Rugby player-turned-film-maker wins Gain Line award

Beno Obano turned involuntary time off the pitch into a business opportunity.

Bath rugby player Beno Obano was the winner of the Gain Line Award at the 2023 RPA Awards. Mr Obano won the Vodafone-sponsored gong for his remarkable business venture off-the-field: becoming a documentary film-maker.

After an injury led to Mr Obano having to spend time away from the game, he founded a production company, Sinnybaby Media. He has so far created two documentaries about rugby, ‘Everybody’s Game’, and ‘Prep To Win’, both of which can be viewed on Amazon Prime Video.

Mr Obano hopes not only to give viewers a behind-the-scenes view of the sport, but also to raise the profile of people from non-Caucasian backgrounds who take part in rugby.

On winning the honour, Mr Obano said: “It feels great to be recognised for this award. You don’t really do these types of things to be rewarded for it, so it’s always nice when you do get that recognition. It’s brilliant, so thank you!”

The RPA Gain Line Award, sponsored by Vodafone Business, was created to support current and former players of the game in their business ventures away from the field.

Andrew Stevens, Head of UK Small & Medium Business at Vodafone, said: “We are so pleased to hear that Beno has been awarded with the RPA Vodafone Business Gain Line Award.

“It is inspiring to see how Beno has turned time out from rugby due to injury into a positive venture. We are looking forward to seeing his production company go from strength to strength.”

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