Steve Bellamy
Encyclopedia
Steve Bellamy is a former rock music
ian, songwriter
, and entrepreneur
in sports and media as well as the writer/director for the film The Story starring Bode Miller
, Lindsey Vonn and Hilary Swank
. He is the founder of several businesses, including The Ski Channel
television network, where he is currently the Chairman and CEO, The Tennis Channel
television network, the Palisades Tennis Center, Westwood Tennis Center, Cheviot Hills Tennis Center, the LA Golf Academy as well as the inventor of LiveBall and the Shotgun 21 tennis tournament format.
, Bellamy fronted a rock band while attending Indiana University
, 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
.
In 1996, Bellamy took over a public tennis facility in Pacific Palisades near Los Angeles
and turned it into one of the most innovative tennis training facilities in the world. Palisades Tennis Center was dubbed the "Crown Jewel of American Tennis" by Independent Business Magazine and "the nexus for tennis and Mecca for celebrities in Los Angeles" by W Magazine. Shortly thereafter, Bellamy also acquired Westwood Tennis Center, Santa Monica Tennis Center and Westchester Tennis Academy.
Bellamy created Shotgun 21 is more like Tai Bo or scrimmage basketball than a tennis lesson. The programs worked well and the facilities were soon heavily utilized. In January 1998, Tennis Magazine
did a feature story on the Palisades Tennis Center. Now facilities around the country are using these programs.
launched in 2003 and although debuting to just a handful of cities across the United States
, The Tennis Channel
quickly became the most powerful media service in the sport and is now available in every community in the country. It holds television rights to the Davis Cup
, Fed Cup
, the Masters Series
, the U.S. Open Series, the US Open, Wimbledon
, the Australian Open
and the French Open.
While President of the channel, Bellamy appeared regularly on radio and was a frequent tennis analyst on television networks such as ESPN
, Fox
, Sporting News and CNN
. “In a sport that sometimes has a bad habit of thinking small, Steve is a real visionary whose infectious enthusiasm and outside-the-box strategizing is helping bring tennis to a broader audience. We're all fortunate he swapped one stringed instrument (his guitar) for another (his racket) and is helping lead tennis into the 21st century.” said Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated
.
He also hosted a show on The Tennis Channel
. “The Changing Face of Pro Tennis.” In 2005, he was named to Sports Business Journal's "Top 10 most Influential People" list and Tennis News
named him “Person of the Year.” The award was subsequently renamed after him and “The Bellamy” will go to the most influential person in tennis each year. He sat on the industry’s most powerful boards and committees including the ATP Foundation board, Tennis Industry Association board, the International Tennis Federation
's Joint Media Commission and the International Tennis Hall of Fame
. “Steve deserves a lot of credit for the popularity of the sport today," said Andre Agassi
.
He has organized special events that have included Dustin Hoffman
, Dr. Phil, David Spade
and Sheryl Crow
. In 2006, he created one of the most distinctive sporting events in the world - The Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas
. “Tennispalooza” melded men’s, women’s, college and junior tennis with other sports, entertainment and cultural events that included the best from the worlds of paddle tennis
, table tennis
, air hockey
, art, cooking, Motocross
, dance and music in a 14-day festival. The event featured a revolutionary tennis broadcast and made headlines across the globe. James Blake
beat Lleyton Hewitt
to win the men’s singles title and brothers Mike Bryan
and Bob Bryan
won the men’s doubles title while Motocross riders were simultaneously jumping 75 feet in the air off ramps and doing flips. For his efforts, Bellamy received the key to the city from Las Vegas
Mayor Oscar Goodman
.
An eclectic student who didn’t buy books for three years of college and didn’t make the Entrepreneur Club while in school, Bellamy was awarded the “Distinguished Entrepreneur Award” from the Kelley School of Business
at Indiana University
and was the commencement speaker for '07-'08.
. 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 Elizabeth 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.
television network that would focus on mountain oriented sports, activity and lifestyle. That announcement brought a long term cable distribution deal with Time Warner
and advertising deals with: Panasonic
, Fender Guitars, Marquis Jet
s and Mirage Resorts
. Panasonic
's President, Andy Nelkin stated they were going to use the networks affluent audience to market their new 107 inch hi definition television that cost $70,000. Shortly after a flurry of programming announcements were made with ski film maker Rage Films, episodic television series Ride Guide and a series with legendary action sports photographer Tony Harrington, entitled, “Storm Hunter.”
