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Colorado finalizes new deal with Deion Sanders’ manager for filming on campus

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Colorado finalizes new deal with Deion Sanders’ manager for filming on campus



It’s an unusual deal in the sense that few college coaches besides Deion Sanders could procure this kind of arrangement.

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The University of Colorado has finalized an agreement with Deion Sanders’ business manager that spells out the terms for filming another season of the “Coach Prime” documentary series on the university’s Boulder campus.

The contract was finalized in late July after Amazon Prime Video announced the renewal of the series in May. It details the agreement between the university and SMAC Productions, a division of SMAC Entertainment, a talent agency based in Los Angeles. SMAC’s business clients include Sanders, Colorado’s football coach, and three players on his team − two-way star Travis Hunter and Sanders’ sons Shedeur and Shilo.

“We were extremely happy with how the last season of the Coach Prime docuseries turned out and are looking forward to working with SMAC on what promises to be another great season,” university spokesman Steve Hurlbert said.

USA TODAY Sports recently obtained the contract, which is unusual in the sense that few college coaches could procure this arrangement – an annual series on Prime Video, produced by his business manager, with wide latitude to film on campus at no charge.

The university sees it as a good deal, in large part because of the publicity it brings as it documents the Colorado football program behind the scenes under Sanders, also known as Coach Prime.

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What is in the Deion Sanders filming contract?

The contract is mostly the same as last year’s, which covered Sanders’ first season at Colorado. It was signed by Sanders’ business manager, Constance Schwartz-Morini, CEO of SMAC Entertainment, along with CU administrator Patrick O’Rourke.

∎ The contract again includes no compensation for the university, which instead sees the publicity from the series as its own form of compensation. By contrast, Michigan received $2.25 million for access and licensing in relation to its behind-the-scenes show on Amazon for the 2017 season.

 Amazon Prime Video declined to share viewership data for the last season of “Coach Prime.”

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∎ SMAC Productions maintains editorial control of the series, with regular input from the university on the series’ content.

“All creative and business decisions in connection with the Series shall be under the sole control of Producer subject only to Producer’s compliance with its express obligations and restrictions set forth herein,” the contract states.

∎ As producer, SMAC Productions is responsible for securing “any and all media releases from any CU Individuals or other individuals who are featured, photographed, filmed or otherwise recorded for the production of the Series.”

∎ The producer has wide latitude for filming on campus. “Producer is hereby irrevocably granted permission to enter and use, film, photograph and record the athletic buildings and facilities of the CU including, without limitation, the CU’s football stadium, practice areas, weight rooms, locker rooms, team meeting rooms, fields, sideline areas, and all other restricted and unrestricted locations within and around the same,” the contract states.

∎ SMAC also has exclusive rights to CU for all television, documentary and episodic programming in all media for any commercial project featuring both Sanders and the CU Football program that might compete with the series until 12 months after the airing of the final episode. This doesn’t include rights to CU games but says CU needs Sanders’ prior written consent to “create its own short-form, non-serialized audiovisual content about CU which contains references to Sanders and CU Football.”

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The university said it does not have any such agreements with Sanders, however.

How long will the ‘Coach Prime’ series run?

The contract states it is CU’s intent to positively collaborate with the producer “to allow production of the Series on the CU campus for the duration of Sanders employment relationship with CU.”

But the CU chancellor may decline to extend the filming of the series on the CU campus beyond the 2024 season. The parties agree to meet to discuss an option to extend the agreement on or about April 1, 2025.

Last year’s series was Season 2 of “Coach Prime” and debuted after Sanders’ first season in Boulder, when the Buffaloes finished 4-8 after starting 3-0. It consisted of six episodes and followed Season 1, which covered Sanders’ final year at Jackson State before his hiring in Boulder.

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“The partnership with CU and SMAC worked very well last year for all parties so we all felt there was little need to make any drastic changes ahead of this season,” Hurlbert said.

Colorado currently is engaged in preseason practices and begins the season Aug. 29 at home against North Dakota State.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com





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Denver nostalgic-themed bar opens after lengthy permitting delays

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Denver nostalgic-themed bar opens after lengthy permitting delays


South Broadway’s newest bar in Denver is a “nostalgic-forward neighborhood cocktail bar” called the Good Luck Club. However, it’s been anything but lucky.

“It would have been really helpful to have a road map of here’s how you open up a bar,” said Ben Hamilton, Good Luck Club’s general manager. “Here are the steps you need to take.”

It’s finally open, six months behind target, thanks to a guessing game they didn’t know they were playing.

“I was like jumping over hurdles and navigating a maze to try to figure out and put all the pieces of the puzzle together,” Hamilton added. “There was a good list of complications that we ran into when we were filing for our liquor licenses, our zoning permits, our assembly permits.”

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Ben Hamilton, the general manager of the Good Luck Club, talks about the delays he new Denver bar faced in opening.

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However, the city knows about the problems behind the permit process.

Tuesday marks exactly one year since Denver Mayor Mike Johnston signed his first executive order overhauling the city’s permit process with a new office.

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“It’s really hard for our customers to understand what is needed for every type of construction project that could be out there,” said Robert Peek, the director of development systems performance with the Denver Permitting Office.

Hamilton says that was exactly what he and his team faced:  “It seemed like it was never the full answer.”

That’s why the Denver City Council approved a $4.6 million contract with ComplyAI for a tool that will help streamline and speed up the process.

“It’ll do an initial review of their applications and their plans and identify anything that I’m missing or anything that is approvable for the city,” Peek said.

The software could shave weeks off the process, and hopefully, in the future, businesses like the Good Luck Club can serve the community more quickly.

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“We see this as part of our larger effort to really revitalize our local economy by getting these businesses and homeowners to move into their homes,” Peek said.

The permitting office is just beginning the implementation process to integrate the artificial intelligence tool into the system. They hope to launch it to the public by the end of the year. 

Meanwhile, the Good Luck Club is having its grand opening on April 30.



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Colorado Avalanche coach suffers facial fractures after being hit with a puck

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Colorado Avalanche coach suffers facial fractures after being hit with a puck


The Colorado Avalanche’s head coach will not travel with the team this week due to injuries he sustained after being hit with a puck during a game over the weekend.

Jared Bednar will stay at home as the team travels for two of its last regular season games in Canada, according to a statement from the team. Bednar was diagnosed with facial fractures and a corneal abrasion, but is expected to make a full recovery without surgery.

During Saturday night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, a stray puck hit by the Knights’ Keegan Kolesar went over the boards and into the Avalanche’s bench. Bednar was struck on the right side of his face and taken to the hospital to be evaluated.

The assistant coaching staff, which includes Dave Hakstol and Nolan Pratt, took over after Bednar left the game. Pratt told reporters in the postgame press conference that the hit was “unnerving.”

“It’s scary when the pucks are flying in there, it happens all the time,” Pratt said, adding that it was “unfortunate tonight.”

But the team recalibrated and returned to play, Pratt said.

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The Avalanche lost in overtime, but have already secured their playoff spot.

Pratt and Hakstol will lead the Avalanche in the Monday night game against the Edmonton Oilers and Tuesday’s game against the Calgary Flames. The team will return to Denver’s Ball Arena for its final home game before playoffs on Thursday.



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Evacuation order lifted following brush fire east of Colorado Springs

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Evacuation order lifted following brush fire east of Colorado Springs


The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has lifted an evacuation order east of Colorado Springs that it issued Sunday due to a fire near North Curtis and Garrett roads. “It is safe to return to the area,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote in a social media post. Investigators were working to determine the size and cause […]



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