Six years after writing and producing a weekly Madeira High School YouTube series, Tony Pape's newest show will be seen on the NFL Network Saturday.
For The Godfather vs. The Gunslinger, Pape was the director of photography, editor, camera operator, audio master and creator of the computer-generated graphics on the 15-minute film, which started production just seven weeks ago.
"I really enjoyed every second of making this project, even if I didn’t get much sleep in the process," says Pape, 23, who moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Ohio University's School of Media Arts & Studies in May 2021.
The Godfather vs. The Gunslinger looks at an iconic 1984 game between two undefeated Historically Black Colleges and Universities — Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State, often called the HBCU "game of the century."
Alcorn State was coached by the late Marino Casem ("The Godfather"), a four-time Black College National Champion who won seven Southwestern Athletic Conference football championships at Alcorn State. Mississippi Valley State was coached by Archie Cooley ("The Gunslinger")known for his innovative high-scoring offense.
Most of the story is told by NFL stars Jerry Rice, a Mississippi Valley State receiver, and former Alcorn State cornerback Issiac Holt, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Dallas Cowboys. They were interviewed in San Francisco on Jan. 9. The crew also interviewed Cooley in suburban Dallas; NFL executive Troy Vincent in New York; and Black College Football Hall of Famer Willie Totten, a former Mississippi Valley State quarterback and assistant head coach.
The Godfather vs. The Gunslinger is available on NFL.com’s HBCU landing page.It eventually will be streaming on Tubi, Peacock, and NFL network, Pape says.
The film also will air during NFL Access 3:30 p.m. Saturday on the NFL Network, before the second annual HBCU Legacy Bowl game at 4 p.m. Saturday from Tulane University's Yulman Stadium.
"The story of The Godfather vs. the Gunslinger celebrates the innovation from HBCUs that is often overlooked," said Shayna Hayes, NFL head of content, entertainment and initiatives, in the show's announcement. "We tell these stories and give these legends their flowers so that they are never forgotten."
Walt Brock, the film director and co-founder of the CrossOvr Collective production company which made it, says the documentary "is not only a celebration of the rich history of HBCU football, but also a tribute to the skills and talents of these four legendary figures."
Pape, a 2017 Madeira graduate, started editing the documentary Jan. 29 at a computer in his West Hollywood apartment.
"We didn't have much of a budget, and the deadline was super tight. We were originally supposed to shoot two-and-a half days in Mississippi where the game took place, but we ended up shooting one at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, one day in Atlanta, one day in Texas and one day in New York," Pape says.
One of Pape's first freelance jobs after arriving in Los Angeles was helping shoot a birthday party for a director who then asked Pape to help him shoot video for CrossOvr at the NFL draft in spring 2022.
"CrossOvr — I call them 'OVR' — ended up liking me and bringing me on a bunch of other projects. They're kind of new and hungry, so it was a good fit," says Pape, who has been able to support himself as a freelancer on film crews without having to bartend, wait tables, or take other odd jobs.
"I consider myself very blessed. You get a few jobs for free at first, get your foot in the door and meet a lot of people," he says.
Pape, who has been "making stupid little videos" with friends and his sister since childhood, says the Madeira High School video production class "was an opportunity to do everything I wanted." Pape directed, produced and sometimes wrote over 40 episodes of the weekly What's Up Madeira.
One of his high school video teachers, longtime Cincinnati broadcast executive and engineer Jay Adrick, says Pape "absorbed the technical side and all the production values like a sponge, and he's a very creative writer. He's amazing. He hit the ground running in L.A. and is gainfully employed as a freelancer."
At Ohio University, he was mentored by Brian Plow, associate director of the Media Arts & Studies school. "OU for me was fantastic because I was in the Honors Tutorial College and able to work one-on-one with Professor Plow deciding between the two of us what I should do," Pape says.
His senior year, Pape filmed a 41-minute pilot for a TV dramedy series called Overdose in Athens and Greater Cincinnati. He plans to shop it around to TV networks and Hollywood studios after he builds up more production credits from the success of The Godfather vs. The Gunslinger.
"This was a truly amazing opportunity that felt simultaneously like the culmination of a lot of hard work as well as the start of even more," he says.
