You may not know Aaron Cohen, but if you are a fan of sports documentaries you know of him. Ever watch ‘24/7” or “The Road To The Winter Classic” or some of the great “30 For 30” pieces on ESPN and marvel at the storytelling and how it comes together? That’s his work. A master writer whose work in sport is akin to what Aaron Sorkin has done for fictional series, there are few who can tell a story as well as Aaron Cohen. In a time of business where the art of storytelling is key to success, Cohen has literally and figuratively written the textbook on how to do it and do it well.
We caught up with Aaron to tell the story of how he tells stories (his bio follows)
When writing a series, is there ever a time when you are NOT thinking about the script?
There definitely have to be times when I’m not thinking about the script – lots of times. This genre – let’s call it “narrated docu-reality sports television” – is very much a meld of picture and sound; one can’t exist without the other, one wouldn’t be as good without the other. In so many other genres – feature film, scripted television, plays – the script absolutely always comes first. Here, often, I am writing script based on picture that’s already been shot and (at least roughly) edited. So I think at its best, the script will respond to and interact with the rest of the material – the visuals, the sound and dialogue from the characters, etc. It’s not just my job to just write a great script; it’s my job to write a script that complements the rest of the show.
What is your favorite project thus far?
I’m not sure if this is simply difficult or actually impossible to answer. All projects present their own challenges, which lead to different kinds of satisfaction. Traditional documentaries are like a puzzle – you get handed an (hopefully) amazing story, and you have to determine the best way to present it. You work for months to do this, in a process that includes all kinds of overhauling, revising, and refining, and then you finish it. But because you know the story so well, and you’ve thought about it so much, if you’re a self-critical filmmaker and honest with yourself, the best that you can do is just hope that you did it right. Even if the reaction is positive (which, don’t get me wrong, is great), part of you is never sure – and resigned to that uncertainty. Contrast that with the quick-turnaround “docu-reality” I referenced above – when the challenge is much more of a fire drill, more high-pressured, more demanding over a shorter period of time. There’s barely any time to think about more than one way to tell a story – the process forces you to go with your instinct, and rely upon the quickest ideas to emerge. Even if these shows exhaust me while they’re in production, afterwards, I like the feeling of accomplishment they give me – of knowing how hard it was just to get anything on the air. And the hardest series I’ve done of this ilk are the hockey shows – the four-part series of hour-long episodes I’ve worked on at HBO and now Epix. The process is, well, somewhere between difficult and impossible. Which makes the result extremely satisfying. So in that sense, okay fine, they’re my favorite.
How did you come to writing for such series? Is it something you had thought about in school?
I never knew exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up. I still feel like I don’t. But I liked journalism (media studies was the only “A” I got in four years of college, and I spent all my time working at the school paper anyway). Originally, I thought maybe I would want to write for Sports Illustrated, but the luck of the draw in the internship carousel kind of carried me to sports TV, where I discovered I liked the energy and constant collaborative atmosphere. I was fortunate to be mentored by one of the great writers in this business (Brian Brown), who kept me focused on valuing and trying to improve my writing. Then, I’d say it was a right place, right time thing in 2007 when HBO started the “24/7” series and Jason Hehir, one of the creators and first producers of the series, brought me in to work on the narration. I remember being really, really (and I’m being conservative with the “reallys”) when we found out Liev Schreiber agreed to narrate the series, and when it came to time to start writing the shows, I felt like it was kind of a “go big or go home” thing when it came to creating a voice and a style. Fortunately, no one’s asked me to go home yet.
Who do you like to read?
I read a ton of non-fiction magazine writing. The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and then a ton of other things that I get wind of from “long read” lists and recommendations on Twitter and the like. I find that with my life (living in the city, working long hours, and having two young children at home), I need to have a system to get all that reading done. I use the “Pocket” app on my web browser, which basically allows you to save a link on all your devices – computer, phone, etc. And then I do most of my reading on the subway, on my phone. At this point, I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I won’t be able to read a lot of books, even though I wish I could.
Any writers who you try to pattern yourself after?
Not consciously. When I’m writing about a specific game or team, I actually try to limit my feature reading of the subject – I get a little paranoid about unwittingly cribbing ideas that I might see. So I try and start fresh. But I find that reading a lot of the material I mentioned above – the print (and, of course, web) magazine stuff – is a great way to constantly be inspired by brilliant writing, and the power that it can have over you.
