Dick’s Creates In-house Studio to Create Sports Films

Dick’s Sporting Goods is getting into the sports content business.

The Pittsburgh-based retailer has launched Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios, an in-house content and production studio “dedicated to telling powerful, human-centered stories through the lens of sport,” the company said Thursday.

The goal for the studio is to offer storytelling that will highlight the determination, triumphs and heartbreaks of sports.

Although the studio is new, the retailer has been dabbling in sports storytelling for more than a decade. In 2014, it debuted its first documentary feature, “We Could Be King,” which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Documentary. This past spring, the company picked up a second Emmy for “The Turnaround,” a documentary that tells the story of Philadelphia Phillies’ superfan Jon McCann.

Over the past 10 years Dick’s has produced five feature-length films and 10 short-form or episodic documentaries, with additional projects in the hopper.

“Dick’s believes that sports have the power to change lives,” said Mark Rooks, vice president of creative, entertainment and sponsorships at Dick’s. “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.”

The official announcement of Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios coincides with the premiere of “Big Dreams: The Little League World Series 2024” documentary. Produced in partnership with Imagine Entertainment and MLB Studios, the film will premiere on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET 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. “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 name of the studio derives from the history of Dick’s, which was founded in 1948 by 18-year-old Dick Stack, who borrowed $300 from his grandmother’s cookie jar to open a small bait-and-tackle shop in Binghamton, N.Y. Today, the company is the largest sports retailer in the U.S. with more than 850 stores under the Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Public Lands and Going Going Gone nameplates.