Benzinga | Oct 12, 2021 07:00AM EDT

EXCLUSIVE: Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment To Partner With Whistle Studios And WaV Sports To Launch A Football-Themed Docuseries 'The Academy'

NEW YORK -- (October 12, 2021) --- Team Whistle, the global sports and entertainment media company

today announced a partnership with WaV Sports, a global sports marketing firm and Hall of Fame Resort

& Entertainment Company (NASDAQ:HOFV, HOFVW))) to launch a football-themed docuseries, "The

Academy". "The Academy" will be a six-episode longform docuseries that will follow athletes participating

in the second season of the NFL Alumni Academy, the first-ever in-season NFL player replacement and

training program for aspiring NFL players at the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls.

"The Academy", which is currently being filmed and intended to be released in early 2022, will offer sports

fans a behind-the-scenes look into the training techniques, strength programs, and the mental toughness

required of these participants as they fight to make their pro football dreams a reality. The companies are

currently in discussions regarding a distribution partner. In addition to the docuseries, Whistle Studios will

develop corresponding short-form videos from the NFL Alumni Academy that it will post on its social

media platforms, which collectively reach more than 629 million people.

"Whistle Studios is focused on telling relatable and inspiring sports stories that show the triumph of the

human spirit through struggle, perseverance, and growth, '' said Mike Basone, Head of Unscripted at

Whistle Studios. "The journey the athletes of the NFL Alumni Academy undergo to become NFL ready is

arduous with moments of both conflict and elation. We are excited to be partnering with the Hall of Fame

Resort & Entertainment Company as well as WaV Sports to tell these important untold stories."

"The popularity of series like Hard Knocks and Last Chance U has confirmed that people crave original

content centered on the game of football," said Michael Crawford, President and CEO of Hall of Fame

Resort & Entertainment Company. "We are seeking to replicate this playbook with 'The Academy' by

allowing fans to see first-hand how hard these athletes train and how much they sacrifice in order to make

it to the next level. We believe the program gives the talent currently participating in the program

opportunities to have their own 'Rudy moments,' where through hard work and determination, they can

achieve their dreams of playing in the NFL."

"WaV Sports & Entertainment is excited to be partnering with like-minded companies like Whistle Studios

and Hall of Fame Report & Entertainment Company to produce this inspiring docuseries that tells the

stories of young men who are putting everything on the line to achieve their dreams of an NFL career,"

said Brian Klaasmeyer, CEO of WaV Media. "An incredible staff of coaches has been assembled to hone

the skills of these athletes. It's going to be a must see."

"There isn't anything else like this happening in pro football today", shared Dean Dalton, Executive

Director of the NFL Alumni Academy & CEO of WaV Management. "The Academy is a unique opportunity

for some of the most promising up and coming athletes in football to be trained in an environment like no

other by some of the best to ever coach or play the game. And then to additionally be able to share these

stories with the world makes it even more special."

The Academy will be Executive Produced by Mike Basone and Melanie Capacia Johnson from Whistle

Studios, Olivia Steier from Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company and Dean Dalton and Brian

Klaasmeyer from WaV Sports & Entertainment.



The NFL Alumni Academy was hailed by CBS Sports' NFL Insider Jason La Canfora as "deserving of

more attention" for the model it utilizes to prepare its participants for the next level, focusing on improving

the strength and conditioning, techniques and knowledge of the game with the goal of preparing players'

bodies and minds for lengthy careers in the NFL. Participants of the program train alongside and receive

hands-on coaching from some of the top minds in professional football. This year's roster of coaches

includes former Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Mike Tice, Hall of Fame Offensive Lineman Anthony

Munoz, as well as NFL veterans Steve Smith, Jay Hayes, Chuck Smith, Moe Williams, David Walker and

Ted Cottrell while the legendary Chip Smith serves as Performance Coach.

