LIONSGATE'S PILGRIM MEDIA GROUP AND WORLD SURF LEAGUE STUDIOS TEAM UP IN LANDMARK MULTI-PLATFORM CO-DEVELOPMENT DEAL

LOS ANGELES, July 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Trailblazing production company Pilgrim Media Group and the World Surf League's (WSL) newly established studio arm, WSL Studios, have teamed up for a landmark co-development deal to produce a variety of surf-centric sport and lifestyle content across all formats and platforms. The endeavor is the first to be announced by WSL Studios and will involve live and non-live unscripted projects, as well as a range of distinct scripted opportunities.

Pilgrim, a Lionsgate Company, and WSL Studios have two major undertakings in the pipeline already – a feature documentary and a fresh nonscripted competition format for which the parties partnered with the UFC's Dana White – with several other programs in active development. The venture will feature traditional surf content like contests and clip shows, and will also shed light on surf culture – spanning its roots to the worldwide emergence of its own language and literature; music, film, fashion and other art; lifestyle; social impact; as well as environmental and conservation efforts.

"Partnering with Pilgrim from the onset of WSL Studios sets the bar for the level of quality we are endeavoring to achieve," said WSL President of Content and Media, Erik Logan. "Their talent for producing top-notch unscripted programming, particularly when it comes to emerging sports, and their unmatched ability to capture the inaccessible for audiences around the world make Pilgrim an incredible partner for the WSL."

No stranger to producing the unproduceable, Pilgrim founder and CEO, Craig Piligian, added, "This collaboration embodies the true intent of media in breaking ground and erasing boundaries. It's about bringing to new audiences a sport and a way of life that has been geographically confined to ocean coastlines. We're really excited to collaborate with WSL in this truly unique space." 

About Pilgrim Media Group

Pilgrim Media Group, a Lionsgate company headed by Emmy^®-winning producer Craig Piligian, produces a diverse slate of unscripted and scripted programming across all platforms. The company is behind hit series and projects like "The Ultimate Fighter," "Ghost Hunters," "American Chopper," "Fast N' Loud," the "Street Outlaws" and "Wicked Tuna" franchises, "My Big Fat Fabulous Life," "Misfit Garage," "Garage Rehab," "Shifting Gears," "Bring It!," and "Battlefish."  Among Pilgrim's feature documentaries are the award-winning films Soufraand Tre Maison Dasan, now streaming on Hulu and PBS.org respectively, as well as The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story for YouTube Premium. Global content leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a majority investor in Pilgrim.

About WSL Studios

A division of the World Surf League, WSL Studios is a content creation engine, committed to delivering a broad range of high-quality surf and lifestyle storylines to the world.  The content is transformative and celebrates surfing, the ocean and the human potential. 

The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of surfing and has been dedicated to celebrating the world's best surfing on the world's best waves since 1976, annually running more than 180 global events across the Men's and Women's Championship Tours, the Big Wave Tour, Redbull Airborne, Qualifying Series, Junior and Longboard Championships, as well as the WSL Big Wave Awards. The League possesses a deep appreciation for the sport's rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation, and performance at the highest levels, and in doing so crowns the undisputed Men's and Women's World Champions across all tours.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Lionsgate
Cristina Castañeda
[email protected] 
(310) 255-5114

SOURCE Pilgrim Media Group, a Lionsgate Company