Dick’s Sporting Goods is launching a new content and production studio, Cookie Jar & A Dream, to connect more closely with customers through an unscripted sports-themed series. The Studio will follow the retailer, Hollywood production partners and filmmakers as they tell stories through the lens of sport, starting in 2014.
“Dick’s believes that sports have the power to change lives,” said Mark Rooks, VP of creative, entertainment and sponsorships at Dick’s Sporting Goods. “And we’ve seen through our work how true that is for so many who have excelled, triumphed against the odds and been defeated in sport. There are so many incredible and inspiring human stories that deserve to be told, and we could not be more excited to showcase how individuals, teams and communities are shaping sport, bringing people together and unifying and building communities for thousands.”
Dick’s noted that over the past 10 years, starting in 2014, the company has developed a catalog of five feature-length films and ten short-form episodic documentaries, with additional projects currently in progress.
Dick’s first feature documentary, “We Could Be King,” supported through its Foundation, won an Emmy for Outstanding Sports Documentary. This past spring, Dick’s received a second Emmy, the first for a documentary produced in-house, with “The Turnaround,” about Philadelphia Phillies’ superfan Jon McCann and the team’s 2023 comeback season.
The official announcement of Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios coincides with the premiere of “Big Dreams: The Little League World Series 2024,” a new documentary that explores the Little League World Series. The Series has been hosted in Williamsport, PA, for nearly 80 years. Produced in partnership with Imagine Entertainment and MLB Studios, the film will premiere on August 12 on ESPN.
“Big Dreams is a great example of the kind of projects Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios aims to produce,” said Rebecca Covington, senior director of Creative Production at Dick’s Sporting Goods. “Being able to share big sports moments with fans is something that drives our team, and we look at the upcoming years with great excitement as we know there will be so many unforgettable stories deserving of the spotlight.”
The studio’s name, Cookie Jar & A Dream, pays tribute to Dick Stack’s 1948 start, when he borrowed $300 from his grandmother’s cookie jar to open his first store, a small bait-and-tackle shop, in Binghamton, NY.
Image courtesy Dick’s Sporting Goods
