ACTION!: INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE ATHLETES GATHER IN MIAMI FOR “IFL
BATTLEGROUND” PROMOS, TITLE SEQUENCE SHOOT
Intensive Two-day Studio Shoot Puts Pieces In Place For March 12
Premiere Of Mixed Martial Arts Series On MyNetworkTV
MIAMI and BOCA RATON, Fla., February 19, 2007 — Ben Rothwell let out
a primal scream, one to which fans of the International Fight League
Silverbacks’ star have become accustomed. But this time, instead of
occurring in the ring with one of the league’s other heavyweights on
the business end, the venue was a Boca Raton, Fla., television studio
with a heavy bag and the MyNetworkTV cameras in the firing line.
That scene wrapped two days of intensive activity in several studio and
outdoor venues, as 11 of the top IFL athletes served as subjects in
interviews, green-screen shoots, titles, interstitials and promos, all key
elements of “IFL Battleground,” the exciting new series which will
debut on March 12 on MyNetworkTV affiliates across the country. The
two-hour program, which will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT and 7 p.m. CT/MT, will
cover the stories of each of the athletes both in and out of the ring,
bringing fans all of the event and behind the scenes action of the
world’s first team-based professional mixed martial arts league. Segments
will take viewers up close during the competition and also into the
locker rooms, training routines, and home lives of this diverse set of
athletes who are a part of the world’s fastest growing professional and
recreational sport.
MyNetworkTV reaches more than 95% of U.S. television households — or
more than 100 million homes across the nation. Each of the 22 episodes
of “IFL Battleground” will be re-broadcasted on Saturdays from 8-10
p.m. ET/PT and 7 p.m. CT/MT.
In between interviews and choreographed green-screen sessions, several
of the athletes also made a side trip to “Salvation,” a Miami Beach
tattoo parlor, for some critique of their art, and, for the
Silverbacks’ Bart Palaszewski, some new ink. They also took a spin on scooters,
all with the cameras in tow. In addition to Palaszewski and Rothwell,
also participating were: Jay Hieron and Chris Horodecki of the
Anacondas; John Gunderson of the Lions; Vladimir Matyushenko and Antonio McKee
of the Sabres; Chad Griggs of the Scorpions; Rory Markham of the
Silverbacks; Brad Blackburn of the Tiger Sharks; and Ryan Schultz of the
Wolfpack.
“It was a great experience being part of the making of `IFL
Battleground,'” said Markham, who also has a role in the upcoming feature
film The Death and Life of Bobby Z. “It will be exciting to see how
all the pieces we did in the two days fit together when the show hits
the air.”
Blackburn, Griggs, Horodecki, Markham and McKee also shot promotional
spots for more than a dozen MyNetworkTV affiliates nationwide and
provided commentary for MyNetworkTV screenings of feature films to air in the
days leading up to the debut of “IFL Battleground.” The others
participated in a series of interviews and promotional pieces for WBFS-TV,
My33 in Miami/Fort Lauderdale.
Viewers can locate their local MyNetworkTV affiliate online at
http://www.mynetworktv.com/local_stations.html. In addition to the 44
hours of “IFL Battleground,” mixed martial arts fans can catch
one-hour broadcasts of IFL action on Fox Sports Net on Fridays at 11 p.m.,
beginning on February 23, for a total of 66 hours of original-run IFL
programming on over-the-air television or basic cable.
About the IFL
International Fight League (IFL) is the world’s first professional
mixed martial arts sports league. IFL has its headquarters in New York,
NY and offices in Las Vegas, NV. For more information about IFL,
please see: www.ifl.tv
About MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a primetime general entertainment broadcast television
network. Targeted to Adults 18-49 and broadcast television’s only all
Hi-Definition network, it reaches over 95% of the country. MyNetworkTV
provides its affiliates 12 hours of programming Monday through
Saturday. Currently, MyNetworkTV airs Twentieth Television’s dramas
“Wicked Wicked Games,” starring Oscar-winning actress Tatum O’Neal, and
“Watch Over Me,” with Dayanara Torres, Casper Van Dien and Catherine
Oxenberg. For more information, please visit www.mynetworktv.com.
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