How Team Whistle became a format first content-producing enterprise

By David J. Hunt | Last updated 5/12/22

With over four billion views per month, Team Whistle is spreading uplifting content to fans across the globe.

There is never a dull day at Team Whistle. Whether it’s writing the script for a video, contacting world-famous athletes and celebrities for a chance to star in one, or filming, there is always work to be done. While making sure the stage is set is always important, Team Whistle is going above and beyond what content creators can be.

“At our core, we are storytellers and our goal is to create entertaining, relatable and inspirational content for our audience,” Vice President of Talent & Media Partnerships Josh Millan said. “We’re always looking for unique individuals with diverse backgrounds who are eager to share their stories on camera. We’re especially focused on people with engaging personalities and enthusiastic energy, who possess a deep passion for their respective fields.”

Established in 2014, Team Whistle is a sports and entertainment media company that generates positive, relatable and uplifting video content for Millennials and Gen Z. Their goal was to focus on what most content creators covering sports were missing: the best part of sports and humanity. Team Whistle is owned by ELEVEN SPORTS and was acquired in early 2021 to expand ELEVEN's operations in North America and accelerate the Group's plans to create a global sports media destination.

Team Whistle wanted to immerse themselves and their audience into the relatable side of sports and athletes, instead of hot takes and Monday morning quarterbacking. Four billion views per month and eight billion minutes of watch time later, this unique approach to sports and entertainment content has paid off. Knowing what their target audience wants has kept them in the loop.

Between Team Whistle’s deep ties to social and streaming platforms, live sports, and the creator economy, they have an unrivaled understanding of Gen Z and Millennial consumption habits. Team Whistle’s extensive access to insights keeps them in tune with what is relevant to their target audience of Gen Z and Millennials.

When it comes to the content itself, Team Whistle owns over 50 original content series focused on passion points and getting to know talent better, in an accessible way. “No Days Off,” is a series where athletes and celebrities show us what a day in their life looks like, and how the grind never truly stops. When they have a day to rest, they are still working hard to achieve their dream, whether it’s going pro or starring in a blockbuster movie.

“Put You On,” follows a star athlete or entertainer around their city team’s city as they visit the must-see spots in the area. In one episode UCLA Basketball stars Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. tour their beautiful campus as they grab tacos, coffee and ice cream from local small businesses that are a mainstay to UCLA. In another episode, fans join Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders as he tours the cheesesteak capital of the world.

Big animal lover? They also have “Meet the Pets,” a feel good series that follows star athletes and entertainers and their number one fans…their pets! The cameras follow star athletes in their home as they describe what their pet has meant to them and their career. Between Frank Gore’s French bulldogs and Asante Samuel Jr. 's Chocolate lab making appearances in separate episodes of the series, it’s easy to understand why so many people tune into these episodes.

While Whistle has seen success with their flagship series, they continue to invest in new original programming since doubling Q1 viewership from last year. As of late, Team Whistle has flexed its creative muscle by launching a new series "Home Team", that gives audiences the chance to get to know their favorite athlete and celebrity power couples better through a card game that tests how well the couples know each other with an added physical bonus challenge. In the premiere episode, Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves basketball player and Jordyn Woods, model and influencer test each other in a series of light hearted card challenges and pop-a-shot basketball challenge to determine a winner. In the second episode we follow Grayson Allen, Basketball Player for the Milwaukee Bucks and his former pro soccer player fiancé Morgan Reid. The nature of the series serves as a reminder that regardless of who is the victor, true partnership is ultimately the biggest win.

Team Whistle also just dropped a new "Making Bread" podcast series in partnership with Amaze Media Labs. The series hosted by NFL quarterback and crypto enthusiast Matt Barkley, will educate listeners on the variety of ways in which they can invest in the world of cryptocurrency, NFTs, web3, sports gambling and more.

Producing 50 original content series on a regular basis–while brainstorming new series and tackling branded integrations–is no easy feat. It takes hard work. No one knows this better than Josh Millan, VP of Talent & Media Partnerships.

“We have an amazing production team with tremendous experience working with all sorts of talent,” Millan said. “They are constantly traveling all over the country to capture these incredible stories. Our team does an amazing job making our talent feel comfortable on set and getting the best out of them. We consistently receive glowing feedback from the experience, so that makes it all worth it in the end.”

Millan also gave fans a behind the scenes look into Team Whistle’s production process.

It starts with asking a few questions, and understanding why they are doing this, and what their goal is. Once a vision is established for the piece, the team sets up calls to discuss with the talent and their parents/representatives to understand the messaging they want to convey. Millan says understanding talent is the vehicle to creating incredible content, and being very collaborative with the talent on-screen is vital to the entire process.

After working for Team Whistle for nearly 8 years, Millan has seen it all.

“It’s very rewarding to work with famous celebrities and athletes. I think the most enjoyable part is helping to come up with an idea and then playing a key role throughout the process to help create the final product,” Millan said. “We take great pride in our ability to give people a platform to share stories, while creating relatable and inspirational content for our audience.”

Millan says his favorite athlete to work with is Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, describing him as a pleasure to work with on set.

Team Whistle is always eager to work with brands that share a like-minded desire to create stories that are positive and inspire young audiences. Brand partnerships are one of the fastest growing areas of their business. Past partners include Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Frito Lay, Ebay, KFC, General Mills, Unilever, Wendy’s and GotMilk. Team Whistle strives to integrate these brands into their original content as seamlessly as possible.

Team Whiste’s content can be found across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube, along with their streaming service, WhistleTV.

Want to find out more about Team Whistle? Click the link below: https://teamwhistle.com/

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