Jon Weinbach (born August 13, 1976) is an American film and television writer and producer. He is currently President of
Skydance Sports
Skydance Media, LLC, also known as Skydance Productions, is an American entertainment company, media production company, production and finance company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company specializes i ...
and was previously the executive producer and executive vice president for
Mandalay Sports Media, a media and production company that focuses on sports entertainment programming.
Weinbach has produced and/or directed movies and television shows such as ''
The Last Dance'', ''
The Other Dream Team
''The Other Dream Team'' () is a documentary film directed by Marius A. Markevičius. It covers the inspirational story of the 1992 Lithuania men's national basketball team, Lithuania national basketball team and their journey to the bronze medal ...
'', ''
Straight Outta L.A.
''Straight Outta L.A.'' is a 2010 American documentary film in ESPN's ''30 for 30'' series directed by Ice Cube that covers the National Football League, NFL team Los Angeles Raiders, Raiders' time in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994, and how this o ...
'' (
30 for 30
''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series und ...
), ''Sole Man'' (
30 for 30
''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series und ...
), ''
L.A. Clippers Dance Squad
''L.A. Clippers Dance Squad'' is an American reality television series that premiered on the E! cable network, on March 15, 2016. The eight-episode one-hour series features seven members of a dance team for the Los Angeles Clippers National Bas ...
'', ''
The Nagano Tapes: Rewound, Replayed & Reviewed,'' and ''
The Redeem Team''. Weinbach wrote ''
Straight Outta L.A.
''Straight Outta L.A.'' is a 2010 American documentary film in ESPN's ''30 for 30'' series directed by Ice Cube that covers the National Football League, NFL team Los Angeles Raiders, Raiders' time in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994, and how this o ...
'' and co-wrote ''
The People's Fighters: Teofilo Stevenson and the Legend of Cuban Boxing'' and ''
The Other Dream Team
''The Other Dream Team'' () is a documentary film directed by Marius A. Markevičius. It covers the inspirational story of the 1992 Lithuania men's national basketball team, Lithuania national basketball team and their journey to the bronze medal ...
''.
Early life and education
Weinbach grew up in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and attended
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School (shortly as BHHS or Beverly) is a public high school in Beverly Hills, California. The other public high school in Beverly Hills is Moreno High School, a small alternative school located on Beverly Hills High School's c ...
.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Weinbach closely followed Los Angeles sports.
Weinbach was influenced by the sports culture in Los Angeles during the 1980s and 1990s. He lived in Los Angeles during the
Showtime Era of the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
, the
1988 Los Angeles Dodgers season
1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
,
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
's tenure with the
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
, and during the era of the
Los Angeles Raiders
The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). The Raiders played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural ...
.
[ After high school, Weinbach attended ]Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, and graduated in 1998.
Career
Wall Street Journal
After graduating from college, Weinbach worked as a reporter at The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
. During this time, he covered the sports business and entertainment. In 2007, he wrote an article for a special report on ''The Business of Football,'' which covered Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, since 1 ...
's record-breaking budget. In 2008, he wrote a feature on a secret fantasy football league that included some of the financial world's wealthiest executives.
Television and film production
30 for 30
''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series und ...
s
In 2010, Weinbach produced a documentary for ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
’s 30 for 30
''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series und ...
series called Straight Outta L.A.
''Straight Outta L.A.'' is a 2010 American documentary film in ESPN's ''30 for 30'' series directed by Ice Cube that covers the National Football League, NFL team Los Angeles Raiders, Raiders' time in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994, and how this o ...
The film chronicles the move of the Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
to Los Angeles and the impact the team had on Southern California in the 1980s. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
.
In 2015, he co-directed and produced ''Sole Man'' for ESPN's 30 for 30
''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series und ...
. The film is a profile of Sonny Vaccaro
John Paul Vincent "Sonny" Vaccaro (born September 23, 1939) is an American former sports marketing executive. He lives in Santa Monica, California.
Career
Vaccaro is best known for his tenure with Nike, Inc., where he signed Michael Jordan to hi ...
, who rose from steel town roots in Pennsylvania to become an influential force in both basketball and the athletic shoe industry.
''The Other Dream Team''
In 2012, he co-produced ''The Other Dream Team
''The Other Dream Team'' () is a documentary film directed by Marius A. Markevičius. It covers the inspirational story of the 1992 Lithuania men's national basketball team, Lithuania national basketball team and their journey to the bronze medal ...
,'' a documentary film, that covers the story of the 1992 Lithuania national basketball team and their journey to the bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The movie was an official selection for the Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023.
The festival has acted ...
and entered in the U.S. Documentary Competition in 2012.
''The Nagano Tapes''
In 2018, he wrote and produced '' The Nagano Tapes: Rewound, Replayed & Reviewed.'' This documentary film covers how the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
won the gold medal in the ice hockey tournament of the 1998 Winter Olympic. The film won the "Best Film Out of Cinema" at the Czech Film Critics' Awards
Czech Film Critics' Awards () are annual awards that recognize accomplishments in filmmaking and television. Awards were established in 2010 as alternative to Czech Lion Awards. Awards are organised by Association of Czech Film Critics.
