Steve Bellamy

Steve Bellamy is an entrepreneur in sports and entertainment known for the founding of niche cable television networks, including the Tennis Channel, The Surf Channel, The Skate Channel and The Ski Channel. He is also a writer/director/producer of six feature films, including Winter and The Story. And he is currently the President of Motion Picture and Entertainment at Kodak.

Steve Bellamy
OccupationSports
Entertainment
EmployerKodak
Known for
Titlepresident of Motion Picture and Entertainment
Board member ofChairman, Action Sport Networks

Biography

Early career

Bellamy founded Atonal Tennis, Inc. in 1985 which owned and operated the Palisades Tennis Center, Cheviot Hills Tennis , Santa Monica Tennis Center, Westwood Tennis Center and Westchester Tennis Center. While running those tennis centers, Bellamy invented LiveBall which is played in virtually every tennis center around the world.

Sports channels founding

About 1997, Bellamy had the idea of cable channel for skiing and started work on the concept. He switch to working on a tennis channel concept given the broader audience for tennis.[1] In 2001, the Tennis Channel (TTC) was founded by Steve Bellamy. The channel was launched in Spring 2003.[2] Bellamy had planned to use the Tennis Channel Open, a Tennis Channel acquisition, as the core event as a part of a larger "Tennispalooza".[3] In 2005, Bellamy left to start The Ski Channel.[4]

In 2006, Bellamy became chief executive officer of Action Sport Networks. In April 2007, Bellamy announced the formation of The Ski Channel that would focus on mountain oriented sports, activity and lifestyle under the aegis of his Atonal Sports and Entertainment.[3]

During the 2012 US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, Bellamy announced that he was launching the Surf Channel, devoted to beach, water and board sports, lifestyle and travel, in mid-September.[5]

By 2015, he was made chairman of Action Sport Networks. Bellamy was named Kodak president of motion picture and entertainment in October 2015.[6]


Films

In August 2010, Bellamy wrote and directed a film featuring mountain sports athletes. This film won at the Las Vegas Film Festival, where Bellamy also won the award for best director. It featured a team making a climb to the top of Mount Everest. The next year, it was followed by Winter.

Atonal Sports and Entertainment

Atonal Sports and Entertainment owned and operated several tennis centers, a film company, Atonal Films and TV, and Palisades Sound Recording Studio. Atonal Films produced documentaries. Sports facilities owned by Atonal included the Palisades Tennis Center, Westwood Tennis Center, Van Nuys Tennis Center and the LA Golf Academy.[7]

References
  1. Bradstreet, Kailee (September 5, 2012). "Behind The Surf Channel: Founder Steve Bellamy". Transworld Business. The Enthusiast Network. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  2. Cantrell, Cynthia (July 2004). "The Medium is the Message". Tennis Industry. USRSA. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  3. Schneider, Michael (April 29, 2007). "Ski channel snowballing". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  4. "Executive Profile: Steve Bellamy". Bloomberg Business. Bloomberg. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  5. Kenneally, Tim (August 3, 2012). "Tennis/Ski Channel Founder Now Launches a Surf Channel". The Wrap. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  6. Lafayette, Jon (October 7, 2015). "Bellamy Named President of Kodak Entertainment Arm". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media, LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  7. "Steve Bellamy, Entrepreneur and Founder of The Tennis Channel, to Launch The Ski Channel, a VOD and Multimedia Network for Year-Round Mountain Activities". Broadcasting & Cable. April 30, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.