Why Omaha Productions Is the Company to Watch in 2024

When you mix an industry expert like Jamie Horowitz and a Hall of Famer like Peyton Manning, the result is a production company that seems unlike any other

In the modern era of content creation, there has been a marked rise in celebrity media companies. We have seen a variety of A+ stars launch their own shingles, including LeBron James (SpringHill), Reese Witherspoon (Hello Sunshine), and former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle (Higher Ground). The newest entrant is Peyton Manning with his Omaha Productions.

Formed in 2020 after a pitch from renowned media exec Jamie Horowitz and WME agent Josh Pyatt, Omaha Productions is already valued at over $400 million and employs more than 40 staffers. The company is responsible for the ManningCast, a wildly popular Monday Night Football alternate telecast featuring Manning and his brother Eli, as well as Peyton’s Places on ESPN+ and Netflix’s Kings of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch. Last weekend, Omaha produced a poignant tribute to Veterans with the show Beyond the Battlefield on the History Channel.

Omaha Productions’ Smash Hit

This summer, Omaha Productions was behind the smash-hit Quarterback docuseries that aired on Netflix. Season 1 consisted of eight episodes following the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, the Minnesota Vikings’ Kirk Cousins, and the Atlanta Falcons’ Marcus Mariota throughout the 2022 season. Quarterback provided unprecedented access into the lives of those three starting signal-callers both on and off the field.

Manning himself appeared in the show’s first episode, explaining the physical and mental toil that goes into being a starting NFL quarterback.

Throughout the series, notable on-field moments played out in great detail, such as the Vikings’ improbable comeback against the Indianapolis Colts during Week 15 of the 2022 season and Patrick Mahomes’ ankle injury in the division round of the 2023 playoffs. The quarterbacks were mic’d up for all of their games, so viewers could hear their commentary from the sideline and the huddle.

But it wasn’t just the in-game footage that made the series unique. The show went beyond the stadium and the practice facility and gave fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into each player’s personal life. Viewers watched Patrick and Brittany Mahomes prepare for the construction of their new home. Documentary crews followed Kirk Cousins on his day off as he took walks with his wife, Julie, and visited his local Barnes & Noble to shop for his next novel. These moments humanized these men in ways few series have before.

The fan reception of Quarterback was overwhelmingly positive, garnering 3.3 million views and 21.4 million watch hours. The series was the number 1 most watched show on Netflix for seven consecutive days. Netflix has already signed off on a second season, though they have not released any details or names.

Peyton Manning’s Next Step

Despite the current success and the promising upward trajectory of Omaha Productions, a series on Quarterbacks wasn’t on Manning’s radar immediately after retirement. When he retired from the NFL after 18 seasons (the same number he wore throughout his Hall of Fame career), he didn’t have a clear next step in mind. He wasn’t interested in coaching and didn’t think of himself as a general manager. He made $250 million during his NFL career, but kicking back and enjoying retirement in his beautiful Denver-area home wasn’t his preferred option, either.

For a few years, Manning dabbled in various projects, including periodic appearances on tv. However, he still hadn’t found a permanent home until Josh Pyatt and Jamie Horowitz approached him with an idea. Horowitz is one of the most successful sports producers in the past 20 years and has been instrumental in the careers of sports personalities such as Stephen A. Smith, Colin Cowherd, Charissa Thompson, and Shannon Sharpe. Pyatt has helped other former athletes, such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, kick-start their post-play careers.

Horowitz and Pyatt flew to Denver in 2020 to discuss with Manning an idea for a media production company. They believed they could build a company around his values - “uplift and unify” (it's on the website today). This idea intrigued Manning, and Omaha Productions was born.

Omaha Productions’ Partnerships

In only three years, Omaha Productions has soared in popularity. The company, which is named after Manning’s famous audible call from his playing days, has partnered with ESPN, ABC, and NBC to produce content and is already averaging more than $70 million in annual revenue. Becoming a billion-dollar company in the future isn’t outside the realm of possibility, and Manning could make more money from his second career in sports media than he did as an elite starting quarterback.

Omaha Productions seems set on an upward path to continued glory and will likely continue to grow, both through the content already produced and new ideas yet to come. With the combination of Peyton Manning and Jamie Horowitz – Omaha Productions is the most exciting production company to watch in 2024.

(Disclaimer: Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)