Leon Mann Announced As Trailblazers Executive Producer

Eurosport are releasing a 10-part series showcasing sport’s greatest stories and heroes who inspired meaningful change. The series, produced in collaboration with Leon Mann’s production company, Refresh Sports, who leveraged their network of talent to authentically convey real life stories, will feature innovative animation, design and narration to unlock the power of sport.
The series will premiere on February 5 and each of the 10 episodes will harness Eurosport’s rich archive of world-class sports content and photography, allied with contemporary interviews, fresh insights and engaging animations to tell the stories of sport that matter to fans everywhere.
Accomplished filmmaker and broadcaster Leon Mann, known for critically acclaimed sport documentaries including Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Who Has Ever Lived, brings his experience collaborating with the biggest names and networks in sport to the project as executive producer.
Mann also founded Refresh Sports, a Black-owned production company which collaborated on the Trailblazers series, and the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS), which works to raise awareness of greater diversity in the media industry. The series is also produced, written and directed exclusively for Discovery’s platforms by Drew Christie, whose work includes producing and directing the world’s greatest sporting events including the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Eurosport, part of Discovery, Inc., will employ a digital-first approach to ensure fans everywhere can watch whenever they choose. Each six-minute film will be available on-demand with English, French, German, Spanish and Italian subtitles via the Eurosport App, YouTube and Facebook and selected clips also offered via Twitter and Instagram. Launching in more than 25 markets in 2021, Discovery’s global streaming product discovery+ will also house episodes as part of the integration of Eurosport’s world-class channels and content in selected markets.

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Leon Mann Appointed To New Diversity Advisory Council To Steer Sky’s Ambitions On Diversity And Inclusion

Leon Mann has been announced as an advisor on diversity and inclusion to Sky today.

In June 2020, Sky announced a series of commitments to support anti-racism and improve diversity and inclusion across the company. Sky committed to invest £10million per year across its markets for each of the next three years to improve representation and progression of minority groups. The business also committed to put targets in place to measure progression of under-represented groups throughout the organisation.

In a step towards delivering these commitments, Sky has appointed seven leaders in diversity and inclusion to a new advisory body. Sky’s new Diversity Advisory Council will be responsible for advising and guiding the business on issues of diversity, including using its voice externally, and helping to maintain progress towards becoming a more inclusive organisation.

Members of the group are experts in their field and represent views from a variety of backgrounds. Their unique perspectives will add value to the way Sky steers diversity and inclusion as it creates new plans to improve representation and progression of minority groups, especially at a senior level. The group will work alongside Sky’s Diversity Action Group, a diverse cross-section of Sky’s workforce chaired by Stephen van Rooyen, EVP & CEO UK & Europe.

The newly announced members of Sky’s Diversity Advisory Council are:

  • Caroline Casey – Founder, The Valuable 500
  • Kanya King – Founder & CEO, MOBO Organisation
  • Piers Linney – Entrepreneur
  • Leon Mann – Founder, The Black Collective of Media in Sport
  • Ndidi Okezie – CEO, UK Youth
  • Baroness Usha Prashar – Crossbench Member, House of Lords
  • Roland White – Global Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Microsoft

In addition to announcing the members of its new Diversity Advisory Council, the company has also confirmed the appointment of Sky’s Chief Talent, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Denise Peart who joins Sky this month.

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Black, England + Proud Launches

Refresh Sports have partnered with The Football Association, supported by Facebook, to launch a new multi-part content series that explores the experiences of Black players who have represented England.

Black, England & Proud launches today with the first episode seeing Marcus Rashford in conversation with former BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter David ‘Sideman’ Whitely.

Further episodes of the series will follow through the rest of 2020, with present and past members of the men’s and women’s squads discussing their personal relationships with their national team.

Refresh was founded by broadcaster and film-maker Leon Mann, who is leading the production of Black, England and Proud in collaboration with The FA’s in-house content team.

Discussing the series, Mann said: “Black, England & Proud is a celebration of Black culture, diverse communities and the incredible contribution people of African and Caribbean heritage have made to the national side. Vitally, it also offers an opportunity to learn more about the rich diversity of Black people in England – and our experiences – through our footballers. 

“Refresh is a Black-owned production company and this series is made by a diverse team of superb talent. This collaboration with The FA and support from Facebook represents a powerful partnership and we are proud to be part of it and look forward to seeing the impact the series makes.”

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Inspiring The Next Generation Of Black Coaches With Spurs

A serious honour to host an important session celebrating the contribution of Black coaches in the game at my club, Tottenham Hotspur. 

The panel session was designed to inspire the next generation of black coaches, with the help of Ledley King, Chris Powell, Troy Archibald-Henville and Tottenham Hotspur Foundation CEO Sarah Ebanja.

You can watch it below:

Gareth Southgate and The FA Support BCOMS

It is great to have the England manager, Gareth Southgate, and the FA get behind the BCOMS Masterclass programme supported by the Mayor of London. 

I was honoured to host a Q+A with Gareth and our young aspiring journalists at Wembley stadium.

What the film below:

 

Football Black List 2019

The Football Black List celebration 2019 was the biggest ever! Check out the official film which captures the vibrant evening celebrating black excellence in British football.

More than half of the list was made up of women this year and 600 people attended a brilliant event held in London. Big thanks to the Premier League for their continued support and to everyone who gets behind the initiative.

 

End Of Year Film 2018

It’s time to say goodbye to a brilliant 2018. Delivered some great work, initiatives and events this year – with the help of an amazing group of people – and learned lots along the way. Roll on 2019!!! And Happy New Year to you all!

 

Check out this end of year film.