Academy Award-nominated producer/director Mike Tollin is joining Colorado’s Future Legends Complex and their two professional sports teams, the Northern Colorado Owlz (Pioneer League) and the USL League One Northern Colorado Hailstorm, as Managing Partner of Professional Sports.
Tollin is winner of three Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards. He’s Executive Producer of The Last Dance, the 10-part series on Michael Jordan, and The Captain, a seven-part series on Derek Jeter currently airing on ESPN, according to a Pioneer League press release.
“Raising two sports-minded kids, I’ve always been highly engaged in youth sports and the development of young, aspiring athletes,” Tollin said via press release. “Working on this level with Future Legends, as well as with the young professional athletes on our baseball and soccer teams, is a dream come true for me. Not to mention a great opportunity for the development of sports media content.”
Tollin will discuss his new role with Future Legends on The PBL Roundup Show presented by the Baseball Bureau’s Scout School tomorrow night, August 3, at 5 p.m. Mountain/7 p.m. Eastern time. The show is streamed through pblnetwork.com. (In case you’re thinking of listening in, this week’s show has a pretty strong lineup that includes former MLB player Adam Jones, The Captain director Randy Wilkins and current Owlz pitcher CJ Grant-DeBose.)
“Mike Tollin is a dear old friend and I’m so excited to have him as a part of the Pioneer League,” said Pioneer League President Mike Shapiro via press release. “He brings us not only incredible passion for the game of baseball but a breadth of creative experience and professionalism that will promote the vision and interests of the entire league.”
Tollin directed Summer Catch, starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jessica Biel; and Radio, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. He produced Varsity Blues, Coach Carter, Dreamer, The Zookeeper’s Wife and Wild Hogs. His TV credits include Smallville, One Tree Hill, Arli$$, and The Bronx is Burning; along with documentaries on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Allen Iverson, and Hank Aaron, which was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary.
Tollin is also a founding board member of Common Sense Media and Children Now, two groups that focus on kids and media; and the Chasing the Dream Foundation, which awards scholarships to underprivileged youth. He is also the founder of PACE, an organization that identifies and devotes resources to under-served children and families.
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