Former Champion writer helps tell a historic story

For film writer Brian Egeston, storytelling has been a constant throughout his career—from publishing six novels to producing prominent television shows and films. Now, his latest project is helping chronicle another story he believes deserves to be told.

Egeston, a former sports editor for The Champion Newspaper, is serving as an executive producer for a docuseries documenting Tuskegee University’s first-ever men’s and women’s soccer programs.

This historic project has become personal for Egeston as it combines his backgrounds of storytelling, attending a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), and his passion for soccer all into one.

“I’m an HBCU graduate. I’m a second-generation HBCU graduate, and my son will be an HBCU graduate if everything works out,” Egeston said. “I’ve coached and refereed soccer and for players who wanted to attend an HBCU, so many times, the answer was, ‘well, my soccer career is over because I want to go to an HBCU,’ and there are not a lot of HBCUs that have soccer programs.”

Those answers made Egeston decide to film the teams particularly meaningful for him.

“I thought it was the opportunity to showcase the world what a historic and symbolic and wonderful HBCU thing they could do with soccer,” Egeston said.

The hope, he added, is that the success and exposure generated by the docuseries will encourage other HBCUs to consider adding soccer programs of their own.

But creating the docuseries has not come without challenges.

Egeston said the film and television industry is going through significant changes, making it difficult for projects to receive the financial backing and approvals needed to move forward. Documentaries can also be a difficult sell because they generally do not generate the same financial returns as other forms of entertainment.

For Egeston, however, the project is driven by passion.

“Documentaries are not big moneymakers, so it’s not very attractive to everyone in Hollywood,” he said. “It’s really something you do with passion and something that you do because you believe in.”

That passion has begun to pay off. The most rewarding part of the project, Egeston said, has been watching the momentum surrounding Tuskegee soccer grow.

The inaugural seasons have given the university additional exposure, while the docuseries allow fans to follow the players and coaches beyond what happens on the field.

Egeston said that when he and the production team attend away games, that players, coaches, and spectators have begun approaching them about the series.

“They’re starting to say, ‘Oh, I’m watching the docuseries,’” Egeston said. “It’s really, really fun to follow. So, it’s starting to get out and people are starting to expect more.”

The project has also provided Egeston with a particularly meaningful connection to DeKalb County.

Several players from the area have joined Tuskegee’s historic soccer programs, including Egeston’s son Zach Egeston, DeKalb resident Christopher Turner—son of Champion employee Jenese Turner—and Arabia Mountain High School alum Jaela Pace, who plays on the women’s team.

He stated that seeing those players progress from high school to the collegiate level has been especially rewarding.

Egeston hopes the docuseries can challenge people to reconsider what they think they know about HHBCU athletics.

“Hopefully, people pay more attention to HBCUs,” Egeston said. “But also fall in love with the legacy and the lore of those schools as well.”