Shutterstock grows studios business with pickleball docuseries for Prime Video

The Carvana PPA Tour is described as a “travelling university”

Shutterstock Studios, the production division of stock photo and video provider Shutterstock, is expanding its longform documentary efforts with the launch of a new series set in the world of pickleball.

The company has partnered with the Carvana PPA (Professional Pickleball Association) Tour on reality series Partners, which follows a group of 25 players, coaches and execs involved with the sport.

According to a logline, the six-part series “pulls back the curtain on a league often described as a travelling university: players train together, party together, date each other and show up at the same hotel the morning after a loss, a break-up or a contract dispute.”

Partners will premiere on Prime Video in the US, as well as the Carvana PPA Tour YouTube channel and PickleballTV, on May 5.

It is produced by Shutterstock Studios in association with Wavelength. Executive producers include Mark Infante, Michele Gauthier, Aiden Darne and Jon Weidman, with Dan Bradley showrunning.

Shutterstock Studios produces projects across branded content, commercial production and longer-form doc programming for TV, film and social media. Its other credits include We Are King (Olympic Channel) and the documentary Surfing Through the Odds, in partnership with Betclic.

Often referred to as the fastest-growing sport in North America, pickleball now has almost 20 million players in the US alone, with the prize money for professional players now exceeding US$30m.

“Pickleball is certainly having a moment, but most people still haven’t seen what it actually feels like inside that world,” said Infante, executive producer at Shutterstock Studios.

“The access we received from the Carvana PPA Tour changed everything, placing us directly within the action – close to the players, decisions and the dynamics. That level of access only happens through trust and when a brand is part of the story from the start. We’re telling real stories that core fans will recognise immediately, and new audiences can jump in without needing a primer.”