All the Smoke Productions expanding rapidly after launching Netflix production deal, new unscripted vertical

Since it sprung up as an arm of Showtime Sports in 2019, All the Smoke has continually innovated beyond the scope of its signature interview show, hosted by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.

Two and a half years ago, the hosts partnered with former Showtime exec Brian Dailey to launch All The Smoke Productions. In addition to producing video content covering basketball, combat sports, and baseball, the new company recently hired staff to produce shows for other companies and launched a new arm for unscripted projects.

While Barnes and Jackson continue to draw hundreds of thousands of viewers per episode, the company has reinvested revenue from its lucrative licensing deals and partnerships to scale up quickly.

Last week, it announced a new deal to produce Michael Irvin’s Netflix video podcast The White House, which debuted last year, in partnership with retired NFL star Brandon Marshall.

“Netflix sees us as a partner that can take (The White House) to the next level. We’ve been involved with this space for as long as anybody, we’ve been doing this for seven years every day,” Dailey told Awful Announcing. “This is our space, and I feel like we do it better than anybody. And it’s humbling that Netflix has recognized that and kind of tagged us in to be part of the team here.”

To launch ATS Fight, ATS Dugout and the team that will produce The White House, Daily said the company has gone from a five-person team to one with more than 40 staffers. All The Smoke Productions recently opened a new HQ in Marina Del Rey, CA, where Irvin will “frequently” record episodes alongside the rest of the ATS network.

The network will also help Irvin produce other content for social media.

ATS Production has gradually built its relationship with Netflix in recent years, starting with on-site coverage of the streamer’s marquee boxing matches through the ATS combat sports vertical and later the premiere of Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore sequel. More recently, Netflix became an advertising partner on the ATS network.

While a recent report suggested ATS had turned down millions from Netflix, the show and network seem a fitting partner for the streamer if it continues to pursue top sports podcasts.

“You can see all of these pieces naturally forming where down the road, if the licensing conversation is to be had again, I think it’s there to be had,” Dailey said. “But for now, we’re just building this thing naturally and couldn’t be happier.”

ATS is currently under contract with DraftKings on what Barnes revealed last summer is a seven-figure deal, as well as iHeartMedia through the Black Effect network.

The company is also looking to the busy documentary space for further growth, inking a multi-project development deal with longtime ESPN writer Howard Bryant.

“We’d been looking at unscripted for a while,” Dailey said, adding that ATS Productions will explore projects across all of sports, not just the leagues it covers through its digital video network.

The cofounder said two documentary projects are in the works and could be announced later this year.

Dailey also revealed that ATS Productions has not taken on outside investment, even as it has grown.

“I’m proud to say we have not taken a penny, and we’ve boot-strapped to the point we’re at now,” he said.

The company now has significant platforms for basketball, baseball, football and fights. Irvin and The White House will occupy the football lane for the network, but Dailey said ATS could add supplemental NFL content around Irvin’s show in the future.

With millions of followers across YouTube and social channels (having absorbed some of Showtime’s accounts after leaving), Dailey said ATS Productions is drawing interest from licensing and distribution partners for its podcasts and documentary projects in part because of its built-in marketing and promotion potential.

Of course, nearly a decade in, ATS also has a brand and tone that audiences know and appreciate, which Dailey believes also sets it apart as it expands into new areas.

“We have a voice and we have a style that, when you see All the Smoke, I think you know for the most part what you’re going to get,” he said. “You’re going to get premium quality, you’re going to get real conversation, we’re going to push some boundaries, we may lean anti-hero in some instances.”