Experience

Metaphysic.ai
• United Kingdom
• Technology, Information and Internet
• 1 - 100 Employee
• Head of Entertainment, Music & Sports Industry Partnerships

  • Apr 2022 - Present


Rick Bassman's Talking Tough

• Podcaster

  • Jan 2020 - Present

  www.talking-tough.com The World’s TOUGHEST Men & Women – at their most VULNERABLE. Their stories of triumph. Their falls from grace. And… their climbs back, to the top. To LIFE. The TALKING TOUGH podcast gives the TOUGHEST PEOPLE ON THE PLANET a platform to tell their inside stories of: toughness that brought each his or her successes --and the fun/craziness that came with it-- the strength that each called upon to come back from his/her hardest times. Equal parts hard core and vulnerability, Talking Tough will both entertain and inspire, in equal doses. Talking Tough provides a forum for 'traditionally' tough celebrities (MMA Fighters, Holocaust Survivors, Hell's Angels, Navy Seals). They are asked about about the 'traditional' toughness that brought them success and the mental/emotional/spiritual toughness that guided them back from failure. We will use the celebrity of our guests to find an audience. We will keep our audience by telling a story of mental health to an audience that, by definition, shirks that dialogue as being 'untough'. Show less



Various

• Financial Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Pit Bull Advocate/Cancer Survivorship Coach

  • Jan 2011 - Present

  www.bullydogrescue.org Rick has a record of accomplishment in many areas of Entertainment & Sports. Currently, is founder/CEO of the Bully Dog Rescue Coalition, and also facilitates Bookings for the world’s "biggest" talent-www.largerthanlifemgmt.com Career highlights: • Bassman Productions. Oversaw integrated verticals incl promoting major-name concerts,a talent agency repping musical artists, a security guard company, a nightclub,and a modeling agency, · Founder/Pres., Celebrity Services. Oversaw a mgmt co, for off-field/off-court activities for players on the Denver Broncos & Nuggets, & AZ Cardinals & Phoenix Suns franchises. * Walt Disney Co., Headed up Ent. & TV for Pleasure Island, Disney’s nighttime entertainment property. There, Rick won an Emmy for producing & writing Best Entertainment Special “Flashback." ·Founder/CEO of Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Valor Fighting & Mgmt, each among Pro Wrestling’s and MMA's’ most prolific organizations; w/ verticals incl owning/operating leading schools; managing top stars, producing 1000s of live events, distributing its filmed content across many platforms worldwide, and Consultant for WWE, K-1 and PRIDE. Rick is a Stage 4 cancer survivor, New Thought enthusiast & volunteers actively for large-breed dog rescue. In 2020, after a years-long critical medical scare, Rick & his beloved Pit Bulls Ramone, GoGo, Eos & Dennis are living on Maui, where Rick is hard at work on The Bully Dog Rescue Coalition, which will provide an unparalled platform that advocates for Bully Breeds nationwide. Rick plans on doing one more Pro Wrestling match & Mixed Martial Arts match, and breaking the world record in the bench press, “just to prove to myself I can,” and is focused on release his Autobiography "Little Big Man" to the top of the NY Times Bestsellers list & his podcast “Talking Tough” to the top of the charts. Ramone, GoGo, Eos & Dennis plan on play dates at the beach and having lots of treats and naps. Show less


Cameo
• United Kingdom
• IT Services and IT Consulting
• 1 - 100 Employee
• Strategic Talent Partnerships + Business Development

  • May 2021 - May 2022

HOW I Live
• United Kingdom
• Software Development
• Consultant to entertainment industry leaders

  • Jan 2011 - Aug 2021


MOOZ Entertainment

• India
• Hospitals and Health Care

• Head of North American Business Development

  • Dec 2011 - Apr 2013

  As Head of North American Business Development for ZOOM Communications' MOOZ Entertainment division, Rick spearheaded the Live Music, Sports and Original Television Programming activities of India’s leading Live Events Firm. Responsibilities included negotiating contracts with Artist Management and Agents, and liaising between Artists' Team (Merchandiser, Publicist, Social Media, Legal, Business Management, etc.) until contracted agreement was concluded. MOOZ disbanded in Spring of 2013. Show less



CESD Talent Agency

• Entertainment Providers
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Department Head, Larger Than Life Division

