OneTeam Partners, a company recently launched by the NFL and MLB players’ unions to generate increased revenue from players’ valuable likenesses, has invested in global film and TV studio Exile through its OneTeam Ventures arm.
In return for an equity stake, Exile will get capital to build out its sports division. The company, which develops content in both English and Spanish, has brought in Miguel Tamayo to lead the group as head of non-scripted and sports content. Tamayo was previously vice president of development at The Players’ Tribune.
OneTeam Partners chief revenue officer Nick Frasco said the two companies are already discussing specific podcast and unscripted TV projects with certain athletes. Scripted and even animated projects could come down the line.
“We’re really focused on athlete-driven content,” Frasco said. “The media and entertainment space is something we’re attacking.”
Unveiled late last year, OneTeam boosts the value of athletes’ NIL rights through the key areas of content creation, venture investing, group licensing and athlete marketing. The company, which is also backed by private equity firm RedBird Capital, also represents the players’ associations for Major League Soccer, the U.S. women’s national soccer team and the WNBA.
Frasco said that OneTeam’s ownership structure should give players trust in the Exile outlet, while OneTeam can offer Exile marketing expertise tied to its experience representing players.
“Our sports content division expansion marks a milestone moment in the growth of Exile,” Exile CEO Alejandro Uribe said in a statement. “We’re excited to strengthen our presence in the sports industry by leveraging our content capabilities and investment portfolio with OneTeam’s talent roster, brand power and expertise.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. OneTeam joins previous Exile investors including Liontree Partners and Access Entertainment. Exile was launched in 2018 by Isaac Lee, who was previously the chief content officer for Univision and Televisa. Its existing projects include a docuseries focused on Real Madrid’s new women’s soccer team as well as a more general soccer-focused podcast.
OneTeam’s previous investments include salon services company Mayvenn and mobile video game company Nifty Games.
Conclusion
Through a close collaboration, Ally and OneTeam developed a 5-year partnership between Ally and the NWSLPA, inclusive of the first PA partner athlete award program (the Ally Award) and sponsorship of the NWSL player-led event at the Championship Weekend.