ESPN has greenlit Setting the Tempo, a four-part ESPN Original Series following the launch of the Toronto Tempo, Canada's first WNBA franchise.
The WNBA release, credited to ESPN PR, says the series will be directed by Kathleen Jayme and produced by Rock'n Robin Productions in association with Maximum Effort, Ujiri Productions and Nine Two Six Productions.
Toronto Tempo Launch Gets Series Treatment
The project follows the expansion team as it builds a WNBA organization from the ground up, with the release pointing to roster evaluation, culture-setting and personnel decisions as central pieces of the story.
Toronto's front office and bench structure are part of the pitch. The WNBA release identifies head coach Sandy Brondello as a two-time WNBA champion and the 2014 WNBA Coach of the Year, and general manager Monica Wright Rogers as a two-time WNBA champion.
The Tempo are preparing for their inaugural season, giving the series a clean business hook: a new Canadian franchise being assembled in real time rather than a retrospective built after the fact.
Owners And Producers Give The Project Weight
Serena Williams and Masai Ujiri are listed as principal owners of the Tempo along with Lilly Singh, who is also the team's Chief Hype Officer. Williams, Singh, Robin Roberts, Ryan Reynolds and Ujiri are among the executive producers named in the announcement.
The release also names Caroline Currier of Nine Two Six Productions, Reni Calister of Rock'n Robin Productions, Kevin Hill of Maximum Effort and Josiah Rothenberg of Ujiri Productions as executive producers.
No premiere date, episode release schedule or broadcast window was announced. The verified news is that ESPN has ordered a four-part original series around the Toronto Tempo's launch, with a production group and ownership roster that already gives the franchise a large media footprint before its first tip-off.