Media & BroadcastShinAwiL (RTÉ) × Nina Carberry & Nicolas Roche — Dancing with the Stars
Sport Endorse helped ShinAwiL efficiently source and secure two elite Irish athletes for RTÉ's Dancing with the Stars, resulting in a series winner and quarter-finalist.
Overview
The campaign
ShinAwiL partnered with Sport Endorse to source elite Irish sporting talent for the 2022 season of Dancing with the Stars on RTÉ. Using the Sport Endorse platform, the production team secured Nicolas Roche and Nina Carberry, both of whom became standout contestants, with Carberry ultimately winning the series and Roche reaching the quarter-finals.
The challenge
As one of Ireland's leading television production companies, ShinAwiL continually seeks high-profile personalities capable of engaging national audiences while contributing authentic stories to Dancing with the Stars. Recruiting elite athletes presents unique challenges, however. Accessing current and recently retired sports stars often requires navigating multiple agents, governing bodies, personal representatives and scheduling conflicts, resulting in lengthy negotiations and fragmented communication.
For the 2022 series, ShinAwiL wanted to identify sporting personalities with broad public recognition, proven media appeal and the commitment required for a demanding live television competition. They required a streamlined recruitment process capable of connecting directly with suitable athletes while reducing administrative complexity and accelerating talent acquisition
The Sport Endorse solution
Sport Endorse provided ShinAwiL with a single platform through which the production team could efficiently identify, approach and engage elite athletes suited to the programme.
Using Sport Endorse, ShinAwiL was able to:
define the casting brief for suitable sporting personalities
identify relevant elite athletes based on profile and availability
communicate directly through a centralised platform
coordinate negotiations efficiently
manage contracting throughout the recruitment process
Following the recruitment process, former professional cyclist Nicolas Roche and champion National Hunt jockey Nina Carberry were confirmed as contestants for the 2022 series.
Both athletes proved exceptionally strong additions to the cast, remaining in the competition for multiple weeks and generating sustained media coverage throughout the season.
Athlete fit
Selecting the right sporting personalities was critical to the success of the programme.
Nicolas Roche brought international sporting credibility as a former Tour de France rider and one of Ireland's best-known professional cyclists. Having recently retired from elite competition, he offered a compelling personal journey as viewers watched him develop new performance skills outside sport. His progression throughout the competition became one of the season's most engaging storylines.
Nina Carberry represented one of Ireland's most accomplished National Hunt jockeys and entered the competition with an established reputation for determination, professionalism and resilience. Her competitive mindset translated naturally into the programme, where consistent improvement ultimately led to victory alongside professional dance partner Pasquale La Rocca.
Together, the athletes broadened the programme's appeal across multiple sporting audiences while bringing authenticity, discipline and highly relatable personal stories to the series.
Deliverables
- Talent sourcing for elite Irish sporting personalities
- Athlete identification aligned to production objectives
- Direct athlete engagement through the Sport Endorse platform
- Centralised communication and negotiation
- Contracting support throughout recruitment
- Two elite athletes successfully secured for the 2022 series
- National television participation across the full RTÉ production
- Extended earned media coverage through weekly television broadcasts and national press
- Results
- The Trusted Quote
- "This is an incredible show and I'm delighted to be part of it all!"
- Nina Carberry | Former Professional Jockey
- "I was never going to be Patrick Swayze, but I'd do it all again in a heartbeat."
- Nicolas Roche | Former Professional Cyclist
Results
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