Sean Garnier, Toli Makris, Paul Black, and Jeremiah Black Join Forces to Bring the World’s Fastest-Growing Street Football Culture to Global Audiences
LOS ANGELES, CA — Urbanball, the global street football platform founded by Sean Garnier and Toli Makris, today announced the development of UrbanBall: Solo Master, a premium sports entertainment series created in partnership with Black Atlas Films.
Inspired by the explosive growth of Urbanball and its revolutionary Fight Ball 1v1 format, the series aims to showcase the world’s most talented street football players through a unique combination of elite competition, cinematic storytelling, and authentic human journeys.
Since its launch in 2022, Urbanball has grown into one of the most viewed street football properties in the world, generating billions of video views across digital platforms, hosting events across multiple continents, and bringing the sport to some of the world’s most iconic stages, including activations surrounding the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
UrbanBall: Solo Master is being developed as a premium non-scripted series that follows elite players from diverse backgrounds as they compete in high-stakes Fight Ball battles while pursuing their dreams on and off the pitch. Filming is expected to take place across major cities throughout the Americas, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, and New York.
At the center of the series is Fight Ball, Urbanball’s signature 1v1 football format that combines technical skill, creativity, athleticism, and mental toughness in fast-paced winner-takes-all matchups. Designed for modern audiences, the format condenses the excitement of football into intense individual battles where every touch, move, and decision can determine the outcome.
Unlike traditional football competitions, UrbanBall: Solo Master will focus equally on the personal stories behind the athletes, highlighting the communities, cultures, sacrifices, and ambitions that shape their journeys.
“Urbanball has always been about giving street football players the platform they deserve,” said Sean Garnier, Co-Founder of Urbanball and host of the proposed series. “Over the past few years we’ve seen incredible talent emerge from every corner of the world. Solo Master is an opportunity to bring those stories to a much larger audience while showcasing a format that represents the future of street football.”
The project is being developed in collaboration with Black Atlas Films, the Los Angeles-based production company founded by brothers Paul Black and Jeremiah Black, whose work spans television, documentaries, branded entertainment, and commercial productions for globally recognized brands.
“Street football is one of the most authentic and universal sports cultures on the planet,” said Paul Black, Co-Founder of Black Atlas Films. “What attracted us to Urbanball was not only the competition format, but the incredible stories behind the athletes. Our goal is to create a series that feels cinematic, emotional, and genuinely inspiring.”
For Urbanball Co-Founder Toli Makris, the project represents the next step in the company’s broader vision to build a global ecosystem around street football.
“Urbanball was never created as just another tournament series,” said Makris. “Our vision has always been to build a global platform that combines live events, technology, content, and community. Solo Master allows us to bring the stories behind this movement to mainstream audiences while introducing millions of new fans to the athletes and culture that make street football so special.”
The announcement comes as Urbanball continues its largest international expansion to date, with events taking place across North America, Europe, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. The company recently announced its Americas Tour, featuring official qualifying events in Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, and New York, culminating in a major finale event in New York this summer.
The development of UrbanBall: Solo Master reflects Urbanball’s continued commitment to expanding the visibility of street football and creating new opportunities for athletes worldwide through competition, content, and technology.
“Spend ten minutes around street football and you realize it’s one of the most universal cultures on earth. The talent is world-class, the stakes are real, and the stories are incredible — but most people have never had the chance to see it. Our goal is to create a series that captures all of that with the scale, emotion, and cinematic quality these athletes deserve.”- Jeremiah Black, Co-Creator & Director, Black Atlas Films
Additional production updates, distribution discussions, and partner announcements will be shared in the coming months.
About Urbanball
Urbanball is a global street football platform founded by Sean Garnier and Toli Makris. Combining live events, digital experiences, technology, and competitive formats such as Fight Ball, Urbanball provides athletes worldwide with opportunities to compete, build audiences, and participate in a growing global football ecosystem.
About Black Atlas Films
Black Atlas Films is a Los Angeles-based production company founded by Paul Black and Jeremiah Black, specializing in premium documentary, television, commercial, and branded content productions with a focus on cinematic storytelling and authentic human narratives.