A big announcement was a partnership with Olympic Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley
that made Moseley an investor in the channel, a spokesperson and gave Moseley a signature show on the network. The Moseley announcement came at “The Ski Channel Baby Shower” and was attended by ski and snowboard stars: Julia Mancuso
, Kirstina Koznick, Lauren Ross and Dash Longe. Alexandra Paul
, Donna Mills
, Melissa Rivers
, Dawnn Lewis
, Jaron Lowenstein, Scott Grimes
, Kevin Durand
, Amy Pietz
, Jason Gray Stanford, Sinjin Smith
, Pam Shriver
and George Lazenby
attended as well.
On Nov, 10th 2008, it was reported in the media that the network had secured enough capital through a private placement to fund the channel through the life of the business, that it had hire a senior management team and that the network would be launching shortly.
On Nov. 17th 2008, it was reported by Business Week that the channel had added DirecTV
and Verizon to its list of distributors, that it was launching on Christmas Day of 2008 and that it had acquired the broadcast rights to classic Warren Miller
movies.
On June 1, 2009, it was announced that The Ski Channel
had entered into a long term partnership with AT&T Uverse that would put the channel in approximately 20 Million Households.
As of May 1, 2010, The Ski Channel is in 26 million US television households and in every market in America. The channel has distribution partnerships with Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Dish Network, Cablevision, AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Cox, Frontier Cable and programming partnerships with Warren Miller, Greg Stump and the US Freeski Tour.
In July or 2010, The Ski Channel announced a deal with Comcast that brings the network to 43 million US television households when added to the previous distribution.
, 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.
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 hard core vegan.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
ian, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
in sports and media as well as the writer/director for the film The Story starring Bode Miller
Bode Miller
Samuel Bode Miller is an American alpine ski racer. He is an Olympic and World Championship gold medalist, a two-time overall World Cup champion in 2005 and 2008, and is generally considered the greatest American alpine skier of all time...
, Lindsey Vonn and Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
. He is the founder of several businesses, including The Ski Channel
The Ski Channel
The Ski Channel is a Video On Demand Cable, Satellite and Telco television network distributed on Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Verizon FiOS, Brighthouse Networks, Cablevision, RCN, AT&T U-Verse and Cox Communications. The technical term for a channel of this type is VODnet...
television network, where he is currently the Chairman and CEO, The Tennis Channel
The Tennis Channel
Tennis Channel is an American speciality channel with programming devoted to the game of tennis. Founded in 2003, the network is owned by a group of investors including sports marketing firm IMG. Well known tennis professionals Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are two of the many investors in this...
television network, the Palisades Tennis Center, Westwood Tennis Center, Cheviot Hills Tennis Center, the LA Golf Academy as well as the inventor of LiveBall and the Shotgun 21 tennis tournament format.
Early career
A native of IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Bellamy fronted a rock band while attending Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, then moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
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
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
, Club Lingerie, The Roxy
The Roxy
The Roxy was a fashionable nightclub on Neal Street in London's Covent Garden, known for hosting the flowering British punk music scene in its infancy.-Brief history:...
and the Whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
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
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
and David Crosby
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
. His video for “Time Takes Away” was seen on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
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
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
lessons to Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
, Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
, Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
, Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 after winning a Golden Globe and receiving several nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10...
and other actors, politicians, media executives and their families including Mike Ovitz, Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
and Leslie Moonves
Leslie Moonves
Leslie Moonves is President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation.Moonves served as co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom, Inc., the predecessor to CBS Corporation, from 2004 until the company split on December 31, 2005...
.
In 1996, Bellamy took over a public tennis facility in Pacific Palisades near Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and turned it into one of the most innovative tennis training facilities in the world. Palisades Tennis Center was dubbed the "Crown Jewel of American Tennis" by Independent Business Magazine and "the nexus for tennis and Mecca for celebrities in Los Angeles" by W Magazine. Shortly thereafter, Bellamy also acquired Westwood Tennis Center, Santa Monica Tennis Center and Westchester Tennis Academy.
Bellamy created Shotgun 21 is more like Tai Bo or scrimmage basketball than a tennis lesson. The programs worked well and the facilities were soon heavily utilized. In January 1998, Tennis Magazine
TENNIS Magazine
Tennis Magazine is an American sports magazine owned by the Miller Publishing Group, LLC. It is a monthly magazine which covers news from the world of tennis.-History:...
did a feature story on the Palisades Tennis Center. Now facilities around the country are using these programs.
