EXCLUSIVE: Longtime NBA player turned sports analyst Jalen Rose has partnered with Tom Gores, Chairman and Founder of Platinum Equity and owner of the Detroit Pistons, to launch Same Page Entertainment, a Detroit-based, multi-media production company with a full slate of projects set to launch this year.
Same Page will focus on premium storytelling across scripted and unscripted film, television and podcasts with a “By Detroit, For the World” mentality. Rose, a Detroit native and University of Michigan Wolverine, and Gores, a Flint native and Michigan State Spartan, founded the company to create content that sparks cross-cultural conversation and deeper appreciation for others at a critical time globally. There’s also a specific focus on developing and producing projects about Michigan’s rich culture, history and legends.
Gores first bonded with Rose over their shared commitment to use their platforms to improve the lives of people in Detroit. He was an early supporter of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, Rose’s open enrollment charter school based there, and for more than a decade he and his firm Platinum Equity have provided significant financial support, mentorship opportunities and other resources that have helped the school and its scholars grow and thrive.
“Jalen has always been an innovative storyteller and one of Detroit’s biggest champions, and our city is filled with unique and powerful voices that deserve to be heard,” said Gores. “With Same Page Entertainment we’re creating a platform to amplify Detroit’s creative talent and drive new economic opportunity. Our goal is to back people who have the courage to bet on themselves and who refuse to be limited by others’ expectations.”
Said Rose, “Tom and I originally came together in our shared philanthropic work and now he’s committed to this business venture that furthers our investment in the people of Detroit and Michigan. I have been fortunate to have a successful career from an NBA athlete to an analyst and then full-time on-air talent. Now with Same Page, I’m entering my ownership era, expanding my creative reach to build a powerhouse studio beyond sports that develops talent, creates jobs, and produces projects right here in Michigan. I have always been committed to my hometown, and this is a full 360 moment. We are giving the people what they want.”
For the past few years, Same Page Entertainment has been actively building and producing a slate of projects including the television drama South West High, a documentary on the McDonald’s All-American Games, a narrative feature, and a new podcast from Rose, with multiple projects set to roll out early this year.
A New York Times bestselling author, Rose comes to Same Page with a history of producing projects such as documentary The Fab Five. Gores, meanwhile, was previously an executive producer on the award-winning Detroit-based documentary The Cave of Adullam.
Same Page Entertainment is represented by Paradigm and Fox Rothschild.