Have you sought out others who have done sports anthologies for advice?
I’m not sure I would know who to go to. At least from my vantage point, it’s a pretty niche field, and there aren’t that many series of the types I work on – at least the kind that seem to put a real emphasis on narration writing. That said, having worked in other parts of the business – namely big live events like the Olympics – I’ve made great friends with some other writers, and it’s a terrific experience to work alongside them, as opposed to the series, where (so far) I’ve always been a lone writer.
What is the toughest part of writing these series, virtually in real time?
Writing the opens and closes, which are typically in essay form and based on themes that need to sustain themselves and be original and compelling. In a four-part series, that could be as many as eight pieces – eight ideas to brainstorm, develop, and script. Actually, I would say that my biggest ally is a deadline – I’ve learned that being up against it forces me to focus and do some of my best work.
What do you enjoy doing more, longer lead documentaries or the week to week series?
I think my answer in your earlier question might indicate that I like the week-to-week series better – but really, I enjoy them both. If I only did the week-to-week series, I think I’d burn out. The longer lead documentaries can be laboratories where the constant rewriting makes you better. And that puzzle I talked about – trying to figure out how to tell a big story – is a ton of fun to tackle, particularly with a great director (and I’ve been fortunate to have worked with so many). So in a perfect year, I like to be working on both.
If you hit a dry spell, anything you do to break it up?
I try to have faith in my own process. I mentioned the difficulty of writing opens and closes in a series. Ultimately, the product I produce for a given piece might be 250 words max. That’s not very long at all, which means that a lot of the writing process is going to be spent brainstorming and developing. And it can be hard for me to just sit there at the screen and keep, well, thinking. So I try and stay relaxed and don’t beat myself up if I find myself procrastinating on the Internet or getting a cup of tea or whatever. Sometimes I’ll switch it up and work with a pen and notebook instead of my computer. Other times I’ll just force myself to type out every single thought that comes into my head. A 200-word close would typically take up less than a page – but often, my working word document gets to be 10 or 12 pages of notes and abandoned ideas.
What is the best advice you have been given as a writer, and, in a world where we are driven to sound bites, what advice can you give to young people looking to write professionally?
I would say that the best advice was very simple. Armen Keteyian, the great reporter, once told me to “Always write big.” And what I took that to mean was to take chances, and to try and be great. As far as advice I’d give to young people, I would repeat that, but I would also go back a step and just tell them to simply write as much as they can. If they’re students, write for their school newspaper or magazine. If they’re out of school and looking to get into writing, start blogging, or even just keep a journal. The more you write, the more comfortable you get as a writer, and the better you get as a writer. And of course reading is important, too – read great things that will inspire you to write.
About Aaron Cohen
Aaron Cohen is a television writer and producer who has won eighteen Emmys and a Peabody Award for his work, receiving the Dick Schaap Award for Outstanding Writing three times. He has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the sports and entertainment business on documentaries, studio programs, and live broadcasts, as well as books.
In the documentary sphere, Cohen has written and produced some of the most popular and highly acclaimed sports films and programs of the last decade. In 2008, 2010, and 2012, Cohen won the Dick Schaap Award at the Sports Emmys for his work on HBO’s critically lauded boxing and hockey documentary series “24/7.” Cohen has also written three Emmy award winning documentaries – “Brooklyn Dodgers: Ghosts of Flatbush” (HBO, 2007), “Assault in the Ring” (HBO, 2008), and “The Doctor” (NBA TV, 2013).
Cohen’s many other documentary credits include films for ESPN’s highly regarded “30 for 30” series, HBO Sports’ long heralded “Sports of the 20th Century” and “Legends and Legacies” series, as well as a host of other networks. At ESPN, in 2011, Cohen was a producer and writer of the critically acclaimed ESPN Films documentary “The Fab Five,” which premiered as the network’s highest-rated documentary ever. He also was a senior producer and writer of the critically acclaimed 2011 ESPN Film “Renee,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival; the writer of the 2012 Emmy nominated ESPN Films documentary “The Announcement,” narrated by Magic Johnson, about the basketball legend’s battle with HIV; the writer of “Swoopes,” an entry in the critically acclaimed “Nine for IX” series in the summer of 2013; the co-writer of “Bad Boys,” a 2014 “30 for 30” film on the Detroit Pistons teams that won back-to-back championships in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s; and a producer of “Rand University,” another 2014 “30 for 30” film, on Randy Moss’s upbringing in West Virginia.
