World’s first media production company dedicated to championing stories of women Olympians and Paralympians providing important storytelling platform
BOSTON (June 5, 2024) – Flame Bearers, the acclaimed storytelling platform delving into the lives and lessons of inspirational female athlete trailblazers, is carrying the torch into its highly anticipated fourth season of its award-winning podcast. Season 4 debuts on June 5, with new episodes dropping weekly across all major podcast platforms, on YouTube and at flamebearers.com.
Flame Bearers is a global storytelling platform that uses podcasts, videos and live events to illuminate the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians and Paralympians that inspire people to drive change for themselves, in their connections with others and in their communities. In a world where the amount of media coverage of female athletes is severely lacking – accounting for just 15 percent of sports media coverage in the U.S. – Flame Bearers is dedicated to being the change it wishes to see in the world.
“We need to hear the stories of these elite female athletes because representation matters,” Jamie Mittelman, visionary behind the platform and co-host of the series, said. “A lack of diverse representation makes it challenging for younger girls to see their future selves in someone who does not exist today. With women’s sports going mainstream, we have an opportunity to get it right: All women rise together, not just women who look and sound like me, who play the most popular sports and get the most airtime.”
Additionally, most media outlets do not spotlight athletes with varying physical appearances or experiences, Mittelman noted. “If you are a Black woman with limited sight and albinism like Kym Crosby, it is hard to get the media to tell your story, let alone do so in an empowering way, for example. Most media paints athletes with disabilities with the pity brush, even when that narrative doesn’t ring true to the athlete herself,” she said. “Many of today’s best athletes credit seeing women/girls like them as being pivotal in their journeys to becoming elite athletes. So here we are, providing a platform for the voices of elite female athletes to inspire, educate and empower our future generations.”
Olympic Figure Skater and Six-time French National Champion Debuts as Season 4 Flame Bearers Co-host
Co-hosting season 4 along with Mittelman is Maé-Bérénice Méité, France’s six-time women’s national figure skating champion, 2011 Ondrej Nepela Memorial champion, 2015 Winter Universiade silver medalist and 2016 International Cup of Nice champion.
“Lifting female voices in sport is important,” noted Méité. “I am humbled and excited to co-host Flame Bearers for this very special season, as we are entering a symbolic Olympic year for all French athletes. As a winter Olympian, I am given the opportunity to do something that is dear to my heart, which is to empower others and highlight the stories of incredible women from all around the world, while also contributing to Paris 2024’s Cultural Heritage in a very meaningful and impactful way.”
Each of the 20 season 4 episodes of Flame Bearers features Mittelman and Méité interviewing elite female athletes from across the globe who have achieved excellence in their sport, including:
- Caster Semenya, Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion track athlete from South Africa currently battling hormone regulation in elite sporting events
- Kokona Hiraki, World Champion & Olympic skateboarder from Japan
- Claire Taggart, World Champion and first person from Northern Ireland to compete at the Paralympics in the sport of boccia
- Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith, Olympic track star from the Ivory Coast
- Sunny Choi, Team USA’s number-one breaker
- Débora Cristiane de Oliveira, Olympic soccer player from Brazil
- Alejandra Aybar, Paralympic swimmer from Dominican Republic
- Manasi Joshi, Former World Champion and Paralympic Badminton Star from India
- Marine Fatoumata Camara, aspiring to be Mali’s first female Olympic boxer
- Marzieh Hamidi, taekwondo athlete and an IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holder who hopes to compete for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team in Paris
- Marta Pen Freitas, two-time track and field Olympian from Portugal
- Chelsea Edghill, first player from Guyana to compete at the Olympic Games in Table Tennis
- Regina Salmons, two-time Olympic rower for Team USA
- Giancarla Trevisan, track and field Olympian from Italy
Celebrating Excellence While Achieving It: Flame Bearers is Award-winning Media Company
Flame Bearers is the world’s first media production company that specifically champions the stories of women Olympians and Paralympians.
Mittelman, the company’s founder, has worked with more than 110 elite women athletes from 50+ countries, sharing their dynamic and inspiring stories across media platforms to give a greater voice to their achievements and the lessons they have learned along the way. This includes household names like Sue Bird, Becky Sauerbrunn and Alexa Moreno to unsung heroes like Uganda’s Ritah Assimwe.
Flame Bearers has more than 230,000 followers in 49 countries who tune in to view the company’s work and be a part of a community. The media and production company has been honored with 18 internationally acclaimed awards in video, podcasting, and social media, including being named a Webby Awards finalist and achieving multiple recognitions for its role in public service and activism, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion. Most recently, Flame Bearers was awarded a silver Telly in “Social Video – Sports” and a bronze Telly in “People’s Telly – Social Video” for its storytelling elevating the very first U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, a series co-hosted by FIFA Female Player of the Century Michelle Akers.
Join the Flame Bearers Community
Flame Bearers is dedicated to exploring the lives and legacies of extraordinary individuals who have defied convention and inspired change. Through in-depth interviews, captivating narratives and insightful commentary, Flame Bearers celebrates the resilience, innovation and humanity of its subjects, igniting a spark of inspiration in listeners worldwide. Flame Bearers is available now on YouTube and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify, and at flamebearers.com. All content and links to join the community on social are available at flamebearers.com.
