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How Josh Allen just quietly became one of the most powerful athletes in the entertainment business
Josh Allen’s business (Imagn Images)
Josh Allen has a new title heading into his ninth NFL season, and it has nothing to do with football. The Buffalo Bills quarterback officially launched Out of Pocket Studios on September 1, backed by Skydance Sports, part of Paramount Skydance. Allen serves as CEO and executive producer on every project the company touches. The move did not arrive with much fanfare, but the scope of what he has already built is hard to ignore. This is not a cameo deal or a sponsor play. It is a functioning media company with real projects already in production.
What exactly is Out of Pocket Studios and what does it do?
The studio is not a vanity project. Out of Pocket Studios already launched its first slate before the NFL season even kicked off. A Labor Day special called “America’s Tailgate” aired on CBS, featuring music, celebrities, and NFL culture hosted by Nate Burleson alongside Melanie Collins and Whitney Cummings. Days later, “NFL Play Action,” a weekly studio show, debuted on Paramount+ with Kyle Brandt and Peloton star Ally Love taking a wider look at football culture beyond the field.Then there is “The Buffalo Miracle,” a documentary from two-time Oscar-winning director Ben Proudfoot. It tells the story of a McDonald’s manager in Buffalo who opened his restaurant to people stranded during the deadly Christmas Eve blizzard of 2022. That is not a project built around Allen’s fame. That is storytelling with actual weight behind it. A comedy series he conceived has already been sold to a network.Running daily operations is Lindsey Cohen, president of strategy and operations, who previously held senior roles at Meadowlark Media, DAZN, and CAA. The company is structured with real leadership, not just a quarterback’s name on the door.Allen put it simply: “Skydance Sports has given me a platform to turn the ideas I care most about into something real. We’re excited to share what Out of Pocket Studios has created so far, and for everyone to see what we’re building from here.”
Why is Josh Allen doing this now, and what makes it different from other athlete media ventures?
The foundation for this was laid back in January 2025, when Allen first signed an overall deal with Skydance Sports to develop scripted, unscripted, and branded content. That relationship gave him the infrastructure to move fast. Most athletes who launch media companies do so after they retire, or they partner loosely with a production house for a one-off documentary about themselves. Allen is doing neither.He is 30 years old, actively playing at an elite level, ranked No. 2 on the NFL’s Top 100 list, and simultaneously building something that could outlast his career on the field. His wife, Hailee Steinfeld, is a working actress and pop artist. He has watched that industry from close enough range to understand how it actually functions. That likely matters more than people give him credit for.Jason Reed, head of Skydance Sports, said it clearly when they first announced the deal: “His vision, determination, and creativity make him a force off the field as well as on.”
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What does Josh Allen’s media move mean for his legacy beyond the NFL?
For years, the conversation around Allen has been about whether he can win a Super Bowl. That pressure is still very much real heading into 2026 with a new head coach in Joe Brady and a rebuilt roster. But this media venture signals something else, that Allen is thinking past the game in a way that goes beyond endorsements and branded social posts.Athletes who build businesses during their playing careers, rather than after, tend to retain more leverage. They have name recognition, they have active fanbases, and they have time on their side. By the time Allen does eventually walk away from football, Out of Pocket Studios could already be a known entity in entertainment, not a startup he is scrambling to build in retirement.That is the quiet part of this story. The Bills still have Super Bowl ambitions. But Allen has already started building something that does not require a championship to matter.
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