Categori ...
in 2018.[
]
''The People's Fighter''
In 2018, Weinbach executive produced '' The People's Fighters: Teofilo Stevenson and the Legend of Cuban Boxing''. The documentary film examines Teófilo Stevenson
Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence (; 29 March 1952 – 11 June 2012) was a Cuban amateur boxer who competed from 1966 to 1986.
Stevenson won the Val Barker Trophy (1972) as well was honored with the Olympic Order (1987) and is one of only three bo ...
's career and the phenomenon of boxing in Cuba. Weinbach said: “This film has all the elements that make the Olympics so fascinating – the intersection of politics, culture, huge personalities and incredible athletic achievement."
''The Last Dance''
Weinbach co-produced '' The Last Dance,'' a 2020 documentary miniseries about the career of Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...
, with particular focus on the 1997–98 Chicago Bulls season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the 32nd season for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls entered the regular season as the two-time defending NBA champions, and in the Finals, they met the Utah Jazz in a rematch from t ...
. He said of the series: “It's one thing to have Michael Jordan and it's another to have this incredible candor with him.”[
]Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
assigned the series a score of 91 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Other Film & TV Projects
In 2013, Weinbach co-executive produced "Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball." The documentary tells the history of the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball program is the men's college basketball team of the University of Kentucky. It has eight NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, NCAA championships, the best List of teams with the highest winning perce ...
.
In 2014, Weinbach co-executive produced "Every Street United," with Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
Entertainment. The series followed street soccer players from around the world as they competed to play in a 4v4 street soccer game at the 2014 World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
. He co-wrote and co-executive produced a sports comedy TV series, "The Rebels," with Amazon Studios
Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...
. The series followed a woman after her husband suddenly dies and leaves her as the sole owner of a pro-football team.
In 2015, he co-executive produced ''Shaq Inq,'' a TV comedy movie, that loosely followed Shaq
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and center who played for six t ...
's business empire. He co-produced "Kareem: Minority Of One," which documents the life and career of former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...
. In 2016, Weinbach wrote and produced ''Patrick and Zo'', which chronicled the relationship between Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played most o ...
and Alonzo Mourning
Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat since June 2009. Mourning played most of his 15-year ...
. Weinbach executive produced ''Undrafted,'' the stories of young men trying achieve their dream of making it to the NFL. Weinbach was nominated for two Sports Emmy Awards for his work on ''Undrafted.''
He produced ''L.A. Clippers Dance Squad
''L.A. Clippers Dance Squad'' is an American reality television series that premiered on the E! cable network, on March 15, 2016. The eight-episode one-hour series features seven members of a dance team for the Los Angeles Clippers National Bas ...
,'' a reality television series, that featured seven members of a dance team for the Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA) professional basketball team. He said of the show, "The women on this dance squad are pursuing their entertainment dreams, living full lives in L.A., and performing for huge crowds. We’re incredibly excited to team up with E! and the Clippers to showcase this alluring side of the sports world."
In 2018, he produced a baseball documentary, “Walk-Off Stories: Improbably Gibson," which documents Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series home run
Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series home run was a baseball play that occurred in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, on October 15, 1988, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Gibson was initially held out of the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers season, Los Angel ...
.
In 2019, he served as executive producer for "We are LAFC," a ten-part all-access documentary series on Los Angeles FC
Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. It was establi ...
's inaugural season.
In 2020, Weinbach executive produced ''Rulon Gardner Won't Die.'' The film documents Rulon Gardner's life story from growing up in rural Wyoming to his success at the 2000 Olympic Games
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
in Sydney, where he defeated Aleksandr Karelin and achieved the ‘miracle on the mat.’
In 2022, he directed ''The Redeem Team'', which follows the story of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball team, and which was touted as "an immediate hit on Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
" upon its release, and which won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Long Documentary. In 2023, he produced the feature film ''Air'', which recounts the history of Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
executive Sonny Vaccaro
John Paul Vincent "Sonny" Vaccaro (born September 23, 1939) is an American former sports marketing executive. He lives in Santa Monica, California.
Career
Vaccaro is best known for his tenure with Nike, Inc., where he signed Michael Jordan to hi ...
, who persuaded Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...
to be the face of the brand. The film was directed by Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...
and stars Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...
, Affleck, Viola Davis
Viola Davis ( ; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis, Her accolades include both the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. ''Time (magazine), Time'' named her one of ...
, and Jason Bateman
Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox / Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development'' (2003–2019) and Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama s ...
, and ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' noted that the message of the film—that Jordan was a real, relatable person and not just a super-talented phenom—was "embraced by critics and audiences."
Awards
References
External links
The Sundance Project 2012: The Other Dream Team
(Interview with Jon Weinbach and Marius Markevicius)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinbach, Jon
1976 births
Film producers from California
Television producers from California
Living people
Businesspeople from Los Angeles
Yale University alumni
Film people from Beverly Hills, California
Skydance Media people