A three-part documentary series from Mark Wahlberg's Unrealistic Ideas, Cocaine Quarterback tells the cautionary tale of drug trafficker Owen Hanson, detailing Hanson's rise from modest beginnings, to unexpectedly walking on to the National Champion USC football team, to illegal sports bookmaking, and eventually smuggling cocaine. After graduation, with his superstar friends making millions in the NFL, Owen parlayed small time criminality into a risky alliance with a powerful Mexican Cartel. When his haired-brained money laundering scheme Lost millions of the cartel's cash, Owen was caught in a web of dangerous debt, absurd criminal mishap, and thrilling FBI investigation. Fueled by the insights of those on all sides of the case, including Hanson himself, the series explores Owen's unbelievable journey from celebrated athlete to cocaine kingpin at the pinnacle of the drug world.
I was director and executive producer for all episodes and provided additional editing. Cocaine Quarterback is available on Amazon Prime Video.
The Guardian called Cocaine Quarterback: "a series that’s more entertaining than it has any right to be... huge characters join in to tell a wild, droll tale with the ultimate ending... it really is a touchdown."
Awful Announcing said: "The best documentaries are those that, if pitched as a feature film, no Hollywood studio would likely greenlight." And CalleD the series: "a fun watch over three breezy episodes."