lizampairee.com

Recent Projects

RICHARD DUNWOODY – STRICTLY COME DANCING

Richard Dunwoody hardly had time to take off his Nike trainers from the 1000 Mile Challenge, before he found himself thrown into the BBC1 hit programme, Strictly Come Dancing, never having had any dance training at all in his life.

Liz put together the deal with the BBC, and then worked with their team in managing both Richard's hectic four week training schedule, and the PR around the launch and show. Although a somewhat “relieved” Richard left the show in Week Two, having found dancing one of the most difficult things he had faced in his life, his performance, improvement and general attitude got him many accolades, not least from his dance partner, Lilya Kopylova, who was thrilled with Richard's performance and has now taken up horse-riding herself. The show also raised Richard's profile in preparation for his new book, Method in My Madness: 10 Years Out Of The Saddle, available from www.racingpost.com/shop.

RICHARD DUNWOODY's 1000 MILE CHALLENGE

From 29^th May to 10^th July 2009 Richard emulated Captain Barclay's feat of 200 years ago by walking 1000 miles in 1000 hours – walking one mile in every consecutive clock hour and only able to sleep for about an hour at any one time over a period of 42 days.

Richard finished this remarkable feat accompanied by the legendary jockey Lester Piggott on Newmarket racecourse in front of packed stands, and where as Barclay achieved the feat for a 1000 Guineas bet, Richard undertook it for charity, raising almost £200,000.

Liz and the team managed the whole project from the outset, sourcing sponsorship, writing the website, putting together the celebrity programme (which included names such as HH Sheikh Mohammed, Michael Holding, Jilly Cooper, AP McCoy, Ryan Moore, Dean Richards and a Bond girl!), co-ordinating the logistics, PR and all fund-raising working with the four charities. The Challenge achieved mass media coverage including BBC1 News, BBC Breakfast, ITV, Channel 4, Radio 5 Live, Radio 2, The Telegraph, Mirror, Sun, Observer, Independent and Racing Post.

See www.dunwoody1000mile.com

RACING POST BOOKS

Retained by the Racing Post team, Liz is currently working on their new titles, Sea The Stars: The Story Of a Perfect Racehorse, Arkle by Sean Magee and Turn Me On Gov by Marcus Armytage.

Successes in 2009 include Patrick Veitch's Enemy Number One: The Secrets of the UK's Most Feared Professional Punter, the late Clement Freud's Freud On Course and Andrew Longmore's Fallon: The Biography. Coverage for these titles was widespread and across all media, notably with Patrick Veitch being interviewed for in-depth features on Channel 4, RUK, Radio 5 Live, Radio 4, Irish Sunday Times, Telegraph, Mail on Sunday, Racing Post and Independent.

Liz also worked with Patrick and the team on a launch party at the Mandarin Oriental, and similarly with the Freud family on a memorial tribute race to Sir Clement at Epsom on Derby day. To coincide with this, the Saturday Times ran a double page spread in the News Review section with a full page in the Telegraph.

Previously Liz worked on Mick Fitzgerald's award-winning autobiography, Better Than Sex, Brough Scott's Of Horses and Heroes, Edward Whitaker's award-winning In the Frame, Dave Nevison's No Easy Money and Timmy Murphy's Riding the Storm. Better Than Sex has become one of the most successful racing autobiographies ever, already on its 3rd reprint as well as being shortlisted for the prestigious British Sports Books Awards. www.racingpost.com/shop

JOCKEY SPONSORSHIP

In October 2009, Liz put together a sponsorship deal for leading NH jockey Sam Thomas with Markel, the leading equine and bloodstock insurer. Liz also organised Sam's sponsorship deal for Cheltenham 09 with 4 Rent-Ltd, the construction equipment rental company. Liz and the team will also be organising a charity challenge that Sam hopes to undertake in 2010.

In October 2008, Liz put together a sponsorship deal for Grand National Winning Jockey, Timmy Murphy, with EasyFix, the Irish producers of rubber equine products.

Putting a sponsorship deal together involves compilation of a Jockey's CV and details of what they can offer a sponsor commercially, targeting relevant companies who match the jockeys personal approach and ethos and then once the deal is agreed, registration of the contract with Weatherbys.

MICK FITZGERALD RETIRES

After 1280 UK winners and a career spanning 20 years, national hunt jockey Mick Fitzgerald retired through injury in August 2008 at the age of 38. Working alongside Stuart Higgins Communications and Jon Holmes Media, Liz and the team had 48 hours to put together the retirement logistics and press release.

This involved getting together quotes from Mick and trainer Nicky Henderson, as well as compiling extensive statistics and key winners from Mick's successful career. Then, management of the announcement to the media, and co-ordination of the barrage of media requests that followed.

After being released at 9am on the 7th August, this news headlined the racing TV channels and internet within minutes, Mick spent all day giving interviews and it was reported in every national newspaper the day following.

Liz has since been working on the publicity for Mick's autobiography, Better Than Sex, which is available from www.racingpost.com.

AMUNDSEN OMEGA 3 SOUTH POLE RACE

In December 2008 / January 2009 the first race to the South Pole for almost 100 years took place in the footsteps of the great duel between the British Scott and the Norwegian Amundsen. Competitors from all over the world took part including Double Olympic Gold Medallist rower, James Cracknell, TV presenter, Ben Fogle, and blind Irish motivational speaker and adventurer, Mark Pollock.

Liz worked with the race organisers, sponsors and agents on the publicity and PR for the whole project, initially organising the high profile press launch at the Absolut Ice bar in London and then managing the media when the race itself was underway. Coverage was extensive across national print and broadcast media worldwide. A BBC documentary, On Thin Ice, was also made and shown on BBC2 in 2009.

For further details please visit www.amundsenomega3southpolerace.com.

KAUTO STAR
VERSUS DENMAN

The ‘Rumble in the Jungle' of British Racing happened on 14th March last year when Kauto Star and Denman, the two mighty chasers of recent seasons, met in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The team worked with the BHA, Stuart Higgins Consultancy, Johnno Spence Consulting and Totesport to get this story ‘off the racing pages' and into the more general media to create excitement and interest in this race and racing in general.

When approached for what should be done, Liz's first question was “Well have you seen Sam Thomas (Denman's jockey) – he looks like Brad Pitt?!” leading to Jilly Cooper coining the phrase “He's Brad Pitt astride a Brontosaurus” and the resulting headlines that ensued.

Coverage of the race was far reaching in all National media and even in Hello! magazine.

INTERCHANGE SHACKLETON SOUTH POLE EXPEDITION

On 18th January 2008, Richard Dunwoody MBE arrived at the Geographic South Pole conquering a route that had never been done before. The trip took him 48 days, travelling 680 miles at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees and he lost three stone in the process. In spite of riding 1699 winners and a career spanning 17 years and three champion jockey titles, Richard hailed this trip as his ‘greatest achievement' to date.

Liz and the team put together the sponsorship for Richard's trip with Interchange FX, organized charity fund raising events, such as the ‘Cortaflex Retired NH Legends Champion Jockeys Ride Again' race at Kempton Park in October 2007 and all the publicity for the trip itself. As well as across the sports and racing press, Richard featured on BBC1 throughout the trip, Sky News, all key radio stations and across the National Media.

Through Richard's monumental achievement and the efforts back at base, £80,000 was raised for Richard's three charities.