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ABC Family Television Show "Switched!" Selects Four Riders For Upcoming Season

July 29, 2004

Wellington, Florida --- The ABC Family Television Show “Switched!” has selected four teen-aged equestrians to appear in episodes of the show in the upcoming season. "Switched!" is a teen reality show that gives two young people between the ages of 16 and 20 the chance to simultaneously trade lives during a four-day adventure. The challenge is to see how each person will cope in a new environment – dealing with a new family, new school, new friends, new activities, and everything that involves trading a life with a counterpart somewhere else in the USA. The top-rated show currently airs weekdays at 3:00 ET/PT on the ABC Family Network, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company.

The selected riders who will appear on Switched! are: Jessica Rowlett, 16, of Rockwall, Texas, who is a hunt seat rider; Sara Wainwright, 19, of Neptune Beach, Florida, who competes in English and Western events; Weston Gracida, 17, of Wellington, Florida, who is a polo player; and Courtney Carr, 18, of Apache Junction, Arizona, who competes in English and Western events.

“Everybody we selected for the show was really great,” said Jonathan Ruane of Evolution Film & Tape, Inc., the Burbank, California-based producers of the show. “If we are picked up by the network for another season, we’re actually hoping to feature more teen equestrians.” Ruane noted that the key to making the right selections for Switched! was finding applicants that were open, out-going, and interested in trying new experiences and being adventurous. “They had to have a good life and a good family,” he said. “Essentially we were looking for great kids with great activities that had a lot going on and were interested in trying something new.”

The episodes will follow widely varying paths – the equestrians traded places with teens involved in worlds quite different from barns, shows, and horses! Jessica Rowlett switched with Hailey Welch of Lakeland, Florida, who plays banjo and is a cheerleader. Sara Wainright switched with Jake Kaplan of San Diego, California, who is a street luger (a sport similar to the Winter Olympics Luge, only instead of snow he uses a ‘giant skateboard’ on asphalt). Weston Gracida switched with Grace Nutter of Queens, New York, who is an aspiring actress. Courtney Carr switched with Julissa Bermudez of Miami, Florida, who is a TV personality for Mun2 – targeted towards young urban Latinos.

The equestrian teens became aware of Switched! through the endeavors of Phelps Media Group, Inc., (PMG) a public relations firm based in Wellington, Florida, that is primarily focused on the equestrian world. Mason Phelps, Jr., founder and president of PMG, alerted Switched! to Weston Gracida, who was named the US Polo Association’s 2003 Rookie of the Year. The three women submitted their applications based on reading a published press release issued in April 2004 by PMG, which appeared extensively in equestrian media outlets announcing the casting call. Jessica Rowlett saw the news on an AOL Arabian Horse Message Board; Sara Wainright and Courtney Carr both read the news in Horse and Rider Magazine.

“PMG was instrumental in getting these kids on the show and getting the word out there to the equestrian media that we were looking for teens,” said Ruane. “The response was unprecedented. We’ve been filming for a year and we’ve done outreach to all different types of groups such as figure skaters and baton twirlers, but this was the largest response we’ve gotten from a specific group.”

Next Season

Ruane said that some of the equestrians who applied are still under consideration for future episodes. “They were all great kids and we are keeping people on our radar that we’re hoping to work out for next season,” he said.

Switched! utilizes a ‘rolling application deadline’, meaning applications are taken throughout the casting period, and the current ‘curtain deadline’ (marking the end of casting for the season) is August 6, 2004, which Ruane notes will likely be extended. Ruane encourages interested teens to check the show’s website at http://www.switchedcasting.com/. Information is available on casting periods and deadlines, plus applications are available to download. Teens can also email a question or application to the show directly through the website.

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