American Storyboard

American Storyboard, Inc. was a non-profit 501c3 charitable corporation dedicated to producing documentaries, plays, and other media forms of the highest quality. American Storyboard produced two important documentary features: Gloucester’s Adventure: An American Story, which won national awards, including a TELLY and GOLD AURORA, and ran on PBS outlet WGBH in Boston, as well as the breakthrough sports documentary, Women in American Horse Racing, which was aired on many PBS stations, notably state-wide in Kentucky.

MISSION

American Storyboard sought to improve understanding of environmental and social issues through documentary productions and improve the understanding of how factors ranging from technology to time affect our lives and values. American Storyboard strove to help American communities and individuals face difficult decisions by deepening an awareness of historical and artistic context.

STORYBOARD OFFICERS

President: John J. Ronan

Treasurer: Mark Young

Clerk: Sandra Ronan

Board: Arthur Ryan, Janis Bell, John Green

GLOUCESTER’S ADVENTURE

Gloucester's Adventure: An American Story

 

Storyboard’s first effort was Gloucester’s Adventure: An American Story, which won an Aurora Gold and a Telly in historical documentary categories. The story of a schooner, her city, and the sea, the feature had its premiere at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, on March 1, 2002. The broadcast premiere was August 2002, on WGBH-TV, Boston’s flagship PBS station. The production was made possible by over $45,000 in grants and by in-kind contributions worth over $30,000.

“One of the last Gloucestermen to fish under sail, Adventure is a cornerstone of America’s maritime heritage. Now we can all share the saga of this fabled schooner, from fishing to windjamming and now to teaching the history and ecology of the sea. This is a wonderful story.”Dennis Conner, America’s Cup Captain

“Adventure is a defining jewel in the whole spectacle of America…”Sen. Ted Kennedy

 

WOMEN IN AMERICAN HORSE RACING

Women in American Horse Racing

 

A second documentary, Women in American Horse Racing, was named a finalist for a 2008 Billie Award. The Billies honored “media excellence in the portrayal of girls and women in sports.” They were named in honor of women’s sports pioneer, Billie Jean King, and presented by the Women’s Sports Foundation. For more information about racing and women in racing, try Brooklyn Backstretch, the rapidly expanding, professional site run by Teresa Genaro. Then visit Jessica Chapel, a writer and racing fan who was active in the Railbird and Raceday360 websites. An example of John J. Ronan’s horse fiction, a short story titled Am I Missing Something?, appeared in the College of Southern Maryland’s literary magazine Connections.

The production was sponsored in part by:
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Co-produced by John and Sandy Ronan, the film explored women’s careers in racing, from trainers to vets, and from grooms to jockeys to owners. It outlines the struggle women have had – and continue to have – in their rise to prominence in the thoroughbred racing industry.

Women in American Horse Racing premiered June 16, 2007. The documentary was supported by private sponsorship and corporate underwriting, by institutional grants, and by dedicated fundraising. Active sponsors included the Autotote Corporation, a subsidiary of Scientific Games, and The Daily Racing Form. Women in American Horse Racing has been featured on PBS stations throughout Kentucky (KET) and Arkansas (AETN).

 

HIGH HORSE

High Horse was a project proposal on the desk when American Storyboard closed its doors. It was to examine the transition between horsepower and the automobile at the turn of the twentieth century. The advantages of speed and power presented by the internal combustion engine created ‘progress’ in America and throughout the world, but at a great price – to the horse and to human sensibilities. High Horse was to explore the gains and losses of this historic period. The production may yet see day.