AN OBM DOCUMENTARY
All eyes on the west
Not since John Wayne dominated the silver screen followed by modern western heroes like Lane Frost and Kaycee Field have we seen an interest this big in America’s greatest love affair- the American west.
Western films sought to teach the values of honesty, integrity, hard work, racial tolerance, determination to succeed and justice for all. They were, in a sense, modern morality plays where our heroes were strong, reliable, clear-headed and decent, fighting their adversaries in the name of justice. And as the country has grown up so to has the way we tell our western stories but, the audience has grown up too and we know a lot more about these values and issues than ever before.
The Cost of Being a Cowboy has been made into a limited documentary series and feature documentary that follows three professional rodeo cowboys behind the scenes as they balance life on the road and at home with their families.
In this documentary first, the semi verte film explores what it takes to survive as a professional cowboy athlete, exploring the risks involved, physical and mental challenges along with the great highs and lows of a true American sport.
Filmed over two and a half years and across 12 states, we are granted inside access to a community built on trust, resilience and western values.
Overview
The Cost of Being a Cowboy has been produced as a feature documentary film and a 6 part series. The film delivers an introduction to the sport for new comers while diving into the current landscape of rodeo, athlete physical and psychological well being, financial and social implications of being a modern day cowboy that ride for their survival. Following the athletes over 2 years we see behind the scenes of what goes into being a professional bareback rider. We met the three cowboys at differing stages of their careers, all have achieved the greatest heights and endured the lowest of lows, Anthony Thomas, Tim O’Connell and Jess Pope. But, not all cowboy careers are coated in glory and for most, it’s a passion that can often leave them physically broken and financially destitute. Traveling with them, and spending time at home the viewer will experience their training, injury and recovery, managing family and work life all while battling to maintain a sense of who they in a rodeo season of 120 rodeos and 200 days on the road a year. With veteran and new cowboys eager to cut their teeth in 8 seconds of mayhem we learn about the sacrifices that go into living that dream and earning their buckles.
With key community stakeholders, experts, family members, former athletes and rodeo legends who have won and lost it all along we learn the sports origins, how the sport works, examine the social implications and question it’s place in modern America.
Protagonists
Anthony Thomas
A 15 year bareback veteran who immigrated from Australia to chase his dream. Australian National Champion and winner of the True Grit Award. Now residing in Texas, in the film we see Anthony on his journey to retirement in a one last push to make it to the ‘Big Show’- the National Finals Rodeo. Balancing a new family, a cattle business and his faith.
@athorsepower
Tim O’Connell
In the prime of his career, Tim O’Connell is a three time world bareback riding champion, having been to the NFR 10 times and winning over $2.5M. An Iowa native, he is an icon of the sport and an emerging TV personality. We follow him as he struggles after injury to stay behind the chutes while raising two children.
@officialtimoconnell
Jesse Pope
The youngest of our cowboys but already a world champion (2022), Jesse lives a cowboy dream between his home town in Kansas where he raises cattle and spends over 200 days on the road away from his new wife. We met Jesse coming off his world championship win and see as he strives for another while learning from the sports greatest.
@jess_pope1
The Cost of Being a Cowboy Book
The Cost of Being a Cowboy photo book offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes companion to the film, revealing the quiet, unseen moments that lived between filming. Stripped of spectacle, the photographs document the physical and emotional cost of the sport with honesty and restraint, providing an opportunity to share in the moments of solace with the athletes and appreciate the sport. Together, these images form a visual record of trust, endurance, and devotion—an unfiltered look at the lives of rodeo cowboys when the crowd is gone and the dust begins to settle.
