12 Months Since 'Making It'

Last year we supported 'Making It', a short documentary produced by sports journalist Kate Allman and filmmaking powerhouse The Story Mill, which told the story of four athletes striving to make it in their different arenas. Their tale headlined the 2023 Women's Adventure Film Tour across Australia, and delved into the reality of women's sport, focusing on life behind the tv highlights and headlines, where women and non-binary athletes grind away to reach their goals, but often fall agonisingly short. Success - what does it look like, who defines it and what gets sacrificed to achieve it? Nearly one year on from its own successful release, we caught up with Kate to reflect on how the film was received and gauge the impact it had on women's/non-binary sport.

Q: Why did you want to make this film?

Kate: As a sports journalist I am fascinated by athletes' stories and sports documentaries, and I'm fortunate enough to meet plenty of athletes through my work. Most of the time in news we focus on the success stories - the gold medallists, the champion teams, the podium-makers and trailblazers. But if you think about it those athletes are the exception. The vast majority of people will never make a podium or win a medal - they will train their asses off and go through a multitude of challenges but will never make headlines. Especially in lesser-known sports like skiing (in Australia), where we only ever hear about the biggest and best stars. I wanted to shine light on untold stories - the ones that never made the news but are just as fascinating and worthy.

One of the themes that regularly comes up in my interviews with athletes is around 'making it'. What does it mean to 'make it' in sport? Does it mean being selected to a certain tournament, like the Olympics? Making it on the podium? Making the cut? Making the team? There are so many different standards athletes judge themselves by - and they are always their harshest critics! I wanted to explore this theme and allow the athletes to explain what it means in their own words. After discussing the idea with the gun producers and directors at The Story Mill, we decided to make it a documentary.

For athletes at different stages of their careers 'making it' can look different. That's why we chose four athletes at different stages - a rugby player who is just starting out, a netballer who was one of the best in the world and captained the Australian team, a skier who was going to the Olympics but never actually got there, and a surfer who is still midway through the process of achieving her dreams.

We also wanted to focus on women (Caitlin Bassett, India Robinson and Aneeka Reilly) and a non-binary athlete (Annabel Blake) because there are a multitude of additional challenges those athletes face in sport. From being underpaid, to being trolled by social media, to unrealistic expectations on body image. There is also a lack of media focus generally on women's sports, so I wanted to use the opportunity to shine light on some of the amazing sports stars people may not have heard of, or may not have heard telling their story in their own words.

Q: You have a background in story-telling but have you done much in the way of film-making and producing before?

K: Not a huge project like this! As you say, I've been a journalist in TV and print for many years now but working on a film documentary was a new challenge for sure. Fortunately, The Story Mill are very experienced in this type of thing and we have also worked together on smaller video projects for different clients over the years. We know how each other works and are all experts in our own areas. I know sport and how to get interviews but I couldn't tell you what kind of camera we need, or edit a film for the life of me. So it was brilliant to work with The Story Mill to get the technical aspects looking so good.

Kate with two of the central characters from Making It - netballer Caitlin Bassett (left), and freestyle skier Annabel Blake (right). (Images courtesy of Kate Allman & The Story Mill)

Q: How was the film received throughout the WAFT in 2023?

K: It was really well received. We were flooded with social media comments from people who enjoyed it, particularly from women who loved hearing the untold stories of women they could relate to. The interesting thing about 'making it' is that everyone can relate to that journey - whether in your career, in your family life or elsewhere, at some level everyone is trying to make it, and everyone faces challenges. I think that really resonated. We also had a decent amount of media interest from Channel Nine, Seven News and ABC radio as well as a couple of niche outlets like Tracks surfing magazine (who I write for). At the moment we are trying (hoping!) to get it onto a streaming platform or show the film on free-to-air TV. So, if you are reading this and are interested - please get in touch!

Q: What message were you hoping the film delivered?