The Tennis Channel
In 1999, Bellamy started a cable television network devoted to tennis and raised significant amounts of capital from a number of his tennis clients and friends from the media business. The Tennis ChannelThe Tennis Channel
Tennis Channel is an American speciality channel with programming devoted to the game of tennis. Founded in 2003, the network is owned by a group of investors including sports marketing firm IMG. Well known tennis professionals Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are two of the many investors in this...
launched in 2003 and although debuting to just a handful of cities across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, The Tennis Channel
The Tennis Channel
Tennis Channel is an American speciality channel with programming devoted to the game of tennis. Founded in 2003, the network is owned by a group of investors including sports marketing firm IMG. Well known tennis professionals Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are two of the many investors in this...
quickly became the most powerful media service in the sport and is now available in every community in the country. It holds television rights to the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
, Fed Cup
Fed Cup
Fed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
, the Masters Series
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
, the U.S. Open Series, the US Open, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
and the French Open.
While President of the channel, Bellamy appeared regularly on radio and was a frequent tennis analyst on television networks such as ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, Sporting News and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. “In a sport that sometimes has a bad habit of thinking small, Steve is a real visionary whose infectious enthusiasm and outside-the-box strategizing is helping bring tennis to a broader audience. We're all fortunate he swapped one stringed instrument (his guitar) for another (his racket) and is helping lead tennis into the 21st century.” said Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
.
He also hosted a show on The Tennis Channel
The Tennis Channel
Tennis Channel is an American speciality channel with programming devoted to the game of tennis. Founded in 2003, the network is owned by a group of investors including sports marketing firm IMG. Well known tennis professionals Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are two of the many investors in this...
. “The Changing Face of Pro Tennis.” In 2005, he was named to Sports Business Journal's "Top 10 most Influential People" list and Tennis News
Tennis News
-History:It has been owned and operated for nearly 20 years by Bob Larson and reports daily and hourly on the state of the game, the pro players and the industry. It features no editorial only hard news. Larson spends all day on the phone with tennis industry insiders and packaged up tennis. He...
named him “Person of the Year.” The award was subsequently renamed after him and “The Bellamy” will go to the most influential person in tennis each year. He sat on the industry’s most powerful boards and committees including the ATP Foundation board, Tennis Industry Association board, the International Tennis Federation
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
's Joint Media Commission and the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
. “Steve deserves a lot of credit for the popularity of the sport today," said Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
.
He has organized special events that have included Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
, Dr. Phil, David Spade
David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
and Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
. In 2006, he created one of the most distinctive sporting events in the world - The Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. “Tennispalooza” melded men’s, women’s, college and junior tennis with other sports, entertainment and cultural events that included the best from the worlds of paddle tennis
Paddle tennis
Paddle tennis is a game adapted from tennis and played for over a century. Compared to tennis, the court is smaller and has no doubles lanes, and the net is lower. Paddle tennis is played with a solid paddle as opposed to a strung racquet, and a depressurized tennis ball is used along with an...
, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, air hockey
Air hockey
Air hockey is a game for two competing players trying to score points in the opposing player's goal.-Equipment:Air hockey requires an air-hockey table, two player-held mallets, and a puck....
, art, cooking, Motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
, dance and music in a 14-day festival. The event featured a revolutionary tennis broadcast and made headlines across the globe. James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
beat Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
to win the men’s singles title and brothers Mike Bryan
Mike Bryan
Michael Carl "Mike" Bryan is an American professional tennis player. He stands tall, weighs 192 lbs and plays right-handed. He turned professional in 1998. With his twin brother Bob, he has been World No...
and Bob Bryan
Bob Bryan
Robert Charles "Bob" Bryan is an American male professional tennis player. With his twin brother Mike, he has spent over 200 weeks as a World No. 1 doubles player. He has won eighteen Grand Slam titles, 11 in men's doubles and seven in mixed doubles. He turned professional in 1998...
won the men’s doubles title while Motocross riders were simultaneously jumping 75 feet in the air off ramps and doing flips. For his efforts, Bellamy received the key to the city from Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
Mayor Oscar Goodman
Oscar Goodman
Oscar Baylin Goodman is an American lawyer and politician. He was the mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1999 to 2011. Mayor Goodman is an Independent and a former member of the Democratic Party.-Biography:...
.
An eclectic student who didn’t buy books for three years of college and didn’t make the Entrepreneur Club while in school, Bellamy was awarded the “Distinguished Entrepreneur Award” from the Kelley School of Business
Kelley School of Business
The Kelley School of Business is a top-ranked American business school operated by Indiana University. As of 2009, approximately 5,500 full-time students are enrolled on its Bloomington campus, as well as 1,750 students at the Indianapolis campus...
at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
and was the commencement speaker for '07-'08.
