped by UTA and Jared Levine and Nick Gladden of Yorn Levine. Diego Hurtado de Mendoza is repped by Zero Gravity Management and Chris Perez and Jonathan Fisher of Donaldson Callif Perez.
Source Agencies
