Hometown with Rachel Nichols

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

Award winning sports journalist and television personality Rachel Nichols gets behind the scenes access, conducts fascinating in-depth interviews and enjoys fun and surprising activities with some of the most dynamic athletes and celebrities in the Washington DC area. 

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

On Hometown with Rachel Nichols, audiences of all ages get unique access to their favorite athletes, teams, actors, and celebrities. After watching an episode of the series, viewers feel more connected to their hometown heroes. This will only serve to strengthen the fans' interest in the local figures in their community. The series reaches an intergenerational audience in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area, but is also covered nationally through the engagement on social media platforms, including X, YouTube and Instagram. These social media platforms also allow fans to not only engage with the content, but also with each other helping to strengthen their connection to the teams, players, and celebrities that are featured. After each episode airs on the linear platform, several highlights and attention-capturing moments are posted for each episode in various formats across different social media sites and channels, ensuring an interactive reach. 

Objective

The objective of the series is to highlight celebrities and athletes and get to know them in a more in-depth way. Rachel sits down with her guests to walk them through their careers and uncover never-revealed stories.  With her infectious energy, she engages them in activities from pickleball to racing F1 simulators, pulling them out of their comfort zone to reveal a side of these superstars that fans rarely see. She shot baskets with social media phenom and NBA shooting coach Chris Mathews aka Lethal Shooter, as well as hit the ice with Olympic goal tender, and NHL All-Star Logan Thompson to get tips on how to stop the puck. Rachel also had a front row seat to one of the biggest sports stories of the century as she was on the road with Alex Ovechkin as he chased Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals in the NHL. Rachel interviewed Ovechkin, his teammates, wife and those close to him, as the Great 8 closed in on history. But Hometown isn’t only about highlighting athletes and celebrities; Rachel has also shined a light on social issues such as food insecurity and the devasting effects of the LA fires of 2025. 

Strategy & Execution

In today’s age of social media platforms and behind the scenes documentaries, modern sports fans not only expect, but demand this kind of unfiltered access to the athletes that they follow. The more the viewers get to know these athletes and celebrities, the more they are invested in the success of the teams and their careers. Having a bold and interesting presence on social media has become almost as important as what these athletes and celebrities do in their careers. And Hometown helps shine a light on the personalities of the guests to allow them to further engage with their fans. As a journalist for multiple decades, Rachel Nichols often has a very close relationship with the athletes she covers. She can draw from her depth of knowledge of the sports themselves but also her personal connection to the players and celebrities, as she finds unique angles of questioning to produce engaging and fascinating interviews. 

Organizations

• Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Links

•   Website

Featured

• • Alexander Ovechkin 

  • Chris Matthews aka Lethal Shooter  

  • Ben Feldman  

  • Ryan Zimmerman 

  • Tre Johnson 

  • Aliaksei Protas 

  • Ilya Protas 

  • Charlie Lindgren 

  • Logan Thompson 

  • Rachel Nichols 

  • Kiki Iriafen 

  • Sonia Citron 

  • Bub Carrington 

  • Corey Kispert 

  • Ben Feldman 

  • Ryan Zimmerman 

  • Jake Steinfeld 

Credits

Mark Johnston
Producer
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Supriya Vasanth
Producer
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Catherine Allocco
Associate Producer
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Rachel Nichols
Host
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Jim Kowats
Executive Producer
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Matthew Tilley
Editor
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Kyle Gildea
Editor
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Evan Smith
Assistant Editor
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Thomas Jacobi
Director of Photography
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Matthew Cone
Associate Producer
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Greg Breazeale
Audio
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Megan Poppy
Hair and Make Up Artist
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Ted Tuel
Director of Photography
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Chris Olson
Director of Photography
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Amy Boyce
Senior Director of Production
Monumental Sports and Entertainment

Ashley Martin
Production Coordinator
Monumental Sports and Entertainment