Press Release:
Las Vegas Auditions for MMA Movie “Never Submit” Announced
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif./ Imperia Entertainment (Pink Sheets: IPEI) President James Hergott announces today that the Xyience Training Center in Las Vegas, Nevada will host open auditions for a movie about the sport of mixed martial arts entitled Never Submit on December 16th and 17th beginning at noon each day.
The Xyience Training Center is owned and operated by John Wood and is home to a number of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Pride Fighting Championship and International Fight League (IFL) competitors, many of which are expected to audition for roles in Never Submit.
According to the movies producer, Cindy Ortiz, “The Xyience Training Center is one of the most popular MMA gyms in Sin City and came highly recommended as a place we should consider inviting to host one of the Never Submit open casting calls. There's no denying the caliber of athletes associated with the XTC are some of the best in this sport and with Vegas being a hotbed for MMA talent, Imperia is making this stop a two day affair. John Wood runs a top-notch operation and I have no doubt we will be able to cast and fill a number of roles on our list.”
“Robert Roveta of Denaro Sports Marketing (www.denaroathletes.com headquartered in Las Vegas, NV) and I have been in contact since April about the movie,” explains Ortiz. “He is the Jerry Maguire of this sport and works with an impressive list of rising fighters he plans to have on hand to audition including TUF/UFC fighters Alex Karalexis, Josh Burkman, Nate Quarry, Chris Leben and Tyson Griffin. Jervis Cole sent a group of fighter's to the San Jose auditions managed by his firm, Zinkin Entertainment (www.zinkin.tv), and a handful should expect to receive callbacks. I encourage other managers and agents to follow their lead as we continue our cross country talent search over the next few months.”
“Also slated to audition are TUF season one contract winner and UFC fighter Forrest Griffin, TUF season three contract winner and UFC fighter Rashad Evans, former Octagon Girl and current WFA Ring Girl Amber Nicole Miller and a plethora of IFL, Pride FC and UFC fighters. Top Hollywood casting agents are submitting requests for private auditions for name talent having graced the silver screen in recent years and a multitude of additional requests to host casting calls have been pouring in over the past two months,” comments James Hergott, writer and director of Never Submit. “Our staff is working overtime trying to keep up but these are great problems to have.”
“Competing in combat sports is something these athletes choose to do, but it's not the only thing they can do,” adds Hergott. “Our recent open casting call in San Jose at American Kickboxing Academy turned out some of the biggest and brightest stars representing the sport of MMA right now and we were very pleased with the acting talent and physical skills many of these athletes possess. I'm looking forward to seeing more of what this sport has to offer in Las Vegas at the Xyience Training Center in a few weeks. Pride Fighting Championships superstars Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua have already been cast.”
Inquiries pertaining to fighters interested in auditioning for roles, potential sponsorship opportunities available to companies/vendors and MMA media requests should be made via e-mail to “Never Submit” Producer Cindy Ortiz at [email protected].
Character descriptions and scripted scenes intended for audition preparation purposes are now available for distribution and may be requested via e-mail @ [email protected] or downloaded directly from the movies website @ www.neversubmit.com.
Director James Hergott comments, “As a former Judo competitor, I have closely followed this sport and have been a fan of MMA since its North American introduction in 1993. Only during the past two years has mixed martial arts finally started to gain true mainstream acceptance. Never Submit will appeal to the hardcore fans as well as expose movie goers to this emerging sport who may know very little, if anything, about MMA when they enter the theater. My goal is to turn as many viewers into MMA fans as possible by the closing credits.”
Hergott continues, “It is my intent as writer and director to portray the sport of MMA, the athletes competing in it and the fans supporting it in a positive light. MMA isn't a barbaric underground blood sport like it has been depicted in the past by other filmmakers. It's a very intellectual sport; a physical chess match between men. Never Submit will showcase the courage, integrity, commitment, athleticism and sportsmanship found in these modern day gladiators and I'm looking forward to telling their stories.”
NOTE: Don't forget to catch CFZ Radio live tomorrow night (8PM ET/5PM PT) at Radio.MMANews.com, where we will be joined by the writer/director of “Never Submit”, James Hergott.
