Ahead of Omaha’s appearance at Draft Day later this month, THE BRIEF’s William Goodman speaks with Jamie Horowitz, President and Co-Founder of Omaha Productions, about the company’s evolution into branded content, its live events strategy, the importance of partnerships, and much more.
Omaha launched primarily as a television production company, but you’ve expanded significantly into branded content. What drove that evolution?
When we launched in December 2020, Peyton Manning and I had a very clear mission: to create content that brings people together. That mission was in our original pitch deck, and it’s still on our website today.
While television remains a big part of what we do, we realized early on that other types of content could be made and be fundamentally uplifting and unifying. In 2021, we hired Kristen Herlihy to lead our branded content business, and since then, we’ve had the opportunity to work with dozens of incredible partners, from Nationwide and Bud Light to the PGA of America and Macy’s.
What is Omaha’s strategy in the live events space?
Live events give fans the chance to be part of something in real time and share those moments with each other.
Our live events can take a lot of forms. With KPMG, we create intimate, interactive experiences where clients can watch games alongside legendary athletes. Through our partnership with Ares Management, we bring iconic talent into the room for conversations with clients and partners.
We’ve also produced fun, but fiercely competitive, combine-style events on college campuses for students.
At the Ryder Cup, we partnered with T-Mobile on Breakfast at Bethpage, our pregame show hosted by Colin Jost. That was both a show and a live experience for fans on the grounds, a destination where they could gather, enjoy the entertainment and be part of the energy before heading out to watch the golf.
The audiences and formats vary, but the goal stays the same: bring people closer to the sports and personalities they love, give them an experience they couldn’t get anywhere else and create memories they’ll share long after the event ends.
Can you tell us about a recent project you’re proud of that’s representative of the kinds of shows Omaha likes to make?
Considering how much we talk about what we do outside of football and sports, we’re really excited by the response to our ESPN show The Breakdown with Peyton and Kuechly.
It’s a pretty simple concept: Peyton, a quarterback, and Luke Kuechly, a linebacker, breaking down game film.
Of course, Luke and Peyton provide expertise on both sides of the ball, but it’s also the chemistry and the way they discuss it that feels emblematic of Omaha.
We produce it with our friends at NFL Films, so we use film in a way that allows Peyton and Luke to provide insight into what happened in a game and what it might mean for the next one. But it’s more than that.
They tell stories, connect current games to historical ones and allow one play to tell a larger story. I hope that type of content is what people associate with Omaha. We want to be both smart and fun.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned as the leader of Omaha?
One of the first things we learned at Omaha is just how valuable it is to have great teammates and partners. Some of our best work has come from surrounding ourselves with people who are incredibly good at what they do.
That started with our very first project, Peyton’s Places, where we teamed up with NFL Films. The combination of Peyton and the NFL Films team made that show something really special.
It’s why we continued working with Ross Ketover, Keith Cossrow and Neil Zender to produce more than 100 additional episodes, and why those relationships have extended well beyond that original project. We’ve produced Netflix’s Quarterback with NFL Films and expanded the ESPN Places franchise, giving other athletes the stage to tell their stories.
We’ve been fortunate to find that same spirit across the industry.
At ESPN, Jimmy Pitaro and Burke Magnus have given us the freedom to pursue creative ideas that we could never do on our own. At Netflix, Brandon Riegg and Gabe Spitzer have been terrific partners, working with us on Quarterback and various other series celebrating sports and athletes.
And Nick Khan and the WWE team have trusted us with extraordinary access, allowing us to take audiences behind the scenes in WWE: Unreal.
How does that level of collaboration apply to the relationship with SPORT BEACH?
This past summer, we attended SPORT BEACH in Cannes with one of our partners, Jayson Tatum, and we were able to experience firsthand what Beth and her team have built.
We were incredibly impressed by the people they brought together and the environment they created for brands, talent and creative companies to connect.
We started talking about ways we could collaborate, and those conversations ultimately led to Draft Day on October 28.
It’s a great example of what happens when you bring the right people together, all chasing a common goal. That is really what Omaha has been about from day one.
