Freestyle Digital Media Secures VOD Rights for George Schlatter Documentary

Freestyle Digital Media, a division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, has acquired the North American video-on-demand rights to Sock It To Me: The Legend of George Schlatter. The documentary will debut on digital platforms on Dec. 8. The deal was negotiated directly between Freestyle and the filmmakers, as well as George Schlatter Productions.

The feature examines the seven-decade career of Schlatter, who is now 96 years old. It highlights his role in creating Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the NBC variety show that premiered in 1968. The program helped launch the careers of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin and influenced the development of late-night television, including Saturday Night Live.

Schlatter also created and produced the NBC reality series Real People starting in 1979. In that show's early seasons, an 18-year-old Byron Allen served as a regular co-host. The documentary uses archival footage and interviews to explore how Schlatter transformed television comedy.

Interviews in the film include appearances by Hawn, Tom Hanks, Tomlin, Martin Short, Billy Crystal, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Lionel Richie, Lisa Ann Walter, Berry Gordy, and Allen. Chris Coronado wrote and directed the project. Coronado has served as creative director at George Schlatter Productions since 2016, where he oversees creative development.

Schlatter said in a statement that people had long urged him to write an autobiography, but he had always suggested someone else do it. "They then explained to me that it wouldn't be an autobiography, so here we are," he said. He described the partnership with Allen's company as a "full circle moment."

Referencing a catchphrase associated with Laugh-In, Schlatter added: "You bet your sweet bippy I'm excited for audiences to see it and remind them of the power of laughter!" Greg Myers and Dayna Winston produced the documentary alongside Coronado.