Teesside Lions basketball club is the subject of a film documentary, airing Saturday 9/01/21, by talented local boy Charlie McKenna.

Documentary Trailer:

Charlie, a pupil of Nunthorpe Academy in Middlesbrough, is just 14 years old but has already caught the eye of some established creative branding agencies and Videographers such as Ryze and Castle Productions, both impressed by his previous work.

The latest project is quite the undertaking, with a four-part documentary about the Teesside Lions titled The Rise of The Lions.

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With footage, interviews and an interesting insight into the club, Charlie has produced a timeline of events from 10 years ago up until the present, covering topics such as history, community, schools, the appointment of Great Britain Coach Marc Steuel, the assembly of an impressive team and the ultimate thorn in the side; Covid 19 Lockdown.

Charlie, who also plays for the U16 National League Lions has produced a library of content since his interest in film began during the early stages of the first lockdown. His most notable film was a Club promo. The 20/21 Trailer which is available on YouTube had more than 15k views on Facebook and is increasingly looking like a testament to what could have been.

The new visual feast for sports enthusiasts and anyone with a Teesside affiliation will be released every Saturday at 8pm for four weeks.

James Thomson, Chairman of the club explained the logic: “First, I would like to thank Charlie for this remarkable work. I have been fortunate to view the first episode and its still hard to believe he has delivered this to such a high standard. He has also managed to squeeze so much in; including the extra weight I have put on over the last 10 months!

“The documentary has been in production for quite a while but with the latest Lockdown being announced, we wanted to align the release to help people get through.

“The latest lockdown is our third and we have seen the physical and mental effect on so many young people who have missed their regular training twice already. We are also aware of the effect on players over 18 (some as old as 50) who have not been able to enjoy their passion for more than ten months.

“It is our hope that this documentary will provide some engagement, respite and hope over the next four weeks as we near the end of what will hopefully be our final lockdown and a return to some form of normality for everyone.”

Viewers are invited to tune in to Teesside Lions Facebook or YouTube platforms on each Saturday at 8pm, beginning this Saturday.