  • Sep 2009 - Mar 2011

  For CESD, one of the industry's oldest and most respected Talent Agencies, I created from scratch, and managed, the "Larger Than Life Division." The primary mandate was to identify, sign and represent the biggest grouping of "physical" talent ever in the Commercial and Theatrical communities. The Division was founded primarily around long-time friends, such as Roddy Piper, Lou Ferrigno, Tito Ortiz, Eric "Butterbean" Esch, Dave Legeno, Nathan Jones and many others. In the year and one-half I was there, myself and one single full-time assistant —and a battery of interns— created and managed a division that represented over one hundred of the industry's most colorful physical actors and characters, and booked hundreds of Movie, Television, Commercial and Personal Appearance engagements. Show less



Ulimate Pro Wrestling / Valor Fighting and Management

• President

  • Mar 1998 - Dec 2007

  Helmed Rick Bassman Enterprises, Inc., which included my creating and overseeing the day-to-day operation of: --Extreme University, which was the likely the first --and certainly the best-known-- Mixed Martial Arts gym in California --Ultimate Pro Wrestling ("UPW"), which included Ultimate University, the leading school in the history of the Pro Wrestling Industry, producing hundreds of live events at Casinos, High Schools and Clubs throughout Southern California, as well as Nevada, Guyana, South Africa, Japan and more, all under the UPW banner; producing and releasing UPW DVDs, which were distributed at major retail across North America; twice serving as a contractual consulting to World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment; discovering, training and/or managing Pro Wrestling stars such as Sting, The Ultimate Warrior, John Cena, The Miz, Rowdy Roddy Piper and Diamond Dallas Page; producing several Pro Wrestling-centric Television specials (e.g. "Inside Pro Wrestling" for The Discovery Channel, "Bodyslam" for TLC, etc.) and acting as Consultant for virtually every major entertainment magazine doing pieces on Pro Wrestling ("Access Hollywood," "Good Morning America," etc.) --Valor Fighting & Management, LLC, which produced dozens of Mixed Martial Arts events at major casinos throughout California; distributed its DVDs at major retail throughout North America; operated the state-of-the-art "OC Dojo" MMA school in San Clemente, CA; managed many of MMA's original icons, such as Tito Ortiz, Mark Coleman, Mark Kerr, Oleg Taktarov, Kimo, Don Frye, Dan Severn, Butterbean and Tank Abbott; served contractually as K-1's North American business liaison. Show less



The Walt Disney Company

• United States
• Entertainment Providers
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Marketing Executive

  • Jul 1990 - Feb 1992

  Highest-level ever executive hire for a person without a college degree, at The Walt Disney Company. After 13 interviews with Senior Management, including Dick Nunis and Tom Elrod, Walt Disney World’s top two execs, and two 5000 mile round trips, I was hired and shown to my office by Roger Kurz, another of the Company's highest-ranking executives, and sent off with a "good luck" and... no job description. When inquiring of Art Levitt, CEO Michael Eisner's right-hand man what was expected of me, I was told “go f*ck this place up." The place he was speaking of was Pleasure Island, Disney World's nighttime entertainment complex; an actual island created by Disney, which included six themed nightclubs, 2 outdoor concert and entertainment stages, specialty shops and restaurants, and a raging party street which ran through the entire Island, and featured a "New Year's Eve every night" celebration. The problem was, Pleasure Island was not raging. In fact, it was failing. I was given nearly free reign to bring the Island up-to-date. My responsibilities --largely self-created-- ultimately included attracting cutting-edge celebrities to the island, re-designing the clubs, creating and producing original television programming which originated from the Island, and booking live, name entertainment. It was a great run, while it lasted. Show less



Bassman Productions

• Owner - Operator

  • Feb 1982 - Jan 1987

  Established and operated "mini-empire," in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, CA, which included: --Bassman Productions, which produced and promoted hundreds of concerts with artists like The B-52s, The GoGos, The Ramones, etc. etc. --Bassman Talent Agency, which represented dozens of cover bands across the "Tri-Counties” (also including Ventura), and which ultimately was responsible for over 70% of all fraternity, sorority, college, high school, wedding and private party bookings. --Bassman Event Security, which provided security guard services to UCSB and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on an exclusive basis, as well as over 100 nightclubs and bars from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles. --The Library Restaurant and Nightclub, in UCSB's college town of Isla Vista. The Library was the first club ever in isla Vista, which at the time, was listed by the Guiness Book of Records as the most densly populated city in the US. --Club Santa Barbara Modeling & Talent, which represented models for fashion, runway,and print, and produced special projects revolving around its talent. Show less