I enjoy the fact that my job is different every day. One day I’m coming in and working on website material, the next day I’m writing a press release or something like that. One day you’re racing and one day you’re sitting at a desk – so it’s nice that there is that unique aspect of the job where every day it’s something different,” said Antonietta Culic, the manager of Marketing and Media Relations at Fort Erie Race Track.
Born and raised in Fort Erie, Culic stepped into the role of media manager just prior to the 2016 racing meet at the Fort. Armed with a background in marketing and communications, Culic had previously worked as a communications coordinator at McMaster and then as an assistant in public relations with Ontario Power Generation in Niagara.
Culic jumped at the opportunity to work back in Fort Erie, but admits it was a challenging role for her to begin with.
“Because I am new to the role – to the industry, I really didn’t know a ton about horse racing going into it. So learning about the industry I think was a big learning curve when I first started. There’s a ton of people involved, between our backstretch and within the industry. So meeting a lot of people… and getting to know whose who and who does what and that sort of stuff.”
However, she quickly found herself adapting to the role.
“Everyone here has been absolutely wonderful, they are a fantastic group of people. Everyone is super helpful. So they’ve definitely made my transition into the role significantly easier.”
Living in the community for the last two decades and visiting the historic racetrack as a child, Culic understands that the Fort has something different to offer than other Canadian racetracks.
“I think Fort Erie has a very unique culture. It’s a closer-knit community. When you come to Fort Erie it’s definitely like taking a step back in time. It’s an older venue, but it still has that old sort of classic feel and look to it.”
The 2017 racing meet marks the 120th year of live racing at the venue and with a new media manager at the helm there will be several new things to see and enjoy at the Fort this year.
“I’m looking forward to our new Saturday race days, especially our Saturday twilights. In August we will be switching to a Saturday night twilight with a 4:20 p.m. post time, similar to our Tuesdays. Racing will be followed by a free concert at our Tiki Bar. In the fall our Saturdays will continue, but will move to a 1:20 p.m. post time. We are excited about the new day and are hoping it will attract a new crowd of people who are looking for a source of entertainment to fill their Saturdays.”
Working tirelessly over the winter, Culic has been planning all the advertising for this season and preparing for the launch of the Fort’s new mobile-friendly website. Additionally, the graphic design lover is looking forward to working on more promotional material this year.
“A lot of the graphic design work I outsourced previously, but I’m hoping to a do a lot more of that on my own. It’s something that I enjoy doing and I’ve done in the past, so I’m hoping to bring more of that in house.”
Over a year in and now fully immersed within the horse racing industry, Culic admits that she also loves showing off the Fort to her friends and family.
“I got married last year and I had some family come from Italy and as something to do we brought them here to the track and they absolutely loved it. They were so excited – they thought it was the neatest thing that we had this amazing venue right in our own backyard. So it’s definitely nice to bring visitors when we have family come. Same thing with my in-laws – they live up near Ottawa and every time they come down to Niagara we usually bring them here as well and they love it. It’s nice to be able to show off the track to people when they come.”
Transitioning into a new industry, working in her hometown and continually meeting new faces, the media manager seems more than content in her new role.
“I really like being able to interact with people, and I love that I get to do a lot of that with my role. On race days, I have the opportunity to walk around and speak with racing fans, staff and horse people. I enjoy the face-to-face interactions. They allow me to learn more about our industry, hear new ideas and engage with our audience.”
