Logan Beerman

Logan Beerman ’16

Ben Weiner (’17) and Logan Beerman (’16), came together to form Bazooka Entertainment, LLC a few years ago to film, edit and produce sports-related content. With their main clients being NFL Network and US Soccer, they became immersed in the sports world and decided they wanted to create a story of their own – an independent documentary about the 1979 University of Pennsylvania basketball team and their improbable run to the NCAA Final Four.

“Why this story?” you may ask. Well, Ben’s family has a history of Penn alumni, and when he heard the “Cinderella Story”, he just knew there was something there that both sport fans and those that love feelgood stories would both enjoy. Here’s a gist of it:

In 1979, 35 million people watched the NCAA Basketball Championship. Two of college basketball’s greats, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, faced off in the highest-rated college basketball game of all time. But before the ball was even tipped, the greatest story of tournament had already been written. The Pennsylvania Quakers became (and still are) the only Ivy League school to ever reach the Final Four. It’s one of college basketball’s best underdog stories that few remember – and Ben and Logan knew they had to tell the story.

Ben Weiner

Ben Weiner ’17

From all that they learned through Dodge’s TV and Documentary program, both Ben and Logan have always been drawn to the sports documentary genre. Chapman allowed them to explore their interests to the fullest, by participating in the Chapman Sports Broadcast Network, which led them both to an internship with ESPN, where they both made documentary-style featurettes. From there, the door opened up for more internship and job opportunities within the sports world. Throughout the education and professional experience, they have used their professors and peers from Chapman as resources – and have consistently worked together.

Now, Ben and Logan are asking for the Chapman community’s help to help crowdfund their film in the last few weeks of the campaign. The film has raised over $40,000 already, but still has quite a bit to go. To contribute and learn more about the film, please visit the campaign at Indiegogo

Thank you for reading – and please reach out with any questions!
-Ben & Logan.