Michael Tollin is an American film and television producer/director who served as executive producer of the

Emmy award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning ''The Last Dance'', a 10-part documentary series on

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

and the Chicago Bulls dynasty. The series received rave reviews and set numerous ratings records, being seen by nearly 15 million viewers per episode on ESPN and many million more on Netflix around the world. Tollin's other career highlights include ''

Radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

'', ''

Coach Carter ''Coach Carter'' is a 2005 American biographical teen sports drama film starring Samuel L. Jackson and directed by Thomas Carter (no relation). The film is based on the true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter (played by J ...

'', '' Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream'', and '' Varsity Blues''. He has also produced and/or directed such movies and television shows as '' Arli$$'', ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'', ''

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

'', ''

All That ''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins P ...

'', ''

Kenan & Kel ''Kenan & Kel'' is an American Buddy film, buddy comedy sitcom created by Kim Bass. The show originally aired on the Nickelodeon network for four seasons, from July 15, 1996, to July 15, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, the series follows mischiev ...

'', ''

Summer Catch ''Summer Catch'' is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Tollin and starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Jessica Biel and Matthew Lillard. The film marked Tollin's feature film directorial debut. The setting is the Cape Cod Baseball ...

'', ''

Wild Hogs ''Wild Hogs'' is a 2007 American biker road comedy film directed by Walt Becker and starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy. It was released nationwide in the United States and Canada on March 2, 2007. It was the las ...

'', ''

Dreamer (2005 film) ''Dreamer'' (also known as ''Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story'') is a 2005 American sports film, sports Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by John Gatins in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut. The film st ...

'', ''

Good Burger ''Good Burger'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by Dan Schneider with Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert. Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, it is based on the comedy sketch of the same name on the Nick ...

'', ''

Big Fat Liar ''Big Fat Liar'' is a 2002 American comedy film, directed by Shawn Levy, adapted by Dan Schneider from a story by Schneider and Brian Robbins, and starring Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, Amanda Bynes, Amanda Detmer, Donald Faison, Lee Majors, an ...

'', and '' The Bronx is Burning''. Tollin has also directed and/or produced documentaries, including ''The Comedy Store Documentary'', ''Let Me Be Brave'', ''Morningside Five'', ''Iverson'', ''Kareem: Minority of One'', and '' Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?''. He is currently the co-chairman of Mandalay Sports Media.

Early life and education

Michael Tollin grew up in

Havertown, Pennsylvania Havertown is a residential suburban unincorporated community in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located approximately 9 miles west of the center of Philadelphia. Havertown's ZIP Code is 19083 and "Havertown" is a posta ...

, a suburb outside of

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. His father, Sol Tollin (1929–2006), played basketball and baseball for

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...

from 1947 to 1951. Tollin has a passion for sports and remains fiercely loyal to his Philadelphia teams. Both Tollin and his father were inducted into the Philadelphia

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. He attended

Haverford High School Haverford Senior High School is the public high school of Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the School District of Haverford Township. It is at 200 Mill Road in Havertown. The school serves the entirety of Haverford To ...

and graduated from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1977, where he was a sports columnist and the play-by-play radio announcer for Stanford basketball.

Career

After graduating from Stanford, Tollin's first job was producer/writer for a syndicated series of sports documentaries called Greatest Sports Legends. Within one year of his arrival, Tollin began directing the series. He went on to work with MLB Productions in New York and was one of the creators of an Emmy Award-winning series called The Baseball Bunch. In 1980, he was the writer of the official World Series film in which his favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies, defeated the Kansas City Royals in six games. His script was narrated by

Vin Scully Vincent Edward Scully (November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022) was an American sportscaster. He was best known for his 67 seasons calling games for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning in 1950 (when the franchise was located ...

. In 1982, Tollin formed his own company, Halcyon Days Productions, and was awarded exclusive rights to the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

, a spring pro football league which played from 1983 through 1985. Tollin later directed the

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

30 for 30 ''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes three "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series un ...

film, "Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?" in which he and others associated with the USFL, notably former

New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing ...

owner

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

, offered a retrospective on the league (the title came from a quote from Trump). In addition to its work on the USFL, Halcyon Days Productions also produced sports documentaries, children's shows and entertainment specials. After the fall of the USFL, Tollin moved to California and joined forces with

Brian Robbins Brian Levine (born November 22, 1963), known professionally as Brian Robbins, is an American film executive, actor, and filmmaker who is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon. He also serves as C ...

. Together they started

Tollin/Robbins Productions Tollin Productions (or simply known as TP and formerly known as Marquee/Tollin/Robbins (or simply known as MTR or M/T/R)) was an American movie and television production company operated by Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins in 1994. Joe Davola was ...

. In 1993, Tollin and Robbins produced their first documentary together Hardwood Dreams, which won the Crystal Heart award at the 1993 Heartland Film Festival. The film became Tollin and Robbins’ calling card. Over the next 15 years Tollin and Robbins teamed up to direct and produce more than a dozen feature films, award-winning documentaries and hundreds of hours of television. Some of Tollin/Robbins highlights include the films'' Varsity Blues'', ''

'', ''

'', '' Dreamer'', ''

'' and ''

Hardball Hardball, in English, more specifically American English, generally refers to baseball (as opposed to its variant softball), especially when played very competitively. Metaphorically, it refers to uncompromising and ruthless methods or dealings, ...

