Warriors expand into non-sports realm with Golden State Entertainment originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors’ march through avenues beyond sports took another stride Monday with the announcement that the NBA franchise will explore the world of original storytelling.
Golden State Entertainment (GSE), several years in the making, initially will focus on documentaries and music, mostly with a connection to the Bay Area, but also will extend its reach into other topics at the intersection of sports and culture.
At the center of this undertaking is David Kelly, who spent most of the past decade as the Warriors’ chief legal officer while also being responsible for managing the salary cap. As chief business officer of GSE, Kelly has relinquished salary-cap responsibilities but will remain chief legal officer.
“If you think about music and film and sports, they all go in the same direction,” says Kelly, a musician who has released eight albums and toured internationally. “They’re all aligned with each other. They’re all adjacent to each other.”
GSE’s first video project, already in production, is a documentary on the life of former NBA star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. The first music endeavor is set for Friday, with the release of K-Pop star BamBam’s new single, “Wheels Up,” featuring Oakland singer/rapper Mayzin.
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GSE also is collaborating with a production partner for a documentary examining the cultural effect of “Linsanity, so named for former NBA player Jeremy Lin, whose hot streak as a member of the New York Knicks in 2012 spurred the phenomenon.
“You’re seeing more sports-related content. It’s booming now. So, why don’t we start to create our own content? We already engage in storytelling. But let’s tell stories not just for the sake of selling tickets, not for the sake of selling sponsorships. Let’s tell stories for the sake of the story.”
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