EXCLUSIVE: Pickleball is getting its moment in the sun with a new reality series going behind the scenes of its professional tour.
Partners, which comes from Shutterstock Studios, the production arm of the image library, is a six-part series that follows more than 25 players, coaches and executives at the center of the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) tour.
The series is the first to go behind the scenes with America’s fastest-growing sport and will follow players across one full season of the tour. It will see the players train together, party together, date each other and show up at the same hotel the morning after a loss, a breakup or a contract dispute.
The sport is now played in 78 countries with nearly 20M players in the U.S. and prize money of over $30M year.
The series, which premieres on May 5, will air on Prime Video in the U.S. as well as on the Carvana PPA Tour YouTube channel and PickleballTV.
It is part of Shutterstock Studios’ long-form slate, which also includes Olympic Channel’s We Are King and the Surfing Through the Odds documentary. Partners is brand funded by Carvana.
Shutterstock Studios produces in association with Wavelength, which is behind docs such as Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Netflix’s Rather. Mark Infante, Michele Gauthier, Aiden Darne and Jon Weidman exec produce with Dan Bradley (Sprint) serving as showrunner.
“Pickleball is certainly having a moment, but most people still haven’t seen what it actually feels like inside that world,” said Shutterstock Studios’ Mark Infante. “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 recognize immediately, and new audiences can jump in without needing a primer.”
“The Carvana PPA Tour continues to showcase professional pickleball on the world’s biggest stages, and Partners gives the world a front-row seat to everything that goes on behind the scenes – the drama, the competition, the passion and much more,” added Connor Pardoe, Founder and CEO of the Carvana PPA Tour. “Pickleball is exploding, and Mark, Dan and their team have delivered a series that meets it head on as they share these amazing stories with the world.”
English (US) ·