Jason Sciavicco has made a name for himself when it comes to sports television.
He famously helmed MTV’s Two-A-Days in 2006 which quickly became a leading show for the network. The show took a deep dive into the trials and tribulations of high school football, focusing on Hoover High’s Buccaneers football team. The team was brought to success by Coach Rush Propst, a notorious leader who happens to be at the centerfold of Sciavicco’s latest project Titletown High.
Titletown High is a sports reality series that’s expected to premiere on Netflix on August 27. Netflix writes that the eight-episode series “follows the nation’s winningest high school football team as they tackle age-old rivalries, teenage romance and real-life drama while vying for a championship title under infamous head coach Rush Propst.” The show is destined to win over the hearts of everybody as Sciavicco expertly hones in on the players’ personal lives and the pressure they’re under to bring their team to success.
Speaking about his personal ties to football, Sciavicco told Monsters & Critics that he played football throughout high school. He shared, “I played high school football and loved it. And back then it was really rough.” He continued, “Coaches grabbed me by the facemask and pulled me down, yelling. They’re still a little bit of that, but it’s eased up a little bit.”
He went on to talk about the popularity of sports in television and movies. Sciavicco said, “I just remember there was a movie, Friday Night Lights, that came on and caused a big buzz about high school football. And then there was a series called Hard Knocks, that’s still out today, that followed NFL teams during camp. I remember saying, ‘man, if people love the series, they would love a show about the ins and outs of high school football because there’s so much drama that goes on.'”
He added, “And at the time when you’re playing high school football or you’re a cheerleader or band member, high school football is a big deal. That Friday night, everybody gets together and goes to the games. There was so much drama around everything that I just felt like it’d be a great series to tell.”
Monsters and Critics had the honor of speaking with Jason Sciavicco about his upcoming series Titletown High. We spoke about his relationship with Coach Rush Propst and what makes his series special.
Titletown High touches on a universal feeling
This football series touches on the all-too-common feeling of being a high schooler; the throes of popularity and the woes of discovering how to create a work-life balance.
Speaking about working with Netflix and sharing this series with “the world,” Sciavicco expressed, “Netflix is enormous, right? I mean, over 225 million households across the world. Our show is not just a domestic show, it’s a global release. So, we were super excited to fact that we could tell our story and not just domestically, but all across the world.”
Sharing some insight on what these global viewers can expect from the series, Sciavicco said, “It’s another coming-of age-story about these kids on and off the field and how they deal with the pressures, the pressures from the coaches, their parents, college recruiters, friends trying to date. These kids spend so much time on football, they don’t have a lot of time. I think the audience is going to get an inside look at what it takes to compete at this level and still try and have a life.”
Sciavicco and Propst have stayed in contact over the years
As mentioned previously, Sciavicco and Coach Propst have worked together multiple times over the years. Between Two-A-Days and Titletown High, the two have stayed in close contact.
Sciavicco shared, “Rush and I stayed in contact. Every now and then, we check in with each other. I would see how he’s doing. He’s a phenomenal football coach and everywhere he goes, he wins.” He continued, “And so I would often check in with him, tell him congratulations. He went to one school in Georgia that was like 1-in-9. He goes there, they won the state championship. The guy is a phenomenal football coach.”
“He’s a win-at-all-costs kind of guy and he’s not afraid to admit that. He and I had kind of stayed in touch over the years. Families became friends.” However, their friendship wasn’t what got the wheels turning in Sciavicco’s head. He actually found inspiration for Titletown High from a friend.
Sciavicco said, “What actually happened is a friend of mine forwarded me an article and said, ‘Hey, did you see Rush Propst is now the head football coach at Valdosta?’ And when I saw that, it was like a light bulb went on.”
Check out our full interview below.
Titletown High is expected to premiere August 27 on Netflix.