At HBO, Cohen wrote the Emmy nominated HBO documentary “Ted Williams” (2009); the Emmy nominated and Peabody award winning documentary “Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals” (2010); the Emmy nominated documentary “McEnroe/Borg: Fire and Ice” (2011); the critically acclaimed documentary “The Curious Case of Curt Flood” (2011); and the Emmy nominated special “Derek Jeter 3K” (2011).
Other documentaries Cohen has written include “The Dream Team,” the 2012 Emmy-nominated film about the Olympic basketball team that was the highest-rated telecast ever on NBA TV; the 2013 Fox special “Being: The Finest,” a film on the New York City police department football team; “LT: The Life and Times,” a 2013 film on New York Giants great Lawrence Taylor that aired on Showtime; and the three-part 2014 documentary series “Arnie,” about Arnold Palmer, which was the most-watched original film ever on Golf Channel. Cohen has also remained on the forefront of the growing field of docu-reality programs in sports, beginning with his groundbreaking work on “24/7” for HBO, and continuing with such critically acclaimed series as “Being: Liverpool” (Fox, 2012) and “Road to the NHL Winter Classic” (Epix, 2014).
Cohen was the executive producer of “Every Day,” a short film commissioned by ESPN about Joy Johnson, the oldest woman to ever complete the New York City Marathon, which will be premiering on opening night of the Sundance Film Festival in January 2015. Cohen previously made his debut as an executive producer on the independent documentary “The Good Son,” based on Mark Kriegel’s book about boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, which played at the Philadelphia Film Festival, the Hamptons International Film Festival, and was named the best feature at the Shadow Box Film Festival in New York City.
In live and studio programming, Cohen has worked closely with broadcaster Bob Costas for the past decade-plus at HBO and NBC. He has been a writer on NBC’s primetime coverage of the Olympic Games since 2004, and the head writer of the coverage since 2010. He was a member of the Peabody-Award winning production team of the 2008 Opening Ceremony at the Beijing Olympics. Cohen was also a writer and feature producer on the critically acclaimed HBO series “Costas Now” (and prior to that, “On the Record”), as well as a writer and feature producer for several years on “Inside the NFL,” hosted by Costas. Cohen has been the studio writer of NBC’s “Football Night in America” and “Costas Tonight” on the NBC Sports Network, and also worked as a writer on various other NBC Sports telecasts such as Wimbledon, the NHL Winter Classic and Stanley Cup Final, the Triple Crown, U.S. Open, and the ING New York City Marathon. In 2007, Cohen wrote the memorable opening tease to the coverage of the marathon, which was performed by Alec Baldwin, and nominated for an Emmy.
Elsewhere in sports television, Cohen also does work for Major League Baseball Productions, as a writer on various series and specials, and the NFL Network, as a co-creator, writer and senior producer of the Emmy award winning NFL.com series “The NFL Season: A Biography.” Cohen also wrote the memorable Emmy nominated “Lombardi Returns” series of opening sequences for the network’s postseason coverage in 2011, featuring Dan Lauria as Vince Lombardi. And at ESPN, Cohen has been a writer on the ESPY Awards, most notably as a contributor to the annual “Arthur Ashe Courage Award” feature.
In the radio world, Cohen was a senior producer and writer on “Costas on the Radio,” the nationally syndicated weekly program hosted by Bob Costas from 2006 to 2009.
In the print sphere, Cohen collaborated with Michael D. Eisner, the former CEO of the Walt Disney Company, on the book “Working Together: Why Great Partnerships Succeed” (Harper Business, September 2010), an intimate look at successful duos in the business world and beyond such as Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, Bill and Melinda Gates, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, and Joe Torre and Don Zimmer. Cohen previously assisted Eisner with his memoir “Camp” (Warner Books, 2005).
Cohen graduated from Harvard University in 2000, where he was an executive at The Harvard Crimson and a sportscaster for the school’s radio station WHRB. He lives in New York City with his wife Miriam, an attorney and director of human resources at Uncommon Schools, a charter school management organization, and their daughters Sabrina and Lyla.
