OBB Pictures

OBB Pictures is a multimedia production company founded in 2010 by Michael D. Ratner. The company produces film, television, music videos, commercials, and digital media, specializing in millennial-driven comedy, drama, sports, documentary and music related content. OBB has created projects for go90, ESPN, TNT, Relativity Media, The Weinstein Company, Tinder, Funny or Die, Dimension Films, AMC Networks, New York radio station Hot 97, and many others. The company has earned seven New York Emmy Awards for its work and showcased films in the Sundance Film Festival, South by Southwest Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival. OBB Pictures operates in Los Angeles and New York, and is based out of Beverly Hills, CA.^[1]

OBB Pictures

Type	Privately Held
Industry	Film
Founded	2010
Founder	Michael D. Ratner
Headquarters	Beverly Hills, CA
Members	Scott Ratner Eric D. Cohen Kfir Goldberg Matthew Hirschhorn Sean Spencer Elias Tanner
Website	OBB Pictures

Partnerships

In 2014, Ratner landed OBB a one-year first-look deal with Relativity Sports, a premier sports agency representing over 400 athletes in the NBA, MLB, and NFL, to develop and produce film, television and digital content centered on sports and lifestyle.^[2]

In 2016 OBB entered into a co-production agreement with Mandalay Sports Media to develop and produce a slate of sports-themed films, TV projects and multiplatform programming. Their first project is Embiid, a documentary that centers on Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid’s journey from Cameroon to Kansas, and ultimately the NBA. They’ve also directed six episodes of “Ride Along”, MSM’s digital series for Vice Sports, each episode of which features star players inside their cars as they head to their biggest games of the year.^[3]

In 2016 OBB also announced a strategic partnership with Authentic Brands Group, LLC (ABG) to develop content opportunities across ABG’s brands for digital and traditional platforms. OBB will develop and produce both scripted and unscripted projects to bring ABG’s brands including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali and Shaquille O’Neal, to screens globally targeting millennial audiences.^[4]

Films

Dwight Howard documentary In The Moment: EPIX (2014)^[5]

• Cameras follow Dwight Howard both on and off the basketball court in a revealing look at what it takes to become an NBA superstar.

The 30 Year Old Bris (2014)^[6]

• A romantic comedy about an interfaith couple and the girlfriend’s demand that her 30-year-old boyfriend, Brad, complete his conversion to Judaism by getting a circumcision before they wed.

In Football We Trust (2015)^[7]

• Documentary that captures a snapshot in time amid the rise of the Pacific Islander presence in the NFL.

Mario Cuomo More Than Words (2015)^[8]

• Mario Cuomo Tribute Documentary.

Gonzo @ The Derby: ESPN 30 for 30 Short (2016)^[9]

• Part of the ESPN 30 for 30 Short series that revisits the lasting legacy of the 1970 Kentucky Derby and the reporter Hunter S. Thompson who introduced the world to Gonzo Journalism.

One in a Billion (Post Production)^[10]

• Chronicles the journey of the NBA’s first ever Indian born player, Satnam Singh Bhamara.

The 5th Quarter: Verizon Go90 (Post Production)^[11]

• The mockumentary series made in partnership with 3 Arts Entertainment and Kids at Play chronicles “the greatest untold and untrue stories in sports history”.

Pilot Season (Pre-Production)^[12]

• Launched the inaugural program to incubate and finance a group of 5-10 short pilots or proofs of concept for digital and television series spanning multiple genres from a range of independent writers, directors, and producers. The program recently led to the greenlight of the pilot V in the D set to shoot in late November and then taken out to sell as a series alongside the creator.

Awards

The company has earned seven New York Emmy Awards for its work^[13] and showcased films in the Sundance Film Festival,^[14] South by Southwest Film Festival ^[15] and the Tribeca Film Festival.^[16] They took home five of those New York Emmy Awards for their work on “The Lineup: Sports Movies” in the categories of “Entertainment: Program/Special”, “Sports: Interview/Discussion” and “Sports: One-Time Special”.^[17]

References