Trevor Pryce started his pro-football career with the Denver Broncos, and was on the field when the team notched back-to-back Super Bowl victories in the late 90s. In 2006, he was signed by the Baltimore Ravens, and he played his final season in 2010 with the New York Jets.
In the off-season, Pryce was laying plans for another career, making music, TV shows and movies. For as long as he can remember, his mind has swarmed with ideas.
"I grew up a hyperactive kid," Pryce said. "Hyperactive both athletically, and when you can't be outside playing, your brain still races. So I could never sit still. So I was making beats, I loved music, I was a pretty good artist as a kid. You take that same thinking, and the way my mind works, and the way my body works, and you add time and money from being a professional athlete, and you end up in Hollywood."
Pryce's journey started with one of those beats -- he got a song on the soundtrack of Big Momma's House 2 in 2006. Fox flew him out for the premiere, and after seeing the expansive movie lot, he was hooked.
Now retired from the NFL, Pryce, who lives in Baltimore, is devoting himself full-time to writing and producing. His first big project is Kulipari, an animated series about a frog army battling evil scorpions. The 13-episode season is now available on Netflix.
By now, Pryce has had plenty of experience pitching ideas to Hollywood executives. He's found that being a retired football pro can often get him in the door, but he needs real ideas to keep him in the building. Fortunately, he's got plenty.
In the case of Kulipari, Pryce first released the story in a series of three books. While he loves the books, he always envisioned the story of Darel, the wood frog who longs to be a warrior, as a creation that moved on screen. Getting it there took time, and a serious investment of Pryce's own money.
Pryce tells us why he went ahead and commissioned artwork and started production before he knew the exact future of the series. He also shares how Netflix is like the Fight Club of TV development. Plus, he drops a hint about what's next -- he's still focused on Kulipari, but is also thinking more about a possible TV drama.