SEE FULL PREP NETWROK INTERVIEW HERE
Key Takeaways
- DICK’S Sporting Goods launched Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios, dedicated to sports-centered storytelling with youth sports as a key focus
- Studio name honors founder Dick Stack’s 1948 origin story of borrowing $300 from his grandmother’s cookie jar to start the business
- First major project is “Big Dreams: The Little League World Series 2024” documentary, co-produced with Imagine Entertainment and MLB Studios
- Company has won two Sports Emmys for documentary work, including 2024’s “The Turnaround”
- Future projects include a 1994 U.S. World Cup team documentary set for 2026 release
New Studio Builds on Decade of Sports Storytelling
DICK’S Sporting Goods has formalized its content creation efforts with Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios, a new in-house production arm focused on sports storytelling. The announcement coincides with the premiere of “Big Dreams: The Little League World Series 2024,” which debuted August 12.
In an interview with Prep Network, Mark Rooks, DICK’S VP of Creative, Entertainment & Sponsorships, explained that the studio represents “a natural extension of the company’s long-standing commitment to purpose-driven storytelling that places sports at the center of culture and community.”
The retailer has been producing documentary content since 2014, starting with “We Could Be King,” which followed two rival high school football teams forced to combine due to budget cuts. That film earned DICK’S its first Sports Emmy. The company won its second Sports Emmy in 2024 for “The Turnaround.”
Cookie Jar Origins Connect to Youth Sports Mission
The studio’s name directly ties to DICK’S founding story. In 1948, 18-year-old Dick Stack borrowed $300 from his grandmother’s savings, kept in a cookie jar, to open a small bait-and-tackle shop in Binghamton, New York.
“That humble beginning continues to shape the studio’s mission to elevate the voices and stories at the core of sport,” Rooks told Prep Network.
The Little League documentary specifically resonates with company history. Stack worked to expand local Little League programs near the first DICK’S store so more children could participate in organized baseball.
Content Strategy Targets Long-Term Audience Building
Rooks emphasized that the in-house studio model allows DICK’S to create content that “lives forever, not just in a finite media window.” The approach differs from traditional advertising by focusing on authentic sports narratives rather than direct product promotion.
“For us, it’s about telling great sports stories, creating more fans of sport, and hopefully fans of DICK’S Sporting Goods as a brand along the way,” Rooks said in the Prep Network interview.
The “Big Dreams” documentary was filmed in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, home of the Little League World Series for nearly eight decades. DICK’S co-produced the project with Imagine Entertainment and MLB Studios.
Pipeline Includes World Cup and Running Documentary
Several projects are in development for 2026 and beyond. With the FIFA World Cup coming to the United States in 2026, DICK’S is developing a documentary about the 1994 U.S. World Cup team in partnership with Imagine Entertainment.
The studio is also working on a documentary about a female runner who overcomes a near-death accident to return to competitive running, though specific details were not disclosed in the Prep Network conversation.
Strategic Implications for Retail-Media Integration
The move reflects a broader trend of retailers investing in original content creation to build deeper customer relationships. By focusing on authentic sports stories rather than traditional advertising, DICK’S positions itself as a curator of sports culture beyond product sales.
The youth sports focus aligns with the company’s core customer base while potentially reaching parents and young athletes through compelling storytelling rather than direct marketing messages.
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