Gotham Chopra | Co-founder of Religion of Sports | Acclaimed Filmmaker and Storyteller (EP.123)

About this episode

Gotham Chopra discusses athlete-driven storytelling and the evolving landscape of sports documentaries.

In this episode of the Sports Business Classroom Audio Experience, VSL alum Alex Cocoros sits down with Gotham Chopra, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and creative force behind Man in the Arena with Serena Williams. Growing up immersed in Boston sports and inspired by his father’s work as a writer, Gotham has always seen sports as a gateway to something bigger—human stories of greatness, struggle, and purpose. Over the years, he’s become a trusted voice in athlete-driven storytelling, capturing the lives of figures like Tom Brady, Conor McGregor, and LeBron James. In this conversation, Gotham opens up about what it takes to earn an athlete’s trust, how the storytelling process has evolved in the streaming era, and why mental health and vulnerability are becoming central themes in today’s sports documentaries. In this episode, they dive into: How to earn trust with top athletes and turn that into authentic storytelling Why great characters (and their complications) are the heart of any documentary How mental health and player empowerment are reshaping the documentary space His next project with Tom Brady in London, documenting the rebuild of a soccer team Gotham shares how working…

People in this episode

Host: Alex Cocoros

Guest: Gotham Chopra

Topics covered

• athlete storytelling
• mental health
• documentary filmmaking
• trust in sports
• player empowerment
• creative process

Keywords

• Gotham Chopra
• sports documentaries
• athlete trust
• mental health
• storytelling
• Tom Brady
• documentary filmmaking

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Religion of Sports

Books & works: Man in the Arena

Places: London, Boston

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