This document discusses the origins and creation of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series. It began in 2007 when Bill Simmons proposed the idea of 30 documentaries to commemorate ESPN's 30th anniversary. They brought in outside filmmakers and gave them creative control over 30 films from 1979 to 2009. The series featured films from well-known directors and was a success, leading to additional films and seasons beyond the original 30. It allowed untold sports stories from that era to be shared from diverse perspectives through high-quality documentaries.

1. Media Makes 30 for 30
By: Creed Flowers

2. How 30 for 30 came about?
 If filmmaking was a sport, then ESPN would
be a contender. Few players in television
would commission and produce 30 films in
less than two years.
 In 2007, Bill Simmons, columnist for
ESPN.com, emailed his bosses a short
message: With ESPN's 30-year anniversary
coming up, the cabler should produce 30
documentaries from that time frame--but
not Sports Century: 30 Years of ESPN. Import
a few well-known Hollywood filmmakers
and give them complete creative control.
Call the series 30 for 30.
 They took the idea further and made all 30
documentaries from filmmakers outside
ESPN.

3. Getting the Job
Done
"When we sat down and discussed 30 for 30,
we agreed on how the independent film
genre had advanced, with some incredible
storytellers out there that we felt could turn
their focus to sports projects and capture them
with independent film spirit," Schell adds. "We
sought out an electric mix of feature film
directors, professional documentarians and
first-time filmmakers. The common
denominator was real passion for the story
they wanted to tell. Each piece stood on its
own, not dependent on the one that came
before or after it. Collectively, they tell a larger
story of the era in a mosaic of the last 30 years,
diverse points of view and cultural turning
points. We tried to support every aspect of
production without getting in the way of the
filmmakers, so the work of each is their vision."
Al Maysles, Alex Gibney, Billy Corben, Dan
Klores, Brett Morgen, Barbara Kopple

4. The First 30
 Kings Ransom by Peter Berg on October 6, 2009
 The Band that Wouldn’t Die by Barry Levinson on October 13, 2009
 Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? By Mike Tollin on October 20,2009
 Muhammad and Larry by Albert Maysles on October 27,2009
 Without Bias by Kirk Fraser on Novemeber 3,2009
 The Legend of Jimmy the Greek by Firtz Mitchell November 10, 2009
 The U by Billy Corben on December 12, 2009
 Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks by Dan Klores on
March 14, 2010
 Guru of Go by Bill Couturie on April 3, 2010
 No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson by Steve James on April 13,
2010
 Silly Little Game by Adam Kurland and Lucas Jansen on April 20, 2010
 Run Ricky Run by Sean Pamphilon and Royce Toni on April 27, 2010
 The 16th Man by Clifford Bestall, Lori McCreary, and Morgan Freeman
on May 4, 2010
 Straight Outta L.A. by Ice Cube on May 11, 2010
 June 17th, 1994 by Brett Morgen on June 16, 2010
The Two Escobars by Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist on June 22,h 2010
The Birth of Big Air by Jeff Tremain, Johnny Knoxville, and Spike Jonze on July
29, 2010
Jordan Rides the Bus by Ron Shelton on August 24, 2010
Little Big Men by Al Szymanski on August 31, 2010
One Night in Vegas by Reggie Rock Bythewood on September 7, 2010
Unmatched by Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern on September 14, 2010
The House of Steinbrenner by Barbara Kopple on September 21, 2010
Into the Wind by Steve Nash and Ezra Holland on September 28, 2010
Four Days in October by Major League Baseball Productions on October 5,
2010
Once Brothers by NBA Entertainment on October 12, 2010
Tim Richmond: To the Limit by NASCAR Media Group and Rory Kerpf on
October 19, 2010
Fernando Nation by Cruz Angeles on October 26, 2010
Marion Jones: Press Pause by John Singleton on November 2, 2010
The Best That Never Was by Jonathan Hock on November 9, 2010
Pony Excess by Thaddeus D. Matula on December 11, 2010

5. 30 for 30 Clip
HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/-AQXNPZ_YCC
ELWAY TO MARINO – MAKING THE SET

6. My Personal Favorites
 For 30 for 30 it was only suppose to be 30 documentaries but these
series have become so popular that there is a season 2, other
special features, extras, and 30 for 30 shorts. My personal favorites
are The Fab Five, I Hate Christian Laettner, You Don’t Know Bo, and
The U Part 1 and Part 2. Personally I believe that 30 for 30 was a
genius idea that Bill came up with. So many people are motivated
and get to see the inside secrets and conversations from different
era’s that haven’t been seen by the public before.

7. The End !

8. Citations
• HTTP://WWW.DOCUMENTARY.ORG/MAGAZINE/DOCUMENTARIANS-TACKLE-SPORTS-HISTORY-ESPNS-30-30
• HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/30_FOR_30
• HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/-AQXNPZ_YCC