Filming HBO’s ‘Born to Bowl’: Inside the A24 Docuseries with Cinematographer Tom Pittenger
On March 16, the HBO Original documentary series Born to Bowl premieres, and it’s a project I’ve been deeply connected to for several years.
The five-part series—produced by A24 and executive produced by Ben Stiller—takes viewers inside the world of professional bowling, following five athletes on the Professional Bowlers Association as they chase titles, prize money, and respect in a sport that is far more demanding than most people realize.
While Coho Films was not involved in the production itself, I had the privilege of serving as the cinematographer for the series—a role that allowed me to help shape the visual language of the story.
How It Started
My involvement with Born to Bowl actually began long before the show had a network attached. In 2022, I began collaborating with photographer Jared Polin and producer Alex Stevens to shoot an early sizzle reel exploring the personalities and culture of the professional bowling world. At the time, the project was simply an idea: a documentary look at a sport filled with eccentric characters, relentless travel, and athletes competing week-to-week for prize money. That early footage eventually helped the project gain momentum—and ultimately led to the series being picked up as an HBO Original. This show would not have progressed beyond just a sizzle without the support of Alex Stevens, Jared Polin, Executive Producer Issac Solotaroff, Jonathan Vogler of Mandalay Sports Media/Tollin Productions, Jonathan Hausfater of A24, Carissa Del Bene, Lev Ekster, Lisa Heller, James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte, Brian Nolde, Michael Atlan, John Lesher, Abtin Motia, Jonah Sharf, Bentley Weiner, Amy Chaffin, Jordan Bogdonvage, Nancy Abraham, Ben Stiller and the many teams involved.
Crafting the Visual Tone
As the cinematographer, my goal was to create a look that felt honest, immersive, and grounded in reality. The visual approach blended three styles:
Heavy cinéma vérité coverage — capturing moments as they naturally unfolded on tour
Stylized visual sequences — crafted shots that helped emphasize the tension, rhythm, and emotional stakes of competition
Stylized Interviews - Well crafted & composed sit down interviews
Professional bowling might appear simple from the outside, but the environment is intense: athletes living out of suitcases, driving from city to city, and competing under constant pressure. The camera needed to live inside that world without feeling intrusive or staged. Authenticity was everything.
Earning the Bowlers’ Trust
One of the most rewarding parts of filming the series was building trust with the athletes we followed. Over time, we embedded ourselves within the rhythm of the tour—traveling alongside bowlers as they moved from tournament to tournament across the country.
The series follows several of the sport’s biggest stars, including: Kyle Troup Anthony Simonsen E. J. Tackett Jason Belmonte Cameron Crowe Professional bowlers spend most of the year on the road competing for prize money, often balancing family life and financial uncertainty along the way. The series captures the human side of that grind—the pressure, camaraderie, humor, and vulnerability that exist behind the lanes.
Bringing a Hidden Sports World to the Screen
What drew me to the project was the same thing that draws me to most documentary work: access to a world most people rarely see up close. Bowling is often misunderstood as a casual pastime, but the reality of the professional tour is something entirely different. The athletes are elite competitors, the travel is relentless, and the margins between victory and failure can be razor thin. Our goal was to capture that reality as truthfully as possible.
Anthony Simonsen, Cinematographer Tom Pittenger, Jared Polin, Kyle Troup and EJ Tackett at the premiere of the HBO Original Docuseries Born to Bowl.
Premiering on HBO
Born to Bowl premieres March 16 on HBO, with new episodes released weekly. The series is narrated by Liev Schreiber and directed by Emmy-nominated filmmakers James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see a project that started with a small sizzle reel evolve into a full HBO docuseries. And while this particular production wasn’t a Coho Films project, the experience reflects the kind of storytelling I care most about: character-driven nonfiction stories captured with honesty, craft, and patience. If you’re curious about the world of professional bowling—or just love a great underdog sports story—I hope you’ll check it out.
Of course, a project like Born to Bowl doesn’t happen because of one person—it’s the result of a truly talented team working together to bring the story to life. I’m incredibly grateful to the producers and filmmakers who helped shepherd this series from an early concept to an HBO Original, including executive producers Nancy Abraham, Carissa Del Bene, Lev Ekster, Lisa Heller, James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte, John Lesher, Ben Stiller, Michael Tollin, Jonathan Vogler, and Bentley Weiner, along with co-executive producers Jordan Bogdanavage, Amy Chaffin, Jared Polin, Isaac Solotaroff, and Alexander Stevens. Special thanks as well to supervising producer Abtin Motia and development producer Jonah Sharf. The series was shaped in the edit by Scott D. Hanson, Rick Milewski, and Will Simpson, with Corinne Pickett supporting the editorial team as assistant editor. And of course, the voice of the series comes from narrator Liev Schreiber. It took an entire group of passionate storytellers working across production, cinematography, and editorial to help get this story off the lanes and into your homes.