The latest 30 for 30 film, about golfer Greg Norman, premieres on ESPN on April 19. Shark is directed by Jason Hehir and Thomas Odelfelt. 

“Greg Norman played the game of golf only one way: aggressively. And he did it without regret,” ESPN said. “It led him to two titles at the Open Championship, and one of the most famous careers in the sport’s history. And yet his boldness and his uncompromising approach to every round he played also cost him in some historic moments, the most shocking of which unfolded at the 1996 Masters, when Norman gave up a six-shot lead in the competition’s final round. A quarter century after that infamous collapse, Norman headed back to Augusta, at long last ready to relive the worst day of his golfing career.” 

Known as Shark, Norman is an Australian-born golfer whose heyday was in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

“There are places in sports that have such a mystique that they can forever shape the way we remember an athlete,” Hehir said. “Augusta National is one of those places. Greg Norman is by any objective measure one of the greatest golfers to ever play the game. Two-time major winner, 331 weeks at world No. 1, leading money winner in PGA history pre-Tiger [Woods], one of the few indelible players of his era. But despite all his success, he’s perhaps remembered most for his failure at the Masters, particularly his excruciating collapse on final Sunday in 1996.”

Hehir concluded, “I was excited for the opportunity to tell the story of one man’s career through the prism of such a sacred site, and to examine the power of one place to mold a man’s legacy, for better or worse.”

Hehir directed the ESPN docuseries The Last Dance, about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. ■

Libby Geist has an important job at ESPN, one that’s grown with the launch of the ESPN+ streaming service, for which she helps create original series and studio shows. She oversees development, production, distribution, branding and strategy of all projects under the ESPN Films umbrella, including the popular 30 for 30 series; Detail, with various athletes breaking down top performances, including late basketball star Kobe Bryant spotlighting key moments in NBA games; and the 30 for 30 podcasts. She may be best known as an executive producer of O.J.: Made in America, the 2017 Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature. The daughter of retired CBS News correspondent Bill Geist, her proximity to Oscar glory brought public congratulations from her brother, NBC Sunday Today host Willie Geist. She recently debuted two new docs at the Sundance Film Festival, one about Lance Armstrong and the other about Bruce Lee. She chatted with Multichannel News content director Kent Gibbons.

What was the first documentary you ever made and how old were you? The first documentary I ever worked on was as a production assistant on Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story, with director Dan Klores. I was 24, had just started at Shoot the Moon Productions and the film was underway. I absolutely loved production and the intimate process of making a documentary immediately.

Do any one of the ESPN 30 for 30s stand out to you as iconic, and why? A predictable answer, but O.J.: Made in America best represented what we try to accomplish with every project we take on: a sports story supported by cultural context that sparks important conversation. That film raised the bar for all of our work going forward and reminded us of what we should be aiming for every time.

Who are some other women filmmakers whose work you admire? We’ve been lucky to work with some of the most talented female directors in documentary film: Nanette Burstein, Barbara Kopple, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, Shola Lynch and many others. Marina Zenovich directed our Duke lacrosse film, Fantastic Lies, and we just got back from the Sundance Film Festival where she premiered our upcoming film, LANCE, that I think is her best work yet.

What’s something surprising about Bruce Lee and Lance Armstrong viewers will learn from the docs that debuted at Sundance?Be Water, our Bruce Lee doc, is archival-only — so the film is jam-packed with incredible footage of him throughout his life. If you’re a Bruce Lee fan, it’s such an emotional, great watch. And people think they know Lance Armstrong and his story, but the interviews and access that Marina got from him for LANCE make you realize what a truly complicated person he is. You can’t keep your eyes off him.

How has winning an Oscar changed your life, and where do you keep it? Ah! Technically the film and our director, Ezra Edelman, and lead producer, Caroline Waterlow, won — so the statues are safe with them. But that night was surreal and adding “Oscar winner” to 30 for 30 is something we never imagined. Now there’s pressure to keep delivering, but I like the challenge!

BONUS FIVE

What’s on your DVR?America’s Funniest Home Videos (people falling down make my boys and I laugh) and Sunday Today!
Destination bucket list? Bali, of course!
Favorite podcast?Up First and ESPN’s The Daily
What books are on your night table?Amerikanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
What is your most recent memorable meal — what and where? New Year’s/my birthday dinner. Sushi in the Bahamas with family, in a gorgeous place — what more do I want?

Wednesday (Nov. 8) night's ESPN 30 for 30 documentary featuring Ric "Nature Boy" Flair drew 1.8 million viewers, the sports service said Thursday (Nov. 9). 

Viewership for the Nature Boy documentary, which profiled the life of the popular pro wrestler, posted a 78% increase from the 1.0 million average for 30 for 30 premieres in 2017, according to ESPN.

Nature Boy also ranks as the most viewed 30 for 30 film since last year’s Catholics vs. Convicts iteration, which drew 2.1 million viewers, network officials said. 

“The response to the film has been overwhelming,” 30 for 30 executive producer John Dahl said in a statement. “The viewership totals just drive home the enormous interest that exists in Ric Flair’s life story, regardless of whether you’re a wrestling fan.”

ESPN has announced the films for the 2014 slate, making this the fifth anniversary of 30 for 30. Beginning on October 7th, the six-week films will air on Tuesday nights.

The films will start with Playing for the Mob, narrated by Ray Liotta, which tells the story of mobster Henry Hill and his involvement with the Boston College basketball games scandals.

"The new slate takes a look at events and people that may be familiar to viewers, but our intent is to provide a totally different perspective through the visions of our various filmmakers,” said Connor Schell, vice president and executive producer of ESPN Films and Original Programming.

Other topics covered include, the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, the story of former Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth and how half-brothers, Livan and Orlando Hernandez became the major league pitchers they are today. Brothers in Exile will premier November 4th.

The films will also delve into the University of Miami program in the 1980’s. “The U Part 2” will be the first 30 for 30 sequel, debuting in December. Directed by Billy Corben and hitting on the NCAA sanctions and scandals, this film was ESPN’s most-viewed films in history. 

30 for 30 films will run as follows:

Oct. 7, 9 p.m. – “Playing for the Mob”

Oct. 14, 10 p.m. – “The Day The Series Stopped”

Oct. 21, 9 p.m. – “When The Garden Was Eden”

Oct. 28, 9 p.m. – “Brian and The Boz”

Nov. 4, 9 p.m. – “Brothers in Exile”

Nov. 11, 8 p.m. – “Rand University”

Dec. 13, 9 p.m. – “The U Part 2”

ESPN films will also release a 100-title “30 for 30 Fifth Anniversary Collection” on November 25th. This limited edition package will include the set of 30 for 30 films, Nine for IX, as well as Soccer Stories.