DEFINITION 6’s Anthony J. Cortese Directs New Paramount+ Documentary 'The Only'

Customer experience agency DEFINITION 6 (D6) has announced the latest project from VP of Editorial, and 12-time Emmy winner, Anthony J. Cortese: The Only, a feature documentary chronicling the inspirational glory and hard-won triumphs of US Women’s Hall of Fame soccer goalkeeper Briana Scurry. The film, currently streaming on Paramount+, features new interviews with Briana and US soccer legends like Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and Abby Wambach documenting her storied career as the only Black starter on the United States Women's National team for more than a decade, as well as the first openly gay player in USWNT history. 

The Only marks Anthony’s debut as a feature documentary director. “I normally prefer editing in a more narrative format, but fortunately, Scurry’s life story comes with this great built-in three-act arc,” says Anthony. “You witness her initial rise to fame, the sharp fall after her concussion, and then her triumphant return. So, the story came together very naturally in the cutting room.”

The documentary, produced by My Moon Productions and executive producer Pete Radovich, was developed and shot in coordination with CBS Sports and Pacific Northwest-based production team Wildly, as well as Briana herself, who provided key access for interviews. Still, Anthony was mindful of crafting an honest and challenging portrayal of the athlete, eschewing the types of documentaries where subjects dictate their own film’s message. 

“Hitting send to Briana on the final cut was one of the scariest moments of my career,” he recalls, “but she loved it.”

Anthony and crew found themselves able to speak with many of Briana’s former teammates, as well as younger women of colour who have been inspired by her iconic soccer career. Because he also served as the film’s editor, the bulk of the interviews and verité moments were conducted around the country by producer Nils Clauson and director of photography Curran Ferrey, with Anthony listening in via Zoom.

“Nils and Curran have a lot of great relationships in the soccer world, particularly with players from the Women’s ‘99 team,” notes Anthony, which helped to land key interviews with many of the superstar players featured. 

With a tight three-month production schedule in early 2022, post producer Alex LoSchiavo had to grapple with a massive wealth of archival material, as well as coordinate a staggering amount of clearances. Anthony landed on a final cut of the film that clocked in at 99 minutes.

Research and meticulous planning allowed for few major surprises during production, though a trip with Briana to her hometown of Minneapolis did provide unexpected insights including one recent Minneapolis event that ended up informing a key part of the doc -- the recent George Floyd protests. 

“Though she told us hers was one of the only Black families in a 20-mile radius back in the early ‘80s, Briana says she never experienced much racism, likely due to her status as an exceptional athlete,” says Anthony. However, a trip to the Floyd memorial for the film led Briana to describe seeing her hometown “in a new light.”

While he is proud to have helped tell Briana’s story in The Only, Anthony describes being quite aware of his own privilege, as well as his responsibility to listen. 

“Her story involves a lot of challenging topics, like the racism and homophobia she faced,” concludes Anthony. “I really asked myself, ‘Am I the person who should be telling this story?’ That’s actually a big part of why we chose not to have a voiceover narration. We didn’t want Briana’s story to be told by someone else, and so we let her, and the events, speak for themselves.”

The Only is currently streaming exclusively on Paramount+.