Christopher Leone Kicks Off College Football

MTh director Christopher Leone recently stepped behind the camera for the first season of original scripted web series SUIT UP, a comedy exposing the trials and tribulations of a fictional, scandal-ridden college football team struggling to replace lost funding and maintain eligibility. From Fox Digital Studios (FDS) in collaboration with DIRECTV, SUIT UP premieres today on Yahoo! Screen and will be available on DIRECTV's Audience Network in January. 

 

Each of the eight episodes averages about ten minutes and can now be viewed here: http://screen.yahoo.com/suit-up/

 

Filmed in and around Baton Rouge, Louisiana, SUIT UP hilariously captures the high-stakes pressures of Division I college football and the powerful financial impact athletics can have on an entire university. Director Leone draws from his extensive background as a writer/producer for television and as a commercial director at MTh to tell original stories in the new frontier of branded content. 

 

"We shot the entire season in just 11 days so careful planning was essential," said Leone. "Fortunately, I had fantastic, flexible actors capable of hysterical improv - Marc Evan Jackson and the legendary Barry Corbin were amazing - and we had a tremendous DP and talented crew keeping everything on track. The line between TV and web is blurring, so it's exciting territory. DIRECTV and football are a perfect fit, so there was a natural synergy integrating the DIRECTV brand and message into the story of SUIT UP."

 

In SUIT UP, crisis manager Jim Dunnigan takes the helm of the athletic department at Glory University only to soon find himself in an uphill battle to repair the school's reputation. With a multi-million-dollar television contract at stake and his career on the line, Jim must find a way to save the team and the school. The show marks Leone's second web series collaboration with FDS this year, having previously directed WOLFPACK OF RESEDA, which was executive produced by MTh CEO and Co-Founder Javier Jimenez. Leone is also developing two original projects with FDS.

 

"Chris has once again done an impeccable job for Fox Digital Studios, this time directing a sharp witted vehicle for the talented and acerbic Marc Evan Jackson," said David Worthen, SVP and creative director, Fox Digital Studio.