Peyton Manning is one of the most successful quarterbacks who made an even more successful transition in the world of media after his retirement from the league in 2016. As per Bloomberg, The Pro Football Hall of Famer, with his Omaha Production, has now built an empire which is worth more than $400 million. In no time, Peyton’s production company became a powerhouse and is now making documentaries for Netflix, and commercials for major brands. However, what many people do not know is that, when the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback was making the decision to start his production house, he was a little skeptical about it. However, NBA legend Kobe Bryant helped him take the important call.
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Dade Hayes composed a story for Deadline in which he exclusively interviewed the two-time Super Bowl winner, asking him an array of questions about his journey. During the interaction, Manning told Dade that he and his production house are working with Amazon Prime to develop both, a documentary and a scripted film based on Rich Strike, “the upset winner of last year’s race.” Moreover, Manning also told Hayes about how ‘Black Mamba’ influenced him into making a mark in films and TV.
I interviewed Peyton Manning about these twin features in development, including his first scripted film project. Three-plus years after the launch of Omaha Productions, he reflected on the role Kobe Bryant played in shaping his thinking about making a mark in TV and film. https://t.co/h3SA163vEt
— Dade Hayes (@dadehayes) May 4, 2023
NBA legend Kobe Bryant helped Peyton Manning make a profitable decision
Manning always wanted to tell stories that could bring families and communities together. Moreover, he was also envious about his mates who had their post-retirement gigs all planned and ready. All this played a part into making Manning start his production house. However, it wasn’t that straightforward a call.
As it turns out, Manning’s conversations with Kobe Bryant regarding his future plans, played a significant role in making ‘Omaha Productions’ what it is today.
“I wasn’t super-close with Kobe…Hearing him talk about Granity Studios and what he was building there really told me, ‘Wow, he can do things beyond basketball.’ … It dawned on me as we were talking, ‘You can be part of things that you aren’t actually in. You can be the coach on the sidelines.”
After their initial encounter at a basketball game between Bryant’s LA Lakers and the Orlando Magic in 1999, Manning and Kobe developed a special bond. During the interaction with Hayes, Manning expressed his admiration for the late basketball legend, emphasizing on the great camaraderie the two stars shared.
Colts owner snubs Peyton Manning from his Top 5 QB list
While Manning shared great relationships with several top level individuals he came in contact with during his playing career, many are suggesting that there might be some bad blood between him and Colts owner Jim Irsay. As it turns out, following the news of Jim Brown’s passing, Jim took to Twitter to share his list of the top five greatest NFL players of all time. Surprisingly, Manning was not included on the list, while Tom Brady and John Elway were mentioned.
On my list of Top 5 Greatest NFL Players of All Time,in our 103 year History… I have Top 5 as 1)Jim Brown 2)Tom Brady 3)John Elway 4)Deacon Jones 5)Reggie White.🏈
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) May 19, 2023
This exclusion from Irsay reopened old wounds, as many would have expected Manning to make Irsay’s list given how remarkably he performed throughout his career. Nevertheless, one must also not jump to conclusions regarding bad blood between Irsay and Manning as the Colts owner most probably has utmost respect for Manning, it’s just that he isn’t sure if Peyton has the credentials to be in his top 5 list which eventually, will hurt Peyton fans across the world.
