NEW YORK, April 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cadence13 and The Players’ Tribune today announced a new documentary podcast series, David Ortiz: The Big Papi Story, which will premiere on Patriots’ Day, Monday, April 16. This special series is the most comprehensive chronicle to date of the life of Red Sox icon and three-time World Series champion David Ortiz. Fans can subscribe to the series and listen to the trailer now on Apple Podcasts. The full series, which consists of four singular episodes, will be available across multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart, Stitcher, TuneIn and more.
In addition to Ortiz’s successful playing career, the series will examine pivotal moments in his life off the field, from his difficult assimilation into American culture, to the sudden and tragic loss of his mother, to the raw emotion he shared with Hub fans following the tragic Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
“Let’s just set the record straight. Papi is the greatest clutch player in MLB postseason history. But, this is a person who means so much more to the city of Boston and the Dominican Republic,” said Chris Corcoran, Chief Content Officer of Cadence13. “In this project, we were able to capture and showcase not only the Mount Rushmore level Red Sox status of this once-in-a-generation player, but also his journey, what he meant to his hometown and the city of Boston, the tragedy of the marathon and how Papi become everybody’s hero throughout it all. We are incredibly proud to have been able to produce this project at C13, and to be able to work so closely with David and TPT so that it came out the way it did.”
“Ortiz’s personal journey is nothing short of remarkable — he defied the odds to become a legend, and made a lasting imprint on baseball and the entire city of Boston,” says Jaymee Messler, President of TPT. “The Big Papi Story brings his story to life in vivid detail. It’s a perfect representation of what we do at TPT: Tell the incredible stories of our favorite athletes in a variety of different formats. Ortiz has been a part of the TPT athlete community since the company launched, and we are excited to partner with him on this project.”
Production of the series spanned 10 months, with footage being recorded in 10 cities in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, where Ortiz visited his hometown of Santo Domingo. The show includes 22 interviews with his former teammates, award-winning journalists and members of the Ortiz family, including a rare interview with Ortiz’s father, Leo Ortiz. And, of course, David himself will share untold stories and anecdotes that answer the question, How did Big Papi become a legend?
Among the names interviewed for David Ortiz: The Big Papi Story include:
- ESPN senior writer and author Howard Bryant
- Comedian Bill Burr
- Former Red Sox teammate, two-time All-Star and two-time World Series Champion Johnny Damon
- Pulitzer Prize-winning author and MIT professor Junot Diaz
- Hall of Fame baseball writer and MLB Network insider Peter Gammons
- Leo Ortiz, David Ortiz’s father
- Tiffany Ortiz, David Ortiz’s wife
- Former Red Sox teammate, World Series champion and eight-time All-Star pitcher Pedro Martínez
- Former Red Sox teammate, World Series champion and current MLB Network analyst Kevin Millar
David Ortiz: The Big Papi Story captures the spirit of Boston, a city with no shortage of sports icons, and celebrates the rise of a man from the Dominican Republic who willed himself to greatness — and who, in the process, changed the culture of an entire city.
About Cadence13
Cadence13 is the leader in premium, on-demand audio entertainment. Our critically-acclaimed shows and personalities reflect the diverse conversations and interests happening in the world today, led by a collection of outstanding voices that includes Natalie Alzate, Sophia Amoruso, Nick Bilton, Rachel Brathen, David Dobrik, Jon Favreau, Chris Hardwick, Hannah Hart, Andrew Jenks, Peter Kafka, Peter King, Ezra Klein, Tony Kornheiser, Payne Lindsey, Jon Lovett, CJ McCollum, James Andrew Miller, Jim Norton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Rabil, Rhett and Link, Sherrod Small, Kara Swisher, Touré, Tommy Vietor, Adrian Wojnarowski and many more. These groundbreaking storytellers represent both established and emerging personalities across sports, business, tech, politics, entertainment and news. Cadence13 has a broad range of programming partners, including Crooked Media, Entertainment Weekly, Girlboss Media, goop, Mythical Entertainment, Recode, Seven Bucks Productions, Sports Illustrated, theSkimm, Time Inc., UFC, UTA, Vanity Fair, The Verge, The Vertical, Vox Media, Yahoo Sports, and Yoga Girl, among others. Cadence13 is headquartered in New York, with offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
About The Players’ Tribune
The Players’ Tribune (TPT) is a first-of-its-kind content platform that was developed by athletes for athletes to connect them with fans through the power of storytelling. By giving athletes the tools to create truly personal content and tell their stories, The Players’ Tribune is reimagining the world of sports and culture through the player’s point of view. More than 1,800 athletes have contributed to the platform through impactful and powerful long and short form stories, video series and audio. Founded by Derek Jeter in 2014, TPT provides unique insight into the daily sports conversation and brings fans closer than ever to the games they love. For more information visit www.theplayerstribune.com, or interact with the team on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
About Michael Chiklis
Series narrator Michael Chiklis is an American actor and television producer. Perhaps best known for his portrayal of corrupt LAPD detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama "The Shield," for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Chiklis is a graduate of the Boston University School of Performing Arts. From 1991-1996, he played Commissioner Tony Scali on the ABC police drama "The Commish." After six successful seasons on that show, he starred in the ABC science-fiction comedy-drama "No Ordinary Family." He then starred opposite Dennis Quaid in the CBS crime drama "Vegas." In 2014, Chiklis joined the cast of "American Horror Story" for its fourth season, "Freak Show." The following year, he was cast as Nathaniel Barnes in the second season of "Gotham" as a series regular. His other credits include the one-man Broadway show Defending the Caveman and as comic book hero The Thing / Ben Grimm in Fantastic Four and its sequel Rise of the Silver Surfer. In the animated version of Spirited Away released for English-language audiences, Chiklis is the voice of Chihiro’s father. He is currently filming the CBS pilot "MURDER."