Tag Archives: Big Soul Productions

Friday Night Thunder revs up for final season on APTN

From a media release:

Big Soul Productions is pleased and saddened to announce the final season premiere of Indigenous racing docuseries Friday Night Thunder on Friday, September 6 at 8:30PM ET on APTN. Shot entirely at Ohsweken Speedway on the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, this is the only series to follow the stories of Indigenous drivers in the Sprint Car class, arguably one of the most dangerous forms of racing in motorsports.

Created and Produced by Anishinaabe Producer Laura Milliken (Moccasin Flats), the 13x30min series amplifies the challenging world of grassroots dirt track racing for 10 Indigenous drivers who demonstrate varying degrees of passion, seriousness and skill on and off the track. From budget shortfalls to motor issues and car wrecks to rookie mistakes, all of the drivers wrestle with the challenges of this costly and sometimes deadly sport.

“It’s been a wild and crazy ride filming Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken Speedway. I have seen young drivers become family men, watched kids growing up, witnessed some of the best racing you’ll see anywhere and had the most fun I may ever have working on a television series,” said Laura Milliken. “I’ll truly miss this show. But I’m a forever racing fan so I’m sure I’ll be back with some more Indigenous racing content soon.”

Friday Night Thunder, the first-ever documentary series about the exhilarating and dangerous world of sprint car racing, ends its run in its fourth season for a total of 52 half-hour episodes. Seasons 1-3 can be watched on APTN’s streaming platform APTN LUMI. The Season 4 television premiere will be across all APTN channels on Friday, September 6 at 8:30PM.

“Audiences keep coming back to Friday Night Thunder because the drivers’ passion for what they do is infectious,” said Adam Garnet Jones, director of TV content and special events at APTN. “With fast cars, big characters and high stakes at Ohsweken Speedway, the show is all grit, grease and heart. We are sad to see it go but it will have a long life on our streaming platform.”

Friday Night Thunder was made possible by the generous support of Canadian Motorsport Hall of Famer and Ohsweken Speedway founder Glenn Styres and Tina StyresGForceTV and Clinton Geoffrey.

ABOUT BIG SOUL PRODUCTIONS
Big Soul Productions Inc. is a pioneering Toronto-based production company founded in 1999 by Anishinaabe producer/entrepreneur Laura J. Milliken. With their Gemini nominated series “Moccasin Flats,” Big Soul became the first Aboriginal-owned production company to earn a Best Dramatic Series nomination. Other notable credits include the primetime animated comedy “By the Rapids,” and the critically acclaimed festival films “Fire Song” and “Run Woman Run,” a sleeper box office hit. Big Soul is dedicated to creating, developing, and producing films and television series representing the Indigenous voice and perspective while generating much needed capacity for Indigenous talent in the film and television industries. 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

APTN gets fast and furious on Fridays with high-risk racing series Friday Night Thunder

From a media release:

Big Soul Productions announces the SEPT. 8 premiere of Friday Night Thunder, a fast-paced docu-soap series following racing families at Ohsweken Speedway—the only track on Indigenous land in Canada. Equal parts poignant and light-hearted, Friday Night Thunder challenges viewers’ perceptions of the world of dirt racing.

Produced by Big Soul Productions, a 100% Indigenous-owned production company, and airing on APTN Fridays at 8:30PM, Friday Night Thunder captures the emotions, community, and connection at the core of the dangerous sport. Friday Night Thunder digs deeper into what makes dirt racing at the Ohsweken Speedway a tradition among many families in the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in southern Ontario.

The series follows eleven Indigenous sprint car drivers as they navigate the highly dangerous open-wheel sport that can lead to crushing defeats, anxiety issues, debt, thrilling victories and exhaustion. Season 3 sees all of these drivers struggle with the now unfamiliar track at Ohsweken after competing at smaller tracks during the pandemic closure. Alex Hill, the only female driver, struggled with mental health issues, keeping her out of the sport for most of the season. She finally gets into the car with an anxiety episode that almost ends her day early.

Find out whether Alex was able to finish a race in Season 3, while learning how other drivers managed their own struggles, conflicts on the track, anxiety, wrecks and varying levels of car knowledge throughout the 13-episode third season.

Friday Night Thunder focuses on the lives of these drivers first, and the high-octane world of dirt racing second. Echoing the community on the track, Friday Night Thunder invites viewers into this tight-knit and adrenaline-packed club.

ABOUT BIG SOUL PRODUCTIONS
Big Soul Productions Inc. is a Toronto-based production company owned by Anishinaabe producer/entrepreneur Laura Milliken. Big Soul Productions is dedicated to creating, developing, and producing films and television representing the Indigenous voice while generating much needed capacity for Indigenous creatives in the industry.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail