BIG VISION ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES NEW WRESTLING SHOW WITH THE NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE® (NWA™)
Big Vision sets out to reclaim the glory for the legendary NWA wrestling franchise which has spawned WWE, WCW, and TNA among others.
Los Angeles, Calif., Oct. 30, 2008 –Big Vision Entertainment, a leading independent licensee, production company and DVD label for special interest programming announced today the plans to reclaim the glory for the legendary wrestling brand of the National Wrestling AllianceÆ (NWA™) via a new series to be taped out of the historic Columbia Square Studios on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood, CA.
The exclusive worldwide production and distribution agreement includes all television and home entertainment rights to the new NWA franchise, which Big Vision plans to produce and sell into worldwide syndication and cable outlets.
“Big Vision is thrilled to be working with the NWA in effort to take the oldest and most respected brand in wrestling back into mainstream media.” Said Big Vision founder and CEO, Houston Curtis. “Our new show will focus on a more intimate vibe and feel best described as a modern version of the way wrestling used to be produced before the WWE era. Our goal is to bring pure wrestling entertainment back to the family.”
Curtis, who created the multi-million dollar Backyard Wrestling franchise as well as WSX for MTV has made pro-wrestling a focus of Big Vision since the inception of the company in 2003. Sales for home entertainment and television will be handled through Big Vision’s TV and home video arm, which currently has distribution for over 100 titles throughout the US and around the world.
The most recent nationally televised NWA show was called NWA Wrestling Showcase and aired on the Dish Network.
“The ‘Showcase’ was a great first step in getting our talent ready for television and the best thing we could have done is gone dark for a while.” said NWA Executive Director Robert K. Trobich. “Our new show ‘NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood’ will continue to highlight some of the great talent you have already been introduced to while creating an opportunity for us to expand and be in the middle of the entertainment industry.”
Creator/Producer of XPW, WSX and Big Vision Exec VP Kevin Kleinrock added, “With legendary names like Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Harley Race and the Von Erichs as the foundation for what the NWA franchise was built on, we are confident that NWA Championship Wrestling From Hollywood will quickly become a must see weekly event for the millions of wrestling fans in the US and around the world.”
Production, which is being co-produced and directed by the NWA’s Dave Marquez is slated to begin Friday, November 14th, 2008 with a live taping scheduled to start at 7:30pm. Tickets to the taping are FREE and available on a first come first serve basis. Additional FREE tapings will be held Saturday, November 15th at 7:30pm and Sunday, November 16th at 3:30pm. Fans wanting to attend the Hollywood tapings can call (818) 232-0770. Tickets can also be reserved online at www.nwawrestling.com or www.bigvisionentertainment.com.
About Big Vision Entertainment:
Big Vision Entertainment, founded by Houston Curtis in 2003, is the number one special interest home video label in the United States. BVE titles can be found in every major retail outlet in the US including, Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy. Big Vision is also the number one independent pro wrestling distributor in the world, second only to WWE in worldwide sales.
In addition to home video, Big Vision is also a leading production company and creator of alternative programming across a variety of genres. Company is currently in production on Cheech & Chong’s Smokin’ Animated Movie due out in 09. TV shows include The Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS, Wrestling Society X on MTV and Aruba Poker Classic on GSN. The company has recently completed pilots for A&E, Tru TV and the G4 network. In September of 08, company signed a muti-year distribution agreement with Image Entertainment for the North American home video rights to the entire BVE catalog of titles. Big Vision is represented for television by Greg Lipstone of ICM and attorney Jon Moonves of Del , Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein,& Lezcano. BVE’s home video deals are represented by Rob Rader of Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, LLP.
About NWA
Established in 1948, the National Wrestling AllianceÆ is the world’s largest and oldest sanctioning body in professional wrestling. The NWA’s rich history includes World Championship reigns by countless wrestling legends including Ric Flair, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk and Kerry Von Erich. Today, in partnership with Live Nation, Global Spectrum, Boyd Gaming, Inc. and many independent promoters produces thousands of live events worldwide. The NWA™ has offices in 14 US States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, England and Australia.
