City OKs ‘Women of True Grit’ agreement
REDBAY–The city council has approved a $12,000 agreement with Hand in Hand Entertainment and Promotions for a one-year “Edie Hand: Women of True Grit” series.
Economic development funds will be used to pay for the contract.
Approval of the expenditure passed unanimously.
Council member Brad Bolton said he believes the program will help showcase Red Bay and the people who call it home.
“Anytime we can put a spotlight on Red Bay and its citizens, it puts us in a position to advance the qualities of living, working and running a business in the city,” Bolton said.
He said the series also will demonstrate that women can be successful leaders in a rural community.
“Many times, when you are marketing your business or, in this case, our city, you must spend money to make money, so investing in a seasoned storyteller who has roots in our city was a natural fit as we look to continue promoting all that Red Bay has to offer,” he said.
Edie Hand, senior multi-media account executive with Townsquare Media and creator of the “Women of True Grit” series, said the program will feature local women in business, banking, education, sports, churches and community leadership. Their stories will be shared through television, radio and other media as part of the broader “Women of True Grit” series.
Hand said she created the series to tell the stories of women who have overcome adversity.
“When I started ‘Women of True Grit,’ it was to tell women’s stories that have been through hard things and how they got through those hard things to turn them into beautiful situations,” she said.
She said people may nominate women through her website, and a committee reviews the nominations.
Mayor Mike Shewbart said he hopes the program will encourage more people to visit Red Bay.
“If we are in the news and are promoting our small, great city, maybe someone will be watching, reading or listening and they will think, ‘Let me see what’s going on there,’ and visit,” Shewbart said.
“Red Bay is the finest small city in the South,” he said. “We need to share some of the goodness.”
