HTYT Appoints OTF for Rising Phoenix Universe Distribution

Harder Than You Think (HTYT) has appointed Off the Fence (OTF) to find partners for the next four projects from HTYT’s Rising Phoenix Universe, which charts the Paralympic Games.

Rising Phoenix Universe was born out of the success of HTYT’s debut film Rising Phoenix, a feature documentary about the history of the Paralympic movement. It debuted in 2020 on Netflix and Bytedance.

Under the deal, OTF will oversee the distribution strategy for all Rising Phoenix productions: Road to Tokyo (2022) and Paris 2024: A New Revolution (w.t.). OTF will act for HTYT on selling the rights to the 2025-2028 Road To LA (w.t.), which will chart the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games and LA 2028 Paralympic Games.

OTF will also co-produce additional content commissioned outside of these core projects.

Andrew Parsons, president of the IPC, said: “We want to open up the Paralympics to the world’s greatest storytellers to help bring the world’s greatest sporting and social stories to every corner of the globe.”

Bo Stehmeier, CEO of OTF, said: “The IPC chose wisely when it granted Harder Than You Think unprecedented access to the Paralympics—and not just because Greg and his team produce glorious, award-winning work but also because their commercial instincts are as sound as their creative talent. We’re honored to have been entrusted with maximizing the reach and impact of the Rising Phoenix. The power, glory and heroism of the Paralympics deserve to be seen by the widest possible global audience—and we’re only too pleased to help make that happen.”

Greg Nugent, creator of Rising Phoenix, said: “We have something very special and unique in Rising Phoenix and its storyline. Our desire is to find a partner who shares our passion not only for extraordinary content but also more inclusive and representative production standards that can hopefully inspire others in the industry.”