Road to TrackTown
The 7th Annual Awards
- Best Original Film or Series: Long-Form
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
"Road to TrackTown" is a digital-first series that documents four professional track & field athletes' journeys to the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field. It follows sprinter Britton Wilson, distance runner Nikki Hiltz, hammer thrower Janee' Kassanavoid, and jumper JuVaughn Harrison.
How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?
The second season of "Road to TrackTown" not only outperformed the industry standard for engagement, but also continues to show what's possible for fan engagement in a niche sport with strategy and investment. Meeting the fans where they're at, leveraging athlete audiences, and telling the story of sport beyond athletic results are the standard for the series that can and should be taken and applied to organizations beyond ours.
Additionally, by creating and owning our original content, we were able to license that content to other organizations to help with their storytelling and marketing of the sport. Notably, footage from both seasons of "Road to TrackTown" was used in NBC's linear broadcast of the Paris Olympics as bumpers and sizzles during the early part of the Games when the network didn't yet have competition-based content of the athletes. This digital-to-linear line is not new, but another example of an industry best practice.
Objective
Track & field is one of the most participated in sports in the United States, yet the sport is still remarkably underfunded and considered “niche” in terms of fandom. Track & field lacks investment in marketing and storytelling, which leaves athletes' stories untold. Significant strides were made in this area in 2024, thanks in large part to the Paris Olympic Games. "Road to TrackTown" was part of it.
“Road to TrackTown” debuted in 2023 as the first recurring, personality-based episodic series in track & field. 2024 saw its second season document four professional athletes’ journey to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field, both on the track and off. The series shows the potential for, and invests in, more in-depth storytelling of our sport and its athletes.
Our primary objective was to continue to meet (and continue to grow) the demand for this style of content with the precedent set by the series' first season. Performance metrics and qualitative feedback revealed the potential it has to increase reach and engagement around our sport.
Strategy & Execution
As a digital-first series, “Road to TrackTown” met the modern sports fan where they’re at: social media. We intentionally did not release the series behind a paywall or in partnership with a linear network or streaming service so we could create the lowest barrier to entry for the sports fan to connect with the sport and athletes. We made both the full episodes and teasers available to the athletes to publish directly to their channels as well, leveraging their existing audiences.
Additionally, sports fans seek exclusive content and stories that provide an inside look at their favorite athletes’ personalities and personal lives. By fostering a connection with these four athletes over 2024, we were able to achieve both of those desires and develop a personal connection between the athletes and fans.
Organizations
- TrackTown USA
Links
Featured
- NCAA and World Champion sprinter (Britton Wilson)
- Seven-time National Champion and the sport's first openly nonbinary athlete to reach an individual Olympic Final (Nikki Hiltz)
- National Champion and the first Native American woman to medal at the World Athletics Championships (Janee' Kassanavoid)
- Two-time Olympian and the first man to ever win NCAA titles in both the high and long jump (JuVaughn Harrison)
Credits
Karen Ramming
Chief Content Officer
TrackTown USA
Annie Boos
Sr. Video Producer and Editor
TrackTown USA
Tyler DeWaard
Video Editor
TrackTown USA
Alexandru Andrei
Videographer
Kinetic Creative Labs
Scott Barker
Videographer
Stamina Media
Alec Handlin
Videographer
Alec Handlin Visuals
Giovanni Lamonte
Videographer
Individual
Logan Sampey
Videographer
Individual
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 7th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 24, 2025 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
