ABOUT

CW104: 'Take the Throne' is the latest Cage Warriors promo written & produced by myself, shot by Dominic Joyce, narrated by UFC legend Dan Hardy and filmed on location at some of Wales' coolest historical sites.

I wanted to tell a story that would resonate with fans from both Wales and Scotland, and reflect the scale of the world title fight between undefeated champion Jack Shore and Scott Malone that took place on April 27th. Both of these nations fought in the War of the Roses - the factual inspiration for HBO's Game of Thrones - and are known for their fiercely loyal sports fans. With Game of Thrones shattering record numbers for their pre-season promotion at the time, I thought it'd be a good time to join in the conversation with an epic battle of our own.

I essentially reduced the story to the primal formula of a battle with a golden reward for the victor, which worked for both our upcoming fight and the narrative of GoT's final season. Once I was happy with my script, the piece was shot over 48 hours at 2 locations in Wales - Grosmont and White Castle - and a studio space in London with our talent. The cinematic sequences are supplemented by Cage Warriors' archive footage and some topical stock clips.

For this project it was essential that I paid as much time to distribution as I did to creation, in order for the piece to reach as many eyes as possible in both territories and to put bums on seats in the Viola Arena. I released it on social media in 3 edits - full length, 60 second and 30 second versions so that it could be used tactically across my event content plan. I'm pleased to say the promo was well received in both local and wider media, with outlets such as BBC Wales, ITV Wales and Wales Online engaging and sharing the finished product.

'Take the Throne' broke Cage Warriors' all-time viewing record at over 500k.