Steve Bellamy
| Steve Bellamy | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | USA |
| Alma mater | Indiana University's Kelley School of Business[1] |
| Occupation | Sports and Media |
| Known for | The Ski Channel, Tennis Channel, Palisades Tennis Center, LA Golf Academy |
| Spouse(s) | Beth Herr |
| Children | Four boys |
Steve Bellamy is an entrepreneur in sports and entertainment best known for the founding of niche cable television networks including The Tennis Channel, The Surf Channel and The Ski Channel. He is also a writer/director/producer whose films “Winter” and “The Story” garnered dozens of film festival awards including numerous “Best Director” awards for him. Those films starred Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Sarah Burke and Hilary Swank. The soundtrack to “Winter” performed by the band BUSH whose single and title track to the film Sound Of Winter hit number one on both the rock and alternative charts in the US.
Biography
Early career
Bellamy played tennis at the junior level.[1]
A native of Indiana, Bellamy played guitar for "Johnny Major and the Minors", while attending Indiana University,[1] then moved to Los Angeles in 1986 to pursue a music career. After frequently selling his cars and guitars to pay rent in the early years, Bellamy became a large draw on the Los Angeles Club circuit playing venues like the House of Blues, Club Lingerie, The Roxy and the Whisky during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He recorded five albums, toured the country, had songs on commercial radio across the United States and shared the stage with Bruce Springsteen, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Brian Wilson and David Crosby. His video for “Time Takes Away” was seen on MTV and his songs can still be frequently heard in television and film.
While working in the studio and playing concerts at night, he spent his days giving tennis lessons to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Goldie Hawn, Sally Field, Hilary Swank, Kate Hudson and other actors, politicians, media executives and their families including Mike Ovitz, Steven Spielberg and Leslie Moonves.
Bellamy founded Atonal Tennis, Inc. in 1985 and managed the Palisades Tennis Center with an increase of revenue by a factor of 10 in a few years.[1]
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.[2] In 2001, the Tennis Channel (TTC) was founded by Steve Bellamy. The channel was launched in the Spring of 2003[3] Bellamy had planned to use the Tennis Channel Open, a Tennis Channel acquisition, as the core event as a part of a larger “Tennispalooza”.[4]
In 2006, Bellamy became Chief Executive Officer of Action Sport Networks.[1] In April 2007, Bellamy announced the formation of The Ski Channel television channel that would focus on mountain oriented sports, activity and lifestyle under the aegis of his Atonal Sports and Entertainment.[4]
During the 2012 US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, Steve Bellamy announced that he's launching a third outlet, the Surf Channel, that will devote itself 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 including Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Chris Davenport, Mike Douglas, Lynsey Dyer, Bobby Brown, Reggie Crist and Stephani Victor. That film won many film festivals including the Las Vegas Film Festival where Bellamy also won the award for best director. It featured a team making the climb to the top of Mt. Everest and some of the most extremely human flying ever captured on film. The next year it was followed up by "Winter" which starred Sarah Burke. That film also won countless film festivals.
Personal life
Bellamy’s wife Beth Herr was a NCAA singles champion at USC, a No. 1 world-ranked junior tennis player, a top 20 professional tennis player and is a top-ranked female paddle tennis player in the world. They have four children who are all tennis players. Bellamy is an avid collector of rare guitars, a staunch animal rights activist and is a long time vegan.
Atonal Sports and Entertainment
Atonal Sports and Entertainment owns and operates several tennis centers, a film company and Palisades Sound Recording Studio. Atonal Films produces documentaries shot in HD. Atonal’s charitable arm controls the Make a Racket Foundation, which gets unused tennis racquets out of closets and into the hands of underprivileged youth. The foundations’ first fundraiser was a free tennis exhibition called "Racquets, Stars & Guitars" which featured tennis brothers Bob and Mike Bryan, musician Gavin Rossdale, comedian Jon Lovitz, actresses Elisabeth Shue, Donna Mills, Melissa Rivers and Camryn Manheim and other athletes and celebrities. The event was featured in US Weekly. Bellamy also sits on the board of “Head To Hollywood” with Carmen Electra and US Magazine West Coast Editor Ken Baker.
Sports facilities owned by Atonal including the Palisades Tennis Center and L.A. Golf Academy.[4]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Executive Profile: Steve Bellamy". Bloomberg Business. Bloomberg. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- ↑ Bradstreet, Kailee (September 5, 2012). "Behind The Surf Channel: Founder Steve Bellamy". Transworld Business (The Enthusiast Network). Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ↑ Cantrell, Cynthia (July 2004). "The Medium is the Message". Tennis Industry (USRSA). Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Schneider, Michael (April 29, 2007). "Ski channel snowballing". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ↑ Kenneally, Tim (August 3, 2012). "Tennis/Ski Channel Founder Now Launches a Surf Channel". The Wrap. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- ↑ Lafayette, Jon (October 7, 2015). "Bellamy Named President of Kodak Entertainment Arm". Broadcasting & Cable (NewBay Media, LLC). Retrieved February 2, 2016.