Atonal Sports and Entertainment
Bellamy owns Atonal Sports and Entertainment which owns and operates several tennis centers, a film company, the LA Golf Academy, and the Palisades Sound Recording Studio. Atonal Films produces documentaries shot in HDHigh-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
. 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
Bob and Mike Bryan
Twin brothers Robert Charles Bryan and Michael Carl Bryan are American professional tennis double players. They have been the World No. 1 doubles player for over 270 weeks and have finished the ATP year-end number 1 doubles team a record 7 times...
, musician Gavin Rossdale
Gavin Rossdale
Gavin McGregor Rossdale is an English musician, known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Bush as well as an actor. Following Bush's separation in 2002, which lasted for eight years, he was the lead singer and guitarist for Institute, and later began a solo career. He...
, comedian Jon Lovitz
Jon Lovitz
Jonathan "Jon" Lovitz is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990.-Early life:...
, actresses Elizabeth Shue, Donna Mills
Donna Mills
Donna Mills is an American actress, most well known for her role as Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing.-Early years:...
, Melissa Rivers
Melissa Rivers
Melissa Joan Rivers is an American television host, producer and the daughter of Joan Rivers.-Early life:Rivers was born Melissa Warburg Rosenberg in Manhattan on January 20, 1968; the only child of Joan Rivers and Edgar Rosenberg...
and Camryn Manheim
Camryn Manheim
Camryn Manheim is an American actress known primarily for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's The Practice and Delia Banks on CBS's Ghost Whisperer and as Elvis's mother, Gladys Presley in the 2005 mini-series Elvis....
and other athletes and celebrities. The event was featured in US Weekly
Us Weekly
Us Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment...
. Bellamy also sits on the board of “Head To Hollywood” with Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
and US Magazine West Coast Editor Ken Baker.
The Ski Channel
In April 2007, Bellamy announced the formation of The Ski ChannelThe Ski Channel
The Ski Channel is a Video On Demand Cable, Satellite and Telco television network distributed on Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Verizon FiOS, Brighthouse Networks, Cablevision, RCN, AT&T U-Verse and Cox Communications. The technical term for a channel of this type is VODnet...
television network that would focus on mountain oriented sports, activity and lifestyle. That announcement brought a long term cable distribution deal with Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
and advertising deals with: Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
, Fender Guitars, Marquis Jet
Marquis Jet
Marquis Jet is a wholly owned subsidiary of NetJets, Inc. and sells the Marquis Jet Card by NetJets. Marquis Jet Card by NetJets program flights are operated by NetJets Aviation or NJI under their respective 14 CFR Part 135 Air Carrier Certificates...
s and Mirage Resorts
Mirage Resorts
Mirage Resorts was an American corporation that owned and operated hotel-casinos. It was created in 1989, having previously been called Golden Nugget Companies...
. Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
's President, Andy Nelkin stated they were going to use the networks affluent audience to market their new 107 inch hi definition television that cost $70,000. Shortly after a flurry of programming announcements were made with ski film maker Rage Films, episodic television series Ride Guide and a series with legendary action sports photographer Tony Harrington, entitled, “Storm Hunter.”
A big announcement was a partnership with Olympic Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley
Jonny Moseley
Jonathan William Moseley, better known as Jonny Moseley , is the first Puerto Rican to become a member of the U.S. Ski Team.-Early years:...
that made Moseley an investor in the channel, a spokesperson and gave Moseley a signature show on the network. The Moseley announcement came at “The Ski Channel Baby Shower” and was attended by ski and snowboard stars: Julia Mancuso
Julia Mancuso
Julia Mancuso is an alpine ski racer with the U.S. Ski Team. She was the gold medalist in the giant slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics and the silver medalist in both downhill and combined at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She has also won four medals at the World Championships and five races in...
, Kirstina Koznick, Lauren Ross and Dash Longe. Alexandra Paul
Alexandra Paul
Alexandra Elizabeth Paul is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Lt. Stephanie Holden in the television series Baywatch from 1992–97. She has starred in over 60 movies and television programs.-Personal life:...
, Donna Mills
Donna Mills
Donna Mills is an American actress, most well known for her role as Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing.-Early years:...
, Melissa Rivers
Melissa Rivers
Melissa Joan Rivers is an American television host, producer and the daughter of Joan Rivers.-Early life:Rivers was born Melissa Warburg Rosenberg in Manhattan on January 20, 1968; the only child of Joan Rivers and Edgar Rosenberg...
, Dawnn Lewis
Dawnn Lewis
Dawnn Lewis is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her roles on sitcoms such as A Different World and in the first season of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.-Career:...
, Jaron Lowenstein, Scott Grimes
Scott Grimes
Scott Richard Grimes is an American actor, voice artist and singer. Some of his most prominent roles are his appearances in ER as Dr. Archie Morris, Party of Five as Will McCorkle, Band of Brothers as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey, and the popular animated sitcom American Dad!, voicing Steve...
