ESPN has extended the 30 for 30 brand in a number of interesting ways. In addition to the 60-120 minute long documentaries that launched the brand, there are now 30 for 30 podcasts, special sub-brands like Nine for IX and 30 for 30: Soccer Stories, and the 30 for 30 Shorts, which have largely debuted online.
The brand is about to break new ground with No Kin To Me. That 30 for 30 Short is about to be extended into a full length documentary in preparation to make the jump from online to linear television.
No Kin To Me tells the story of Rudy Macklin, a former basketball stand out at LSU who answered “If he was kin to me, I could understand” when asked if John Hinkley Jr’s attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan affected LSU in their loss to Virginia in the NCAA Tournament consolation game on March 30, 1981. When asked to clarify what he meant, Macklin responded “He’s not kin to me, OK?”. That answer lead to a number of threats and harassment that had Macklin fearing for his life.
The documentary originally debuted online in 2016. The elongated version of No Kin To Me will debut as an SEC Storied presentation on the SEC Network. It will air March 18 right after the network’s Women’s Tournament Selection Special.
