Free Rein Eps. 4: The World-Class Women of Woodbine
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best Women’s Sports Content
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
Meet three women who shine and thrive in the male-dominated horse racing industry and the challenges, biases, dangers and triumphs they face every time the starting gates open.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
As a series, Free Rein amassed over 3 million impressions on our YouTube page, and was our highest viewed long format series ever as an organization. Free Rein aims to dismantle some of the horse racing stereotypes by providing an all access look at the people behind and the care they provide to the horses who make their livelihoods possible.
Objective
Unlike traditional sports, horse racing features men and women competing against each other on the same playing field. For this episode, we aimed to showcase the various roles women not only play but thrive in throughout the racing product at Woodbine. We wanted to juxtapose between the young girl riding at the beginning of the episode, which is how all of our main characters started their careers, with the professionals who are at the top of their game. We felt it was important to feature women at the various stages of their racing careers - apprentice jockey, Canada's most winningest female jockey and a veteran racehorse trainer.
Strategy & Execution
We drew inspiration from other major sports storytelling offerings and put a racing twist on the final product. We tried to avoid a lot of the terminology that can sometimes be intimidating for sports fans who are new to horse racing. We aimed to make the audience "care" and "cheer for" our subjects because of their stories, their achievements, their goals and their dedication to the sport. In regards to episode length, our goal was to keep it digestable under 15 minutes, enticing the viewer for more.
Organizations
- Woodbine Entertainment
Links
Featured
- Emma-Jayne Wilson
- Sofia Vives
- Catherine Day Phillips
Credits
David Vivenes
Executive Producer
Woodbine Entertainment Group
Jonathan Rubinoff
Executive Producer
Woodbine Entertainment Group
Jake Thompson
Director/Producer
Freelance
Alanna Nolan
Story Producer / Producer
Woodbine Entertainment Group
Nathan Riddell
Producer / Cinematography
Woodbine Entertainment Group
Scott Goodwin
Producer / Cinematography
Woodbine Entertainment Group
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