, Kevin Durand
Kevin Durand
Kevin Serge Durand is a Canadian actor known for his roles as Joshua in Dark Angel, Martin Keamy in Lost, Fred J. Dukes in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the Archangel Gabriel in Legion, and Little John in Robin Hood....
, Amy Pietz
Amy Pietz
Amy Pietz is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Pietz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the adopted daughter of Nancy, a nurse, and Arnold Pietz, a truck driver. She trained throughout her childhood in ballet and prepared to go professional, but eventually decided not to due to...
, Jason Gray Stanford, Sinjin Smith
Sinjin Smith
Christopher St. John Smith is a professional Beach Volleyball player. He won one U.S. championship and two World championships with Randy Stoklos....
, Pam Shriver
Pam Shriver
Pamela Howard Shriver Lazenby , is a former professional tennis player and is currently a sports broadcaster from the United States for ESPN2. During the 1980s and 1990s, she won 133 top-level titles, including 21 women's doubles titles and one mixed doubles title at Grand Slam tournaments...
and George Lazenby
George Lazenby
George Robert Lazenby is an Australian actor and former model, best known for portraying James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.-Early life:...
attended as well.
On Nov, 10th 2008, it was reported in the media that the network had secured enough capital through a private placement to fund the channel through the life of the business, that it had hire a senior management team and that the network would be launching shortly.
On Nov. 17th 2008, it was reported by Business Week that the channel had added DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
and Verizon to its list of distributors, that it was launching on Christmas Day of 2008 and that it had acquired the broadcast rights to classic Warren Miller
Warren Miller
Warren Miller may refer to:* Warren Miller * Warren Miller * Warren Miller * Warren Miller * Warren Miller...
movies.
On June 1, 2009, it was announced that The Ski Channel
The Ski Channel
The Ski Channel is a Video On Demand Cable, Satellite and Telco television network distributed on Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Verizon FiOS, Brighthouse Networks, Cablevision, RCN, AT&T U-Verse and Cox Communications. The technical term for a channel of this type is VODnet...
had entered into a long term partnership with AT&T Uverse that would put the channel in approximately 20 Million Households.
As of May 1, 2010, The Ski Channel is in 26 million US television households and in every market in America. The channel has distribution partnerships with Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Dish Network, Cablevision, AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Cox, Frontier Cable and programming partnerships with Warren Miller, Greg Stump and the US Freeski Tour.
In July or 2010, The Ski Channel announced a deal with Comcast that brings the network to 43 million US television households when added to the previous distribution.
Film Director
In August of 2010, Bellamy wrote and directed a film featuring mountain sports athletes including Bode MillerBode Miller
Samuel Bode Miller is an American alpine ski racer. He is an Olympic and World Championship gold medalist, a two-time overall World Cup champion in 2005 and 2008, and is generally considered the greatest American alpine skier of all time...
, Lindsey Vonn, Chris Davenport
Chris Davenport
Chris Davenport, of Aspen, Colorado, is considered one of the world's most accomplished big mountain skiers. He has been called "one of North America's top 25 skiers by Skiing Magazine" and is a "two-time extreme skiing world champion" -Background:...
, Mike Douglas, Lynsey Dyer
Lynsey Dyer
Lynsey Dyer is an American freestyle skier and Big Mountain skier. She grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho. Lynsey also loves art and frequently does photography and graphic art...
, Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford "Bobby" Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a...
, 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.
Personal life
Bellamy’s wife Beth HerrBeth Herr
Beth Herr is an American tennis player. She became the number 1 junior tennis player in the world at age 16. She was the #1 college recruit in 1985 and went on to play for the University of Southern California where she won the NCAA singles title and team title in her freshman year...
was a NCAA singles champion at USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, a No. 1 world-ranked junior tennis player, a top 20 professional tennis player and is a top-ranked female paddle tennis
Paddle tennis
Paddle tennis is a game adapted from tennis and played for over a century. Compared to tennis, the court is smaller and has no doubles lanes, and the net is lower. Paddle tennis is played with a solid paddle as opposed to a strung racquet, and a depressurized tennis ball is used along with an...
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 hard core vegan.
External links
- Official Site / The Ski Channel
- Official Site / Shotgun 21
- Official Site / The Tennis Channel
- Official Tournament Site / The Tennis Channel Open
- Official Site / Palisades Tennis Center
- Official Site / Westwood Tennis Center
- Official Site / LA Golf Academy
- Official Site / Play Tennis In LA
- Official Site / Palisades Studios
- LiveBall