Jai Khanna Is Pioneering The Future Of Sports Programming

India-West Staff Reporter
LOS ANGELES, CA – After years as one of the industry’s top talent managers, Jai Khanna is building a timely new production company — with a vision for bringing sports stories to the forefront.

In the ever-evolving landscape of entertainment, sports programming is rapidly increasing and Indian American Jai Khanna’s Victory Sports Media production company is at the forefront of the surge in global sports programming. With a focus on premium content, Victory specializes in film, television, and digital media that tell the stories of the journey to victory.

With only a few producers in the sports programming landscape, Khanna alongside Co-Founder Parag Parikh, Victory Sports Media is leading the conversation and actively setting the messages for a segment of entertainment that is rapidly growing.

“It is an exciting time to be a part of the entertainment industry surrounding sports,” said Khanna. “There is a massive move towards unscripted and live sports programming – there is an opportunity for platforms to create a vibrant ecosystem that includes shoulder content to retain audiences. We are creating compelling stories that do just that.”

Since founding Victory in 2021, Kahnna has produced the Emmy-nominated documentary “The Great Debate with Charles Barkley,” on TNT, the upcoming Michelle Wie West documentary set to premiere on NBC and Peacock in May as well as a robust slate of high-profile projects in development.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Khanna graduated from the University of California Davis where he was a student-athlete. He went on to work as an entertainment talent manager at the preeminent Brillstein Entertainment where he repped the biggest names in Hollywood for 22 years. His clients over the years included talent such as Eva Mendes, Sarah Silverman, Irrfan Khan,Tiffani Thiessen, Hirthik Roshan, Ike Barinholtz, Larenz Tate among others. His credits include over 25 films, where he served as Producer or Executive Producer.

Now, he’s leveraging his expertise to create content that engages consumers and drives business for the company’s platform partners. Through strategic partnerships and innovative marketing strategies, Khanna and his team have successfully positioned Victory as a trusted partner for brands looking to make a meaningful impact in the sports world. Most recently, Victory announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Ellevest, the investing and wealth management company built by women for women. Ellevest has over $1.9 billion in assets under management. The strategic alliance is Ellevest’s first-ever direct investment offering in film and women’s sports. Together, Victory and Ellevest are aiming to increase women-centric sports content.

“Using capital alongside mission-driven brands to advance audiences through storytelling are exactly the types of opportunities we’re forging,” said Khanna “We are creating strategic partnerships and reinvesting into the communities whose stories we are telling.”

The partnership also highlights Victory’s concerted focus to establish a library that includes a large offering of female-hero storytelling. Their vision is proving to be spot on with the increased global interest around women’s sports.

“Brands are recognizing the growing market potential of women’s sports and the unique opportunity to connect with audiences through inspiring stories,” he shared “it’s inspiring to see the impact female athletes are having on the industry we are committed to being a part of continuing to drive those stories to the forefront.”

Looking ahead, Khanna envisions Victory Sports Media as a catalyst for change in the sports entertainment landscape. With a steadfast commitment to creating best-in-class programming and a passion for creating diverse gripping emotional portraits of perseverance and the human spirit of sports, Khanna and Victory are set to captivate audiences for a long time to come.

“We have a pipeline of projects that are going to be real cultural conversations. First-ever glimpses into some of the world’s biggest athletes, franchises and iconic moments. There are a lot of inspirational stories to tell. We’re just getting started.”