NFL Films
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| Predecessor | Blair Motion Pictures |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1962 |
| Founder | Ed Sabol |
| Headquarters | Mount Laurel, New Jersey, United States |
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Key people
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Steve Sabol (1962–2012) John Facenda (1966–1984) |
| Parent | National Football League |
| Website | nflfilms.com |
NFL Films is a Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based company devoted to producing commercials, television programs, feature films, and documentaries on the National Football League, as well as other unrelated major events and awards shows. Founded as Blair Motion Pictures by Ed Sabol in 1962, and run by his son Steve Sabol until his death, it is currently owned by the NFL and produces most of its videotaped content except its live game coverage, which is handled separately by the individual networks.
Founder Ed Sabol was a World War II veteran who worked selling topcoats after returning to the United States. In his spare time, he often used a motion picture camera, received as a wedding gift, to record his son Steve’s high school football games. Inspired by his own work, Sabol founded a small film company called Blair Motion Pictures, named after his daughter Blair. Sabol won the bidding for the rights to film the 1962 NFL championship game for $5,000, double the bid for the 1961 championship game. The film of that game impressed NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, who asked the owners of the NFL to agree to buy out Sabol's company. Although the owners rejected Rozelle's proposal in 1964, they agreed a year later and renamed Sabol's company NFL Films. He received $20,000 in seed money from each of the league's 14 owners, and in return would shoot all NFL games and produce a highlight film for each team. Ed Sabol died on Monday, February 9, 2015, at his home in Arizona.
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