Words and photos courtesy of
words and pictures
Connor Shell (Founder and CEO)
Libby Geist (Executive Vice President, Head of Documentary)
Aaron Cohen (Executive Vice President and Head of Development)
During his time at ESPN, Connor Shell co-created the “30 for 30” series, which introduced viewers to a new format of sports storytelling. Ultimately, it spawned titles such as the Oscar-winning documentary “O.J.: Made in America,” and led ESPN to, in his words, “a world of sports that is truly about the broader culture.” He became the leader in an epic and ambitious sports story that gave him insight. ”
Shell sought to continue that mission when he left ESPN in 2021 to form Words+Pictures with Chernin Entertainment. His first hires included executive vice presidents Libby Geist and Aaron Cohen, both of whom had extensive experience working on ESPN projects.
“The media landscape is evolving and changing, with new buyers and new platforms entering the market and gaining greater and greater share and cultural importance.The same premise of sports storytelling remains It’s about being able to penetrate and reach people and say something about our culture,” Shell said.
Super League: War for Football did just that. Released on Apple TV+ in January, this four-part series is one of Words + Pictures’ first projects and follows plans for a breakaway league between Europe’s most popular soccer teams in April 2021. When it surfaced, we delved into the high-stakes battle that surfaced before the league match was held. The effort ultimately failed.
“Libby and I saw this article when it came out and it made us think a lot about the concept and ongoing issues of who owns the sport,” Schell said. “We thought it was a very interesting place to explore. Why did this happen? How did it come together? What does it mean? And is it a very interesting place to explore? What does that tell us about?”
These are the types of big, overarching questions Shell and his Words + Pictures team like to address when selecting projects. Their other work includes Netflix’s “The Kind of Collectibles,” Hulu’s “Algiers, America,” and ongoing work at ESPN, including continued involvement in the “30 for 30” series and production of the ESPY Awards includes work.
“We strive to not only tell you what happened, but to provide insight and context into why it happened and what it means,” Shell said. . “We’re very lucky in that the sports world literally brings us stories like this almost every day. So we’re very selective about what we think is interesting and we hold ourselves to very high standards. I am trying to do so.” — Eric Bacharach
