NEW YORK, May 18th, 2011 – New York based intellectual property company Authentic Brands Group has named Mike Straka senior vice president of media and entertainment to head up strategic content initiatives for brands including TapouT, TapouT MPS, Silver Star, Iron Star, Sinister, Hitman Fight Gear and Marilyn Monroe.
“Straka’s expertise in multimedia will help grow our content offerings and distribution across all of our brands on multiple platforms,” said Jamie Salter, chairman and CEO, ABG. “His demonstrated body of work in MMA has made him one of the most respected broadcast journalists in mixed martial arts today. We are looking forward to having Mike Straka represent our brands in all forms of media and entertainment.”
“Mike has been a huge supporter of MMA and TapouT throughout the years,” said Dan “Punkass” Caldwell, president and co-founder of TapouT. “We are excited to have him on our team and look forward to collaborating with him as we continue to be the leading MMA apparel and lifestyle brand.”
A former vice president and executive producer at FOX News Digital, Straka brings nearly twenty years of major media experience to ABG and will be responsible for building strategic media partner- ships for ABG brands, and head up content channels that will serve to make Tapout.com, TapouT Radio and ABG’s partners the premier destinations for mixed martial arts news and entertainment coverage.
“This is a dream job for me,” said Straka. “MMA is my passion and TapouT is the leading brand in MMA lifestyle and entertainment. To be a part of the vision set upon by the late Mask and his partners Punkass and Skyskrape more than ten years ago is an honor. Authentic Brands Group is a company that cultivates the type of entrepreneurial spirit and environment that I thrive in, and I’m up for the challenge.”
In addition, Straka will represent ABG and TapouT on all forms of media, analyzing fight cards, break- ing UFC® news and interviewing the fighters.
While at FOX Straka was responsible for video operations, vendor relations and online programming, and he was the host and executive producer of “Fox Fight Game,” one of the first weekly MMA pro- grams dating back to UFC 32.
Most recently, Straka was the host of “Fighting Words with Mike Straka” on HDNet, a one-on-one interview program featuring the biggest names in MMA, including UFC president Dana White and a rare interview with UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, as well as dozens of sit-downs with the world’s greatest MMA fighters.
WAS the host? Is the show canceled or will they just be replacing him because this is one of my favorite shows on all of TV.