''; the television series ''

'', '' Arli$$'' and ''

''; as well as several award-winning documentaries, including Academy Award nominated '' Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream'', which Tollin wrote, produced and directed. In 2007 Robbins and Tollin decided to amicably split up their partnership both citing a desire to work on their own passion projects. In 2012, Tollin partnered with Mandalay Entertainment chairman and CEO Peter Guber to form Mandalay Sports Media. MSM is a media and production company, the focus of which is sports entertainment programming for all media platforms. The company's portfolio runs the gamut from sports movies to scripted and unscripted series, documentaries, web series and branded content. Tollin is the executive producer of '' The Last Dance'', a 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty. MSM/Tollin have also produced the motion pictures '' ''Chuck'''' and ''

The Zookeeper's Wife The Zookeeper's Wife is a non-fiction book written by the poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman. Drawing on the diary of Antonina Żabińska, unpublished in English (though published in Polish in 1968), it recounts the true story of how Antonina an ...

''; the documentaries ''Iverson'', ''Kareem: Minority of One'', ''Fastball'', ''Morningside 5'', ''

CounterPunch ''CounterPunch'' is a left-wing online magazine. Content includes a free section published five days a week as well as a subscriber-only area called CounterPunch+, where original articles are published weekly. ''CounterPunch'' is based in the Unit ...

'', ''

The Franchise Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

'', and the ''Katy Perry Superbowl Halftime Special''; and the TV series/specials ''

Sin City Saints ''Sin City Saints'' is an American sitcom television series starring Malin Åkerman, Andrew Santino, and Keith Powers. It debuted on Yahoo! Screen on March 23, 2015. Its eight-episode first season was directed by Bryan Gordon and Fred Savage. Th ...

'', ''

Wedding Band A wedding ring or wedding band is a finger ring that indicates that its wearer is married. It is usually forged from metal, traditionally gold or another precious metal. Rings were used in ancient Rome during marriage, though the modern pract ...

'', ''Summer Dreams'', ''Every Street United'', and ''Bluegrass Kingdom''.

Filmography

Executive producer

;TV series *2022: '' The Captain'' (TV miniseries) (executive producer, 7 episodes) *2016: '' L.A. Clippers Dance Squad'' (TV series) (executive producer, 8 episodes) *2015-2016: ''

Undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

'' (TV series documentary) (executive producer, 7 episodes) *2015: ''

'' (TV series) (executive producer, 8 episodes) *2012-2015: '' 30 for 30 Shorts'' (TV documentary) (producer/executive producer, 3 episodes) *2012–2013: ''

'' (TV series) (executive producer, 10 episodes) *2012: '' The Franchise: A Season with the Miami Marlins'' (TV series) (executive producer, 8 episodes) *2011: '' The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants'' (TV series) (executive producer, 9 episodes) *2009–2011: ''

'' (TV series) (consulting producer, 24 episodes, executive producer, 3 episodes) *2003–2012: ''

'' (TV series) (executive producer, 176 episodes) *2003–2004: '' I'm with Her'' (TV series) (executive producer, 21 episodes) *2003-2003: ''

Black Sash The Black Sash is a South African human rights organisation. It was founded in Johannesburg in 1955 as a non-violent resistance organisation for liberal white women. Origins The Black Sash was founded on 19 May 1955 by six middle-class white ...

'' (TV series) (executive producer, 5 episodes) *2002–2006: '' What I Like About You'' (TV series) (executive producer, 78 episodes) *2002–2003: ''

Slamball Slamball is a form of basketball played with four trampolines in front of each net and boards around the court edge. The name SlamBall is the trademark of SlamBall, LLC. While SlamBall is based on basketball, it is a contact sport, with blocks ...

'' (TV series) (executive producer) *2002: ''Birds of Prey'' (TV series) (executive producer) *2001–2002: ''

The Nightmare Room ''The Nightmare Room'' is an American children's anthology horror series that aired on Kids' WB. The series was based on the short-lived children's book series that went by the same title created by ''Goosebumps'' author, R. L. Stine. ''The Nig ...

'' (TV series) (executive producer, 8 episodes) *2001–2011: ''

'' (TV series) (executive producer, 216 episodes) *2000–2001: ''

The Amanda Show ''The Amanda Show'' is an American live action sketch comedy and variety show television series created by Dan Schneider that aired on Nickelodeon from October 16, 1999 to September 21, 2002. It starred Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Nancy Sull ...

