Colorado

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

Published

1 year ago

August 12, 2024

Press Room

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.

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.

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.”

∎ 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.”

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.

“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

Source link

Click to comment

Colorado

A Meeting with the Mammoth | Colorado Avalanche

Published

2 hours ago

October 21, 2025

Press Room

A Meeting with the Mammoth | Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche (5-0-1) @ Utah Mammoth (4-2-0)

8 p.m. MT | Delta Center | Watch: ESPN | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

For the second time this month, the Colorado Avalanche will face their Central Division foes, the Utah Mammoth. The Avalanche defeated the Mammoth 2-1 in their first meeting on October 9th, and the teams will meet again in Denver on December 23rd and in Salt Lake City on February 25th.

Saturday Night Success

Nathan MacKinnon scored twice to help the Avalanche defeat the Boston Bruins 4-1 and improve to 5-0-1 on Saturday at Ball Arena. In addition to winning its last three games, Colorado is one of two teams that remains undefeated in regulation. Josh Manson and Martin Necas each scored for Colorado while Scott Wedgewood stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced. The Avalanche outshot the Bruins 38-14, including 31-7 in the second and third periods. Boston’s John Beecher opened the scoring at 3:11 of the first period with a goal from the left circle. MacKinnon tied the game at 7:08 of the first period with his fifth goal of the season via a mini breakaway set up by Artturi Lehkonen’s feed after he intercepted a Bruins pass. At 10:22 of the opening frame, Manson gave the Avs a 2-1 lead with his first goal of the season via a one-timer from the point set up by Brent Burns shortly after an offensive-zone faceoff. MacKinnon doubled the Avs’ lead at 4:14 of the third period with his second goal of the game and sixth of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Lehkonen. Necas gave the Avs a 4-1 lead at 17:23 of the third period with his fourth goal of the season via an empty-net tally.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon is tied for second in the NHL in goals (6) and tied for fifth in points (10).

All Hail Cale

Among NHL defensemen, Cale Makar is tied for first in points (7) while being tied for second in goals (2) and assists (5).

Marty Party

Necas is tied for fifth in the league in points (10) and tied for seventh in assists (6).

Series History

In four previous games against Utah, Colorado is 3-1-0, including a 2-0-0 record in Salt Lake City.

Defending Home Ice

The Utah Mammoth defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 at Delta Center on Sunday. In the first period, Utah’s Logan Cooley opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 4:20 and Boston’s David Pastrnak answered with a power-play tally of his own at 14:38. In the middle frame, Pastrnak gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead with his second goal of the night at 5:46 before Clayton Keller tied the game at 15:57. Dylan Guenther scored the game-winning goal for the Mammoth at 10:37 of the third period.

Making Their Mark Against the Mammoth

MacKinnon has posted six points (2g/4a) in four games against the Mammoth.

In three contests against Utah, Lehkonen has recorded three goals.

Brock Nelson has registered three points (1g/2a) in three games against the Mammoth.

Scoring in Salt Lake City

Nick Schmaltz leads the Mammoth in points (9) and is tied for first in goals (3) and assists (6).

Guenther is tied for the team lead in goals (3), third in points (5) and tied for third in assists (2).

Keller is second on the Mammoth in points (7) and assists (5) while being tied for third in goals (2).

A Numbers Game

.954

In the Avs’ past three games, Wedgewood has posted a .954 save percentage, a 1.00 goals-against average and a 3-0-0 record. He was named the NHL’s third star of the week.

1.5

Colorado is allowing a league-fewest 1.5 goals per game.

15

Colorado’s 15 goals at five-on-five are the third most in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Overall, I don’t think there was a whole lot to it,” Gabriel Landeskog said about the game. “I thought we deserved to win. We played really well 5-on-5, [limited] their scoring chances for the most part. Obviously, there are things we can do better, but overall, a good W.”

— Avalanche Captain Gabriel Landeskog on the team’s win on Saturday

Kick off the Avalanche season with a 7-day free trial to the all-new Altitude+ — now redesigned and packed with powerful new features! Use promo code AVS7FREE at *Altitudeplus.com* — then download the app and start streaming today! Offer Expires 10/31/25

Source link

Colorado

High fire danger and strong winds across Colorado Monday

Published

21 hours ago

October 20, 2025

Press Room

High fire danger and strong winds across Colorado Monday

Monday is a First Alert Weather Day in Colorado as strong winds and very dry air create critical fire weather conditions.

CBS

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning through this evening for the I-25 Corridor, the Front Range Foothills, and much of the northeast plains. Wind gusts between 45 and 55 mph will be common, with some foothill areas briefly seeing gusts as high as 70 mph. The strong winds are also causing patchy blowing dust on the plains, reducing visibility at times.

In the mountains, a quick burst of snow moved through early Monday morning, along and north of the I-70 corridor. Conditions are expected to improve by midday as drier air moves in.

Winds will ease later this afternoon and evening, setting the stage for a Freeze Warning overnight for parts of the I-25 corridor and adjacent plains.

Tuesday brings calmer weather and more seasonal temperatures in the 60s.

Source link

Colorado

Small plane crashes at northern Colorado airport, Erie police say

Published

2 days ago

October 19, 2025

Press Room

Small plane crashes at northern Colorado airport, Erie police say

Police are investigating after a small plane crashed Sunday afternoon near the runway at the Erie Municipal Airport in Weld County, according to the department.

The Erie Police Department first posted about the single-plane crash at 3:59 p.m. Sunday. Department spokesperson Amber Luttrell said the crash happened about 15 minutes before that.

Two people were on board the plane, Luttrell said. The extent of their injuries was not immediately available.

Additional information about the crash, including the cause and the plane’s flight information, was not immediately available Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, Luttrell said.

Neither agency immediately responded to requests for comment on Sunday.

This is a developing story and may be updated.