MEDIUM | Female Disruptors: Ellen Hyslop of The GIST On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Growing up as both an avid sports fan and competitive athlete, my passion for sports was ingrained early on. But after studying business and working in finance for three years, it was clear that despite sports holding a social currency in society, that it was very clearly a boys’ club.
When we started The GIST we noticed a stark disparity in the industry: At the time, less than 4% of sports media coverage was female athletes or women’s sports, less than 14% of sports journalists were women, and traditional media was really catering to avid male sports fans — 75%+ of ESPNs viewership was men.
With numbers like these, it’s no wonder why women and other underserved sports fans felt outside of the sports community looking in. These gaps fueled our desire to create change.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
We’re all about challenging the status quo of the male-dominated sports industry. Keeping the above stats in mind, we have purposefully created a business model based on inclusion: We provide equal coverage on men’s and women’s sports, all of our content is produced by women and non-binary folks, and our target market is those underserved sports fans.
We aim to be your witty, sports-obsessed best friend that’s keeping you in the know about sports. We provide “the gist” on sports news in a digestible and entertaining format to where our audience is scrolling: their phones.
We’ve established a distinct voice and storytelling style that resonates with our diverse audience of over 2 million GISTers across North America. By flipping the traditional business model on its head, we’re reshaping how sports fans consume content and how media and brands perceive and values women’s athletics and female fans.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
We have made *so* many mistakes since we started The GIST, and thank goodness we have! As a startup, we’re all about failing in order to learn and grow.
A lot of our most funny mistakes come from travel woes. Part of the application process for the Comcast NBCUniversal Techstars accelerator in Philadelphia, PA was presenting and answering questions to a boardroom of professionals, as well as taking part in a happy hour at the Comcast offices.
Despite arriving at Pearson two hours early, we somehow lost track of time and missed our flight to Philly. We had applied a three-hour time buffer, and thank goodness we did. We ended up getting on the next flight, racing to the Comcast NBCU office and marching right into the boardroom.
A key learning from that was 1) always pay attention in airport terminals and 2) roll with the punches. It was a little bit stressful at the time, but we look back at the story and always laugh.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
We’ve been fortunate to have many mentors guide us through challenges and opportunities. We’ve also found that our mentors and champions have evolved over the years as the needs of the business and us as leaders have changed too. Our mentors span from CMOs of brands, CEOs & presidents of media companies, leadership companies and more. The mentor group we’ve established has been key in us growing as a business and as leaders.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
Disruption is positive when it dismantles barriers and fosters innovation, like in our case, where equalizing sports coverage promotes diversity and engages new audiences. However, disruption isn’t always beneficial if it undermines stability or ignores historical successes. For instance, while challenging norms in media coverage is crucial, respecting foundational principles of journalism ensures credibility and ethical standards are upheld.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey?
- Persistence: Early on, a mentor advised me to persevere despite setbacks. This counsel motivated me during tough times, like when securing initial funding for The GIST.
- Authenticity: Embracing authenticity has been pivotal. Our team’s genuine passion for sports and equality resonates authentically with our audience, driving our brand’s growth.
- Collaboration: Collaboration is key. Working with a diverse team has enriched our perspectives, fueling creativity and innovation in our content and strategy.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Moving forward, we aim to expand our platform’s reach and impact. By leveraging emerging technologies and strategic partnerships, we’ll continue amplifying underrepresented voices in sports media and advocating for gender equity. We’re just scratching the surface!
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
Women disruptors often face challenges such as gender bias, lack of representation in leadership roles, and societal expectations. Overcoming these barriers requires resilience, mentorship, and a supportive community.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
In the early days of founding The GIST, I listened to a lot of How I Built This with Guy Raz. He’s such a great interviewer and storyteller. It was really helpful and inspiring to learn about other entrepreneurs’ journeys and there were a lot of learnings to take away.
In addition to that, we often listen to the Digiday podcast in order to keep our finger on the pulse from a media and marketing perspective, staying in the know on current and future trends.
Lastly, I’m a big fan of having your podcast rotation include some fun! I frequently listen to Giggly Squad to balance the more business-forward podcasts.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would inspire a movement promoting equal opportunities for women in sports — from grassroots to professional levels and from the behind-the-scenes to fandom and on the field f play. By elevating women’s achievements and dismantling systemic barriers, we can foster a more inclusive sports culture for all.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Never give up!” This was a quote that was actually instilled by my dad with our family, but also with our soccer teams. Before we went out on the pitch, he always gave us a reminder to “never give up.” I was too young to recognize how important this philosophy or way of living was then, but looking back I think it was foundational in how I operate today.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can follow me and stay updated on The GIST’s initiatives through our website (www.thegistsports.com) and social media channels (@thegistnewsca) & (@thegistusa).
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