K: I hope it inspired people to keep going in the face of challenges and keep trying to 'make it' - whatever that looks like for them in their life. It's a reminder we all have a story, we all face challenges and difficult times in life, so be kind as a default! I also hope it shone a light on the hidden challenges that women and non-binary athletes in sport and adventure face. Often the headlines on the news do not tell the whole story - like in the case of Caitlin Bassett, who was savaged by media near the end of her career. I think it's a reminder that these superstars are also human and can be hurt like anyone else - emotionally and physically. Allowing them space to tell their story in a documentary that is far more than a 30-word grab on a newspaper story, or a 10-second grab in a TV news package, was something I really wanted to deliver.

Q: A year on, how do you think the landscape of women's/non-binary sport has changed?

K: The Women's World Cup in Australia undoubtedly had an impact on the profile of women's sport. There have been flow-on effects for all codes: the A-League Women had a record-breaking season and the Super Netball 2024 season had more crowds than ever before, just to name a couple. Globally I think there is a real awakening happening - evidenced in the Women's NBA and the Caitlin Clark effect in the USA. The growth of National Women's Soccer League in the US and the Women's Super League in the UK. In Australia, the women's State of Origin now has three matches for the first time ever, AFLW and NRLW are growing every year.

More people than ever are watching and participating in women's sport - but I would add we still need sponsorship dollars and pay to catch up. The pay is definitely still lagging for women a long way behind men. I hope that corporate Australia is noticing the growth and the huge opportunity women's sport presents. We really need some big name brands to get on board as sponsors and get the girls and non-binary athletes paid!

Surfer India Robinson. (Images courtesy of Kate Allman & The Story Mill)

Q: Have you continued to follow the stories of Caitlin, Annabel, India and Aneeka?

K: Yes! I recently showed the film on the Gold Coast with India at Seas the Day, Surfing Australia's all-women's surf festival. India has been struggling with her concussions but on the mend and working towards the WSL Challenger Series later this year. I see Annabel's success on social media all the time, she has just written another children's book I believe, and is constantly doing awesome creative things. Aneeka has returned to playing rugby, which is awesome to see. And C-Bass is one of my best friends, I text and talk to her every other day! She's working as a sports journalist in Perth and doing amazing things as always.

Behind the scenes on Making It. (Images courtesy of Kate Allman & The Story Mill)

Q: You're obviously passionate about sport and the outdoors - tell us about this.

K: Haha you got me! I am a sports junkie and love being outside. Maybe it started when I was a kid, at 10 years old my parents took me and my brother and sister out of school to go camping and road tripping around Australia for six months. We had a maths exercise book and had to read and do comprehension, but other than that - the outdoors was our classroom for the good part of a year!

Nowadays I love to surf and ski, and travel a lot to do both those things. I also love running and swimming, playing hockey and gridiron/flag football. Alongside covering sports I'm a travel writer and take the opportunity to go on exciting adventures whenever I can. In the past year I've been trail running in Tasmania, surfing in the Maldives, skiing in Colorado, wine tasting in the Adelaide Hills. Sadly, I tore my ACL skiing in the USA in January so am missing a few of my usual adventures this Australian ski season, but have been rehabbing hard to get back on the slopes next year!

Q: What's your next adventure entail?

K: Right now, I'm packing to go island hopping in Greece and road tripping in Finland! Athens and the Greek islands are obviously stunning - exotic, warm and full of history and culture, cheap gyros and ouzo. Whereas Finland is something completely different - the land of the midnight sun in summer, constantly rated as the happiest country in the world. It's green and outdoorsy and full of lakes and woodlands, plus saunas are basically a religion. I can't wait!

The annual Women's Adventure Film Tour is proudly run by Adventure Entertainment, who specialise in the distribution of high quality outdoor adventure films. To watch Making It and other awesome outdoor films, head to their streaming platform here.

Film Credits

All video and imagery supplied by Kate Allman & The Story Mill

• Instagram: @kateallman_
• Instagram: @storymillstudios