BOULDER — Van Wells will soon have his own IMDb page, which kind of blows his mind into a million little pieces. But not nearly as many pieces as it does for his pals back in Houston.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve got some homeboys who are always sending me stuff (where) I don’t even know that’s out there,\u201d the CU Buffs\u2019 sophomore center said of his newfound Internet video fame. \u201cThey\u2019ll send me a different video (and say), \u2018Look at you, look at you.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018(Darn), I didn\u2019t even know that was out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Wells, a chiseled, 290-pound blocker and one of only a handful of 2022 CU starters still with the football program, knows his close-up is coming — whether he likes it or not.<\/p>\n
Regardless of how many games they actually win, this fall will feature the most-filmed, most-documented, most-exposed, and maybe the most talked-about — at least, nationally — football team in Buffs history.<\/p>\n
Last December, CU football became \u201cThe Deion Sanders Show.” And that show means the cameras almost never stop rolling.<\/p>\n
From Day 1 of his tenure in Boulder, Coach Prime\u2019s had at least three dedicated YouTube channels cranking out daily content on the Buffs, most notably via the Well Off Media feed run by Deion Sanders Jr., the coach\u2019s son.<\/p>\n
But the largest cameras following the Buffs around over the last eight-and-a-half months have belonged to the crew that\u2019s shooting Season 4 of \u201cCoach Prime,\u201d a documentary series that\u2019s followed Deion Sanders’ journey from his highly successful tenure at Jackson State to his first Power 5 opportunity at CU.<\/p>\n
The first two seasons of the show aired via Barstool Sports\u2019 YouTube account, while Season 3, which focused on Coach Prime\u2019s last with the Tigers, was made available for streaming via Amazon\u2019s Prime Video service.<\/p>\n
Prime Video is also contracted to air Season 4. The show is expected to debut before the end of the year, although officials at SMAC, the entertainment company that produces the show and manages Coach Prime\u2019s business affairs, declined to speculate on Amazon\u2019s specific timetable. (The first episode of Season 3 dropped last Dec. 29.)<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been doing this for 20 years, and over the last six or seven months, I\u2019ve had people I\u2019ve known for years (reveal to) me that they\u2019re CU alums,\u201d FredAnthony Smith, head of unscripted development at SMAC and one of the show\u2019s co-producers, told The Post.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Wait a minute. You went to CU?\u2019 These are people I\u2019ve worked with for the past 15-20 years and they\u2019re so excited about (Sanders) and I didn\u2019t even know they\u2019d gone to (CU before).\u201d<\/p>\n
College football programs traditionally use self-produced video content as a shield, carefully controlled and curated in order to promote and protect the brand or ideals espoused by the head coach.<\/p>\n
Sanders and SMAC use the cameras more like a sword, flooding the internet with content designed for their target audience — namely, the 16-to-24-year-old crowd — and that targeted audience\u2019s preferred screen of choice: their cell phones.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the (players) to get the exposure that they want to receive and which ultimately helps them (in) getting to the next level and reaching their goals and ambitions,\u201d Sanders explained. \u201cSo I’m all for it. That’s what these kids do, man.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know if you have kids, but you can’t get the cellphone out of their hands. That’s really what it is. So I want to accompany that dream by helping the kids reach their goals. So I’m all for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there (are) a lot of things you don’t see that we don’t want you to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Post earlier this month obtained a copy of the contract between the university and SMAC regarding the production of the \u201cCoach Prime\u201d documentary series. Buffs athletic administrators, including athletic director Rick George, are allowed editorial input in weekly production meetings, yet the school does not have the say on the so-called \u201cfinal cut.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the show\u2019s producers have legal permission to take dramatic license as to what\u2019s eventually shown on-screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe parties acknowledge and agree that it is (the producers\u2019) intention to portray CU’s Property, CU Features, marks, and CU Individuals as accurately as possible in the historical context of the Series,\u201d the contract states, \u201cwith the understanding that (the producers have) the right to deviate from the historical facts that took place in order to enhance the dramatic value of the Series, provided that in no event shall Producer defame CU’s Property, CU Features, marks, or CU Individuals or portray the same in a grossly misrepresentative manner in or in connection with the Series.\u201d<\/p>\n
SMAC co-founder and CEO Constance Schwartz-Morini told The Post that the Amazon series will be a collaborative effort between her production team and the athletic department and laughed off the suggestion of any tail-wags-the-dog scenarios.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my goodness, that\u2019s the furthest thing from the truth,\u201d Schwartz-Morini said. \u201cIt feels like we work for Rick (George) as well, to be completely honest with you.<\/p>\n
“We are just here to support and guide as to where they want to lean on us — other than that, this is their show. And we\u2019re definitely just here for support \u2026 (George) is very aware of every single move we make.\u201d<\/p>\n
The show must seek permission from the provost to film any academic event or inside a residence hall. CU also cannot make participation in the series mandatory for any student-athlete or staffer.<\/p>\n
Under terms of the agreement, approval for future seasons of the documentary is at the behest of CU chancellor Phil DiStefano. The latter has the power to decline \u201cfor good cause, including, without limitation, if the burden to campus operations outweighs the benefit of continuation of the Series.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wells said he recalled players signing paperwork for the show in groups earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s not right or wrong,\u201d Sanders said of the increased camera presence around the program. \u201cIt depends on the personality of the coach. I think Jimmy Johnson probably would welcome it, and Bill Belichick probably wouldn’t. So it’s not right or wrong. It goes with the personality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wells has gotten more comfortable with the showbiz side of the Coach Prime life. And more comfortable with the occasional intrusions that come along with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen (Sanders) first got here and (brought) all the cameras, I wasn\u2019t used to it, I was just like, \u2018Dang, cameras are everywhere,\u2019\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be locked in because there are cameras everywhere recording. But I’ve become used to it. I just do what I do on a day-to-day basis. And it just is what it is — the cameras are there, (and) we try not to focus on them too much.\u201d<\/p>\n
That said, Wells figures he\u2019ll hear from his buddies again about the next viral Buffs video. And he\u2019ll probably get even more guff once Season 4 of \u201cCoach Prime\u201d debuts.<\/p>\n