The Official Network
of The Horse Capital of The World®
Covering all equine disciplines while promoting the Ocala/Marion County FL region.
Launched in 2018, Horse Capital Television is the official video network of the Horse Capital of The World®. Kaplan Media partnered with the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' & Owners' Association and Horse Capital Digest to create relevant content that supports the industry.
Monthly video content features all equine disciplines while promoting the Ocala Marion County, FL region.
Trademarked as Horse Capital of the World®, Ocala/Marion County in Central Florida has more equines than any other in the United States.
Barbara Hooper
is the Host/Senior Producer of Horse Capital Television, a lover of all things equestrian, and a seasoned television personality.
She enjoys highlighting local equestrian life for connoisseurs and novices alike. Barbara began her career as a photographer for a Fox affiliate station in Green Bay, Wisconsin. From there, she moved up through the ranks in TV as a one-man band, reporter, weekend anchor, and finally main anchor back home in Illinois at WQAD-TV.
After becoming a mother, she headed south trading wind and snow for sunshine and horses. Barbara enjoys spending time with her husband, Eric, and their children while living on a farm in Marion County. She embraces a life in which she can combine her passions for TV, photography, and horses.
Sean Kaplan
is the Executive Producer of Horse Capital Television with nearly 30 years of television production management & experience. He is also the owner of Kaplan Media, the parent company of Horse Capital Television based in Ocala/Marion County.
Steve Weaver
is the art director of Horse Capital Television with 30 years of graphic design experience. Steve studied illustration at the prestigious Ringling School of Art & Design.
Horse Capital Television Receives Communicator Awards
For immediate release
May 25, 2022
For more information contact:
Tammy Gantt
Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association
(352) 629-2160
Email: tgantt@ftboa.com
OCALA, FL—The twenty-eighth annual Communicator Awards winners have been announced by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts and Ocala-based Horse Capital Television has been honored with three Awards of Excellence.
With more than 4,000 entries received from across the United States and around the world, the Communicator Awards is the among the most expansive and competitive awards programs honoring creative excellence for communications professionals.
Horse Capital Television host Barbara Hooper was named Best Host for the Virtual and Remote Category for her work on the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association 2021 Champions Award Show. The Awards Show was a special production created to recognize the FTBOA divisional champions of 2020 as the Association’s annual awards gala had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to recognizing the Association’s equine and human award winners, the production also featured special addresses by FTBOA CEO Lonny Powell and FTBOA president Phil Matthews.
“There was a very large pool of talented communicators entered and I am truly honored to have received this award,” Hooper said. “Our team at Horse Capital TV work hard every day to share the best quality of equine stories to those living in the Horse Capital of the World®.”
The FTBOA is instrumental in providing content, brand management and production assistance for the Horse Capital Television series and continues to work with the production company in developing additional broadcast projects.
“These awards reflect our commitment to a broadcast quality standard and the equestrian industry around us; we are honored and humbled to be recognized for our efforts.” Horse Capital Television CEO and Founder Sean Kaplan said.
“With the Horse Capital TV brand as our vehicle, we sought to produce the highest caliber program we could,” FTBOA associate vice president, member services and events Tammy Gantt said. “After researching what other national awards shows both inside and outside of our industry were doing, we set the bar high for quality with our proven format and a platform that could attract the most viewers as we showcased our industry’s Florida-bred champions and their connections. It’s a special and rewarding moment for Barbara, Sean and myself to be recognized for a project we loved creating.”
In addition, Horse Capital Television was presented an Award of Excellence for Campaigns & Series - News & Informational for Social Media. A separate Award of Excellence was for excellence in Campaign or Series-Web Series for Online Video.
Horse Capital Television airs on WCJB, channel 20 in Gainesville, Fla., each Wednesday morning during the TV20 Morning Edition and each Sunday at 11 p.m. The program is also available on Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and selected apps that can be downloaded on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
About Horse Capital Television
Launched in 2018, Horse Capital Television is the official video network of the Horse Capital of The World®. Kaplan Media partnered with the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners’ Association to create relevant content that supports the industry.
Monthly video content features all equine disciplines while promoting the Ocala/Marion County, Fla., region. Weekly features are also aired on WCJB-TV20 news. Trademarked by the FTBOA as Horse Capital of the World®, Ocala/Marion County in Central Florida has more equines than any other in the United States.
About the FTBOA
Established in 1948, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association is a not-for-profit association with the mission of promoting the Florida thoroughbred. The FTBOA represents more than 1,300 thoroughbred breeders and owners internationally who breed, raise, sell, train and race horses born in the state of Florida. The FTBOA is located at 801 SW 60th Avenue in Ocala, Fla., in the heart of one of the top equine regions worldwide and recognized as the Horse Capital of the World®.
