Few digital production companies have had a year like All The Smoke Productions. The company, born from a podcast started in 2019 as an arm of Showtime Sports, has evolved into one of the fastest-growing production companies in the country. The platform now operates as a multi-layered media company focused on scaling content and partnerships, led by the creative vision of co-founders Matt Barnes, Stephen Jackson, and Brian Dailey.
Dailey, a former Showtime executive, has fueled the evolution of the brand since its inception. Leaning on his business and media acumen, he played a key role in launching All The Smoke Productions in 2024. Since then, Dailey has helped oversee the company’s continued growth by facilitating partnerships that align with the community All The Smoke has built over time.
One of those partnerships came with streaming giant Netflix. Both companies had a built in history previously when All The Smoke helped elevate engagement and attention around the platform’s boxing events. Over time, that partnership continued to evolve until recently, when All The Smoke announced it would take over production of Netflix’s podcast The White House featuring Michael Irvin.
“When Netflix launched their own podcast division and their own IP, it just was a natural conversation to have. They were looking for someone in the space that knows how to produce podcasts but also the social strategy as well,” said Dailey.
Regarding the partnership with Netflix, Dailey said he leaned on his experience working at Showtime as a foundation for what the collaboration could become.
“We built a lot of this at Showtime when I was there overseeing digital. The whole idea was to build a digital ecosystem that would support and drive to Showtime. Through boxing coverage and the podcast, create an always on ecosystem that fans will enjoy but also support drive back,” explained Dailey. “Fast forward to today. Netflix sees us as just that. A partner that can come in and really help with what they’re looking to build. It’s not far off from what we started with Showtime. It’s crazy.”
Expanding Verticals
With a growing number of partnerships, All The Smoke has also had the luxury of expanding its employee base. Dailey now oversees as many as 40 employees on the All The Smoke Productions team, as the company continues to grow not only through partnerships but also through new verticals.
Since 2024, All The Smoke Productions has launched two verticals designed to expand content offerings for its growing community. The company began with ATS Fight, focused on combat sports, and earlier this year launched ATS Dugout, centered on baseball content.
Dailey said last year All The Smoke produced six baseball interview episodes featuring host Matt Barnes as a test. The goal was to determine whether the content would resonate with the audience. Needless to say, the goal was accomplished.
“Our core is storytelling. Nobody does it better than us. So, the stories we were getting out of those episodes we felt there was so much more we could do here,” said Dailey. “I credit our head of content and partnerships Dylan Dreyfuss for beating the drum on baseball from day one. He was right… Perfect storm and perfect timing. Now we have MLB’s attention, and we’re having positive conversations with them about what a partnership could look like.”
Dailey also credits the input and collaboration of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher C.C. Sabathia for helping guide the baseball project. Regarding those conversations, Dailey said a model similar to MLB’s recent partnership with Jomboy Media is something he would be very interested in discussing with the league.
“We have a coveted audience that definitely people are interested in,” noted Dailey. “Whether that’s MLB or other leagues. We’re having a lot of good conversation about folks who hopes to tap into what we have.”
As those conversations continue, Dailey is not stopping with sports. He said he hopes to launch new verticals and expand beyond sports content by the end of 2026. Dailey referenced categories such as music, culture, and food as future areas of focus.
He also signaled that All The Smoke Productions will launch a football vertical ahead of the 2026 season. One that complements the partnership with Netflix and Michael Irvin’s podcast, while also providing content under the All The Smoke banner.
Rethinking Documentaries
Another area All The Smoke is exploring heading into the summer is documentary storytelling. Last month, the company partnered with former Meadowlark Media sports columnist and author Howard Bryant on a multi-project unscripted development deal between All The Smoke Productions and Bryant’s production company, Hawley Road.
“Right now, we have three projects identified that we’re circling. We’re hopeful to hit go on those and take to market,” said Dailey without revealing the subject matter of any project. “It’s not just about the traditional longform and partnering to get distribution with streamers. We’re looking at YouTube and other social platforms for storytelling. How could we tell stories that are twenty minutes long, but on brand in the All The Smoke ecosystem.”
Dailey noted that rethinking how the All The Smoke community consumes these documentaries is only part of the equation. Adapting to create them with smaller budgets is another challenge companies like All The Smoke Productions must navigate.
When asked whether artificial intelligence could become a tool to help address those budget concerns, Dailey did not shy away from the idea.
“Enhances is the perfect word for it. It’s a great tool especially with documentaries, we’re definitely look at that to help and enhance,” said Dailey. “There’s a lot of things out there that lends itself to the process nicely.”
Growth With No Limits
Dailey views All The Smoke Productions as being in a position of strength. He said he is satisfied with the company’s rate of growth over the past two-plus years since launching. The goal was simple. Build a company around the success of the All The Smoke podcast while developing partnerships with companies like Netflix.
With the new partnership, Dailey said the focus remains on helping Netflix continue building its IP. Instead of placing All The Smoke’s own content behind the Netflix paywall. Reports surfaced earlier this year that All The Smoke passed on placing its highly popular podcast on the Netflix platform.
However, Dailey said he remains open to revisiting the conversation in the future, while monitoring two key aspects of podcast evolution on Netflix that interest him most.
“Ultimately, are people going to eventually start to go there. And is that experience a good and positive one? Are people going to get used to it and start going there? I do think that will be the case. Then making sure that experience is good. Our community is very important to us. If it was to happen, it has to be top notch,” explained Dailey.
That community Dailey refers to continues to remain highly engaged with the All The Smoke brand. He considers that engagement level a key differentiator separating All The Smoke from its competitors in the digital content space.
That growth and engagement have continued to raise the company’s ceiling. In fact, All The Smoke’s expansion has continued without a cent of private investment, an aspect of the business model Dailey holds in particularly high regard.
However, as exciting as building a brand can be, Dailey hinted that he would be open to conversations if the right investor emerged.
“We don’t need investment right now, and we’re grateful for that,” said Dailey. “In due time if there’s a buyer that comes along where it’s the right fit. Also doesn’t compromise anything we built or stand by, of course we would entertain that.”
In an industry where digital brands often chase scale before identity, All The Smoke Productions has managed to build both simultaneously. What began as a player-driven podcast has evolved into a rapidly expanding media company with ambitions that now stretch far beyond sports.
From Netflix partnerships and documentary development to baseball, football, and culture-focused verticals, the company’s growth reflects a broader shift happening across sports media — audiences are no longer just looking for highlights or headlines. They are looking for connection, authenticity, and community.
That is the lane All The Smoke believes it owns. And if Brian Dailey’s vision continues to materialize at its current pace, the company may not simply become one of the most influential athlete-driven media brands in the business.
It could become one of the defining independent content companies of the modern streaming era.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
