ESPN will air a 30 for 30 short on the “Save the Pacers” telethon held in 1977. They were out millions of dollars and needed money from folks in Indianapolis to keep the franchise afloat, and in town.

In turn, it was incredibly important to the development of downtown Indianapolis and the sports landscape in the city.

Indianapolis filmmaker Michael Husain was compelled to tell the story and so he pitched the idea to ESPN, who then green-lit the project.

Husain joined me in studio ahead of its consumption by sports fans. The 15-minute short will be posted online Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. ET, and it will then air nationally on ESPN during the 6:00 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter on Feb. 19.

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Topics Discussed:

* Why he wanted to share the story of the “Save the Pacers” telethon

* The pitch to ESPN

* The process of producing a short from concept to air

* How he prefers to interview subjects

* The impact of Slick and Nancy Leonard

* The role of a director

* How he’ll watch and celebrate its first appearance on ESPN