STUDIO CITY, CA and KANSAS CITY, MO – June 25, 2024 –– Are you ready for some football? It’s game time on Hallmark Channel this holiday season when two renowned Kansas City institutions – the Kansas City Chiefs and Hallmark – team up with the NFL and Skydance Sports for a holiday movie and partnership that will have audiences everywhere cheering – TOUCHDOWN! Tyler Hynes (Shifting Gears, Three Wise Men and a Baby), Hunter King (Two Scoops Of Italy, The Santa Summit) and Ed Begley Jr. (Young Sheldon, Better Call Saul) star in the new, original movie, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. The movie begins production next month and will film entirely in Kansas City, Missouri locations, including the iconic GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, marking the first time the loudest stadium in the world has been used as a filming location in a Hallmark movie.
“With Hallmark and the Kansas City Chiefs both homegrown, rooted in values, tradition and community, there is a special alchemy between these two iconic organizations,” said Darren Abbott, Chief Brand Officer, Hallmark. “By blending the warmth of Hallmark storytelling with the excitement of professional football, we are thrilled to give audiences a front-row seat to this community’s spirit, rich traditions and passionate fans that define Kansas City, all wrapped up in the comforting and uplifting Hallmark way.”
“We are honored to partner with Hallmark on a project as unique as this,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. “As a club, we pride ourselves on exploring new ways to grow our brand, as well as connect with new audiences. This partnership unites two passionate fanbases and gives us an opportunity to show Chiefs Kingdom’s energy and tradition on one of the most-watched channels during the holiday season.”
In Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, Alana Higman (King) is sure that her family’s lifelong history as Kansas City Chiefs superfans makes them a frontrunner to win the team’s “Fan of the Year” contest. Derrick (Hynes), Director of Fan Engagement, is tasked with evaluating how Alana and her family stack up against the other two finalists. As the pair spends time together, it’s clear there’s a spark between them but when her grandfathers (Begley Jr.) vintage Chiefs, good luck winter hat goes missing, Alana begins to doubt everything she believed about fate, destiny and even questions her future with Derrick – unless, that is, a little Christmas magic can throw a Hail Mary.
This film marks the ultimate celebration of a longstanding collaboration between the two pioneering KC-based brands, officially uniting the Hallmarkies and Chiefs Kingdom like never before. With planning underway for game-day activations, unique co-branded merchandise, and on-air, social, and digital promotion, the multifaceted partnership will engage widespread audiences both on and off the field, with more details to be announced later this year. What’s more, this film will fuel the proven track record of viewership crossover between Countdown to Christmas enthusiasts and sports fans. In fact, over 50% of Hallmark Channel viewers also watched sports while the Countdown to Christmas was on air in 2023, making this film the perfect holiday occasion.*
Skydance Sports serves as the Executive Producer of Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. A newly formed venture between Skydance Media and the NFL, Skydance Sports is designed to create a top-end sports content studio and expand multi-platform sports programming across a broad range of formats.
To celebrate the uniquely local partnership between the two organizations, Kansas City’s downtown skyline will be lit purple and red tonight beginning at sunset.