How a professional sailing league built massive reach on YouTube and social media
Melissa Lawton's previous stints at Red Bull and Meta made her the perfect candidate for taking SailGP into the mainstream.
When people think about sailing, they often picture white sails billowing in the wind, a single boat gliding slowly across a blue horizon. SailGP shatters that image. With 12 national teams racing state-of-the-art catamarans that reach speeds of more than 60 miles per hour, the league has redefined sailing as a high-octane, edge-of-your-seat spectator sport. And at the center of its transformation into a global media entity is Melissa Lawton, SailGP’s Chief Content Officer.
Lawton, a veteran of both Red Bull and Meta, has brought a new vision to the sport—one that sees SailGP not just as a competition on water, but as a media property in its own right. Her challenge: turning an emerging league into a global brand that audiences don’t just watch, but follow, share, and obsess over.
Redefining Sailing for the Masses
Founded just five years ago by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and legendary sailor Sir Russell Coutts, SailGP was designed to flip traditional sailing on its head. Instead of solitary yachts drifting out at sea, SailGP stages races close to shore, where fans can feel the spray of water as boats zoom past grandstands. The action is intense: crashes, split-second maneuvers, and national teams battling in up to eight fleet races per weekend.
“Others might call it NASCAR on water,” Lawton says.