'' (TV series) (executive producer, 9 episodes) *1996–2002: '' Arli$$'' (TV series) (executive producer, 80 episodes) *1994–2005; 2019–2020: ''

'' (TV series) (executive producer) ;Feature films, TV movies & unscripted TV series *2020: '' The Last Dance'' (documentary series) (executive producer) *2020:
The Comedy Store Documentary
' (documentary series) (executive producer) *2019: ''The Comedy Store Documentary'' (documentary series, ''in production'') (executive producer) *2018: '' The People's Fighters: Teofilo Stevenson and the Legend of Cuban Boxing'' (TV movie documentary) (executive producer) *2018: ''Walk-Off Stories: Improbably Gibson'' (documentary) (producer) *2018: ''WeTown'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2018: '' The Nagano Tapes: Rewound, Replayed & Reviewed'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2017: ''Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2017: ''Morningside 5'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2017: ''

'' (documentary) (producer) *2017: ''Bigger Fatter Liar'' (Video) (executive producer) *2017: ''

'' (executive producer) *2016: ''

Chuck Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer * C ...

'' (film) (producer) *2016: ''Fastball'' (documentary) (producer) *2016: ''Patrick & Zo'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2016: ''Vice Sports'' (executive producer) *2015: ''Uncompromising: Kyrie Irving'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2015: '' Katy Perry: Making of the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2015: ''Kareem: Minority of One'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2014: ''Summer Dreams'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2014: '' Iverson'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2014: ''Every Street United'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2014: ''Carmelo Anthony: Made in New York'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2013: ''Bluegrass Kingdom: The Gospel of Kentucky Basketball'' (executive producer) *2012: ''On the Mat'' (documentary) (executive producer) *2012: ''Live with John Legend'' (TV special) (executive producer) *2011: ''Thumbs'' (TV movie documentary) (executive producer) *2011: ''The Real Rocky'' (TV movie) (producer) *2007: ''Norbit'' (executive producer) *2007: ''

'' (producer) *2007: ''Unstrung'' (documentary) (producer) *2007: ''The Bronx Is Burning'' (TV miniseries) (executive producer) *2006: ''Bonds on Bonds'' (TV series) (executive producer) *2006: ''Crumbs'' (TV series) (executive producer) *2005: ''

'' (producer) *2005: ''Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story'' (producer) *2005: ''Inconceivable'' (TV series) (executive producer) *2004: ''The Perfect Score'' (producer) *2004: ''The Days'' (TV series) (executive producer) *2004: '' Hardwood Dreams: Ten Years Later'' (TV movie documentary) (producer) *2003: ''

'' (producer) *2002: ''

'' (producer) *2002: ''The Nick Cannon Show'' (TV series) (executive producer *2001: ''

'' (producer) *2001: ''Hardball'' (producer) *2000: ''Ready to Rumble'' (executive producer) *1999: '' Varsity Blues'' (executive producer) *1998: ''Sports Theater with Shaquille O'Neal'' (TV series) (executive producer, 4 episodes) *1998: ''Cousin Skeeter'' (TV series) (executive producer) *1997: ''Good Burger'' (producer) *1996-2000: ''

'' (TV series) (executive producer) *1995: '' Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream'' (documentary) (executive producer) *1995: ''The Show'' (documentary) (producer) *1993: ''

Hardwood Dreams ''Hardwood Dreams'' is a 1993 basketball sports documentary written, directed and produced by Michael Tollin and narrated by Wesley Snipes. It follows five Morningside High School (MHS) seniors during their last high school basketball season, as ...

'' (documentary) (executive producer, writer) *1988: ''

The Final Season ''The Final Season'' is a 2007 baseball film starring Sean Astin, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tom Arnold, Powers Boothe, Larry Miller, Brett Claywell, Michael Angarano, and Marshall Bell and directed by David Mickey Evans. The film wrapped produc ...

'' (documentary) (producer) *1986: ''Centennial: Over 100 Years of Philadelphia Phillies Baseball'' (Video) *1981: ''The Baseball Bunch'' (TV series documentary) *1978-79: ''Greatest Sports Legends'' (TV series)

Director

*2017: ''Morningside 5'' (documentary) *2009: ''30 for 30'' (documentary series) ("Small Potatoes: Who Killed the

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

?") *2007: ''Unstrung'' (documentary) *2003: ''

'' *2001: ''

'' *1998: ''

Cousin Skeeter ''Cousin Skeeter'' is an American children's sitcom, that originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2001. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life changed when his strange cousin Skeeter came to live with his family. With Sk ...

'' (TV series) *1996: '' Arli$$'' (TV series) *1995: '' Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream'' (documentary) *1993: ''

'' (documentary) *1990: ''Let Me Be Brave'' (documentary) *1989: ''Buy Me That! A Kids' Survival Guide'' (TV special) *1988: ''The Final Season'' (documentary) *1987: ''Kids on Kids on Kids'' (TV special) *1986: ''Centennial: Over 100 Years of Philadelphia Phillies Baseball'' (video) *1982: ''The Baseball Bunch'' (TV series)

Awards

References

External links

*
Tollin/Robbins Production
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tollin, Mike 1955 births Film producers from Pennsylvania Television producers from Pennsylvania Living people Businesspeople from Philadelphia Stanford University alumni Film directors from Pennsylvania 20th-century American Jews Primetime Emmy Award winners 21st-century American Jews