About Whistle Studios

Whistle Studios is an Emmy winning, globally distributed, production company built from a foundation of

companies that includes Whistle, New Form, Tiny Horse, and Vertical Networks. Whistle Studios tells

unforgettable stories and produces the highest quality original series in a variety of formats including

scripted, unscripted and interactive. Most recently, they won an Emmy for a non-fiction reality series for

'Prideland' on PBS which follows queer 'Pose' actor, Dyll?n Burnside, as he explores LGBTQ discovery

across the South. Their 'Benedict Men' docu-series from Executive Producer and basketball superstar

Stephen Curry, and Emmy-award winning Documentarian Jonathan Hock, which started on Quibi and is

now on Roku, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. The studio has an upcoming series 'Legacy'

with NBA Icon, Dwayne Wade, airing on Discovery+ which follows the progeny of top pro athletes who

are trying to make a name for themselves -- including Wade's son, Zaire Wade, as he navigates his

senior year of high school as an NCAA Division I basketball prospect. We have a slate of new shows in

development and pre-production with celebrities across entertainment and sports - including Oscar

winning actress Genna Davis, NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony, actor Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta,

Godzilla.) They produce series and provide production services for partners like YouTube Premium, The

Olympic Channel, TruTV, HBO Max, MGM/Orion, Facebook Watch, Adult Swim, NBC Sports, CW,

Nickelodeon, TBS, Tubi, Discovery, Magnolia Networks and Snap Originals among many others. Learn

more at teamwhistle.com/studio. Whistle Studios serves as the production arm of Team Whistle, a sports

and entertainment media company that sees 4 billion cross-platform video views each month.

About the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company

The Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ:HOFV, HOFVW))) is a resort and

entertainment company leveraging the power and popularity of professional football and its legendary

players in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Headquartered in Canton, Ohio, the Hall of

Fame Resort & Entertainment Company is the owner of the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson

Controls, a multi-use sports, entertainment and media destination centered around the Pro Football Hall

of Fame's campus. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.HOFREco.com.

About WaV Sports and Entertainment LLC

WaV Sports & Entertainment is a global sports marketing firm that specializes in sports property

representation, brand side representation, and the management and production of unique sporting and

entertainment events. WaV exclusively represents, manages and operates the NFL Alumni Academy and

various other NFL Alumni initiatives such as their youth educational programming known as the Pro Day

Experience. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.WaVsports.com.

About the NFL Alumni Association

The NFL Alumni Association is a nationwide organization of former National Football League players,

coaches and other employees whose mission is to serve, assist and inform former players and their

families. The association offers a variety of medical, financial and social programs to help members lead

healthy, productive and connected lives, as well as community initiatives under the NFL Alumni's "Caring

for Kids" programs. The NFL Alumni Association hosts the NFL Alumni Academy Player Development

Program each football season at the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls in Canton, Ohio.

About the NFL Alumni Academy

The NFL Alumni Academy provides a pathway for the top-graded free agent players that were released

from NFL training camps to return to the NFL by giving them the opportunity to further develop their skills

and realize their potential by training under the tutelage of elite former NFL coaches, players and



performance coaches. The Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at the Hall of Fame Village powered by

Johnson Controls will initially serve as the NFL Alumni Academy's headquarters and training facility. The

Academy will then move to the Center for Performance, which will be located on the Village's campus and

is anticipated to be completed in 2022. The Center for Performance will feature an 80,000-square-foot,

state-of-the-art indoor field house and training facility, among other amenities.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made herein are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor"

provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be

identified by the use of words and phrases such as "opportunity," "future," "will," "goal," and "look forward"

and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of

historical matters. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions

or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other

important factors, many of which are outside the Company's control, that could cause actual results or

outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors,

among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include the inability to recognize the anticipated

benefits of the business combination; costs related to the business combination; the inability to maintain

the listing of the Company's shares on Nasdaq; the Company's ability to manage growth; the Company's

ability to execute its business plan and meet its projections, including refinancing its existing term loan

and obtaining financing to construct planned facilities; potential litigation involving the Company; changes

in applicable laws or regulations; general economic and market conditions impacting demand for the

Company's products and services, and in particular economic and market conditions in the resort and

entertainment industry; the potential adverse effects of the ongoing global coronavirus (COVID-19)

pandemic on capital markets, general economic conditions, unemployment and the Company's liquidity,

operations and personnel, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in our

reports and other public filings with the SEC. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update

or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or

otherwise, except as required by law.

Media/Investor Contacts:

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