MATT AARON KRINSKY

SUMMARY: Millions of everyday people are raising billions of dollars for charity by running in races, yet most of these folks have little to no previous running – or fundraising – experience. Whether it’s a 5K or 10K run, relay race, mud obstacle course, stair climb, half or full-on marathon, these amateur athletes are choosing to abandon their couches, pound the pavement, and conquer some of the toughest hurdles of their lives, all in an effort to improve the world one mile at a time… And you’re going to share in their story!

    

In the new inspirational web docu-series, Training Tales, recreational runner, fundraiser, and travel enthusiast Matt Aaron Krinsky is heading out on a training run with his fellow amateur athletes to hear their story and learn the “why” behind their charity of choice. You’ll be along for the journey with Matt too, discovering all parts of the country with his new friends and sporty do-gooders, as they take him for a run in their neck of the woods and then head to their favorite post-run food and beverage spot.

 

Blending the touching quality of Extreme Makeover with the on-the-road spirit of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, each 5-minute episode of Training Tales will feature a new individual, allowing the audience a brief chance to get to know the protagonist runner and learn about the physical, emotional, and mental ups and downs of their training and fundraising adventures.

 

Aside from lots of running, each of the seven episodes in Season One will conclude with a tip or trick from a professional trainer or medical practitioner, followed by a brief “About the Charity” title card and a link to the runner’s personal fundraising page to drive new donations to that featured non-profit organization. The season will also culminate with an eighth episode special in which we follow-up with each of the runners to find out how race day went and the end result of their fundraising efforts.

 

And, to keep the audience engaged between episodes, various content from legendary athletes, health, wellness, nutrition, and fundraising experts, as well as curated music playlists for running workouts, will be shared via the Training Tales Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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AUDIENCE: The core demographic is 22-55 year-olds who are already involved in or are thinking about training for an athletic event that has a fundraising component and skews more than 60% towards females.

 

KEY ELEMENTS:

• People are seeking and consuming inspirational and motivational programing amidst a steady stream of negative and divisive content.

• With the show host and featured participants being everyday people and non-professional athletes, the audience will highly relate to the cast in the shared experience of, “If they can do it, so can I!”.

• A small built-in audience will automatically come with each episode by way of the featured runner sharing the content with their own social media network as a means of soliciting additional donations for their chosen charity.

• Audience interaction will occur through social media, including having people submit their own stories for casting consideration.

• The clothing and gear needed for training presents a lucrative opportunity for paid partnerships aimed at a targeted audience.

• The show can become established as a trusted brand and lead to the creation of custom apparel and products.

• Unique sponsorship opportunities exist, such as a bottled water company branding the Training Tales “Water Stop” – a pop-up hydration station that can easily travel to races, events, and expos for man-on-the-street interviews and interactions with fans.

• The initial focus on road races is a flexible format that could easily expand to include other athletic activities, including cycling events and triathlons.

• The series lends itself to tremendous growth as the budget increases, in ways such as:

  • a domestic national bus tour to events all over the country, increasing the scope of people that can be cast

  • expansion overseas to cast international runners, explore foreign settings, and aide their local charities

  • establishment of a charitable foundation associated with the show

  • creation of special youth programs to encourage the combination of exercising and charity in schools

• The concept is highly adaptable to an international format.

 

STATISTICS & SELLING POINTS:

• 60 million Americans participated in running, jogging, and trail running in 2017 (Statista)

• 18.1 million race registrations in the US in 2018 (Running USA)

• $1.37 billion in total revenue raised by the top 30 fundraising athletic events in 2019 (PeerToPeer)

• $15 million sales in the US for athletic footwear in 2018 (Statista)

• 60% of participants in a US road race are female (Running USA)