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Frederick "Fritz" Mitchell, three-time Peabody Award winning documentary filmmaker, has produced some of the industries most recognized sports pieces. His body of work has earned him 7 Emmys from 22 nominations, an Eclipse Award, as well as recognition in the New York Film Festival.
Fritz started his television career as a researcher for CBS Sports in 1982. Promotions led to work in the capacity of Associate Producer, Associate Director, and Feature Producer on live sports events including the NFL, Super Bowl, College Football, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Daytona 500, The Masters, US Open Tennis, and Olympics for both CBS Sports and NBC Sports. He joined ESPN in 1998 to produce long format documentaries.
Having witnessed many of the great sports moments over the last 29 years, Fritz has an understanding of the underlying human aspect that allows us to connect with sports heroes. He earned his first Peabody Award and an additional Emmy Award producing profiles for ESPN's Sports Century series. He later produced and directed Dick Schaap: Flashing Before My Eyes, a two-hour documentary that looked at the people Dick Schaap "collected" during his 50 years in sports and journalism. Schaap found the unusual stories that nobody else had uncovered. He came to know athletes, actors, cops and comedians during a simpler era when this was still possible. This film received two Emmy Awards and a Silver World Medal in the New York Festival. Sports Illustrated: 50 Years of Great Stories, another two-hour documentary, focused on some of the best sports writers of our time. Their words have explained the significance of singular events, explored the nature of celebrity, exposed scandals, and revealed personalities. Great story telling illuminated Sonny Liston, Secretariat, Jack Nicklaus, and Mississippi State University breaking the color barrier. This film received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Sports Documentary.
Working closely with author and artist James Prosek, Fritz produced and directed The Complete Angler with James Prosek, a one-hour film that follows Prosek's journey to capture the spirit of Izaak Walton's philosophies in The Compleat Angler. This program highlighted James' discovery that "The Compleat Angler is not about fishing, but about life. Or rather, it is about fishing - but fishing is life." After airing on ESPN this documentary was recognized by winning Fritz's second Peabody Award as well as an Emmy Award.
Fritz had the opportunity to work with Pulitzer Prize winning writer David Halberstam when he produced and directed the film The Teammates, based on Halberstam's book about former Red Sox teammates who come to terms with their own mortality as they say goodbye to a dying Ted Williams. This film aired on ESPN, received three Emmy nominations and was a Silver World Medal Winner in the New York Festival. Smarty Jones: America's Horse, a 30-minute film, is a story of second chances for a horse that was once badly injured. This program won an Eclipse Award in 2005. Also airing on ESPN, The Season: Paterno gave Fritz the opportunity to focus on his personal love of college football and a man who has dedicated his entire life to it. Paterno embodies the best of what college football represents to its players, the students and of course, the fans.
Fritz lives in Vermont with his wife and two children. In his spare time he coaches youth sports and pursues his passion for fly fishing on the rivers of the Adirondacks.
