EL REY NETWORK and South By Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals announced today that the popular Lucha Libre wrestling series LUCHA UNDERGROUND will be part of this year's SXAméricas celebration in Austin, Texas featuring both a panel and a live event on Tuesday, March 15th, 2016. The panel, titled "Importing Lucha Libre: The Creation of El Rey Network's Lucha Underground", will focus on how Emmy Award(R)-winning producer Mark Burnett and EL REY NETWORK Chairman and Founder Robert Rodriguez have successfully imported two of Mexico's most popular forms of entertainment, lucha libre and the TELENOVELA and combined them to create a new sports franchise taking the world by storm. And for the first time in its history the character-driven television phenomenon will leave the temple in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles for a live event at the Austin Music Hall in Austin, Texas which will feature more than fifteen of "Lucha Underground's" high-flying, death defying luchadores.
The creators and stars of "Lucha Underground" will discuss the formation of the gripping new wrestling franchise during the panel featuring wrestling superstar Rey Mysterio Jr., "Lucha Underground" Showrunner and Executive Producer Eric Van Wagenen, "Lucha Underground" owner Dorian Roldán and
EL REY NETWORK Co-founder and "Lucha Underground" Owner Cristina Patwa. The live event, taking place at the Austin Music Hall at 7:00pm, will bring to Austin all of the fierce lucha libre drama and excitement "Lucha Underground" is known for. Both events are part of Convergence programming and will be open to all SXSW badge types.
Ancient tradition, extraordinary athleticism, and a flare for theatrics combine in El Rey Network's wrestling series, "Lucha Underground." The riveting original introduces American audiences to the high-flying aerial maneuvers, slingshot moves, dramatic masks, intricate, rapid-fire combinations and distinctive wrestling techniques of lucha libre, one of Mexico's most popular sports. Fans have a ringside seat as masked villains and heroes face off to battle for wrestling supremacy. The weekly series provides enthusiastic viewers with an incredibly visceral and explosive experience with a focus on the artistry, originality, intense action and over-the-top characters that have come to define this phenomenal fan-favorite. A celebration of lucha libre's long-standing Mesoamerican heritage and culture dating back to 1863, this is programming that must be seen to be believed.
"Lucha Underground" is produced by MGM in association with FactoryMade Ventures and AG Studios for El Rey Network. Executive producers are Mark Burnett, Eric Van Wagenen (also showrunner) and Brian Edwards of MGM; Dorian Roldán from Lucha Libre AAA; Alejandro Garcia and Antonio Cué Sánchez-Navarro;
EL REY NETWORK co-founder Robert Rodriguez; FactoryMade Ventures and
EL REY NETWORK co-founders John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa and Skip Chaisson of Skip Films and El Rey Network. The series airs on
EL REY NETWORK and is distributed internationally by MGM.
About
EL REY NETWORK El Rey Network is a 24-hour English language network founded by maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Curated by Rodriguez and his artistic collective, the network unites "the new mainstream" through badass content that awakens the renegade in everyone. El Rey's action-packed slate is anchored by signature series including the original drama, "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series", the one-on-one interview program, "El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair" and "Lucha Underground," a Lucha Libre wrestling series from Mark Burnett. El Rey Network's lineup also showcases a wide range of iconic feature films and TV series including genre, cult classics, action, and horror/sci-fi.
EL REY NETWORK LLC is jointly owned by Robert Rodriguez and FactoryMade Ventures with a minority stake held by
Univision Networks & Studios, Inc.
About MGM Television MGM Television is a leading producer and global distributor of premium content for television and digital platforms, with distribution rights to original productions and a robust catalog of television episodes and feature film titles including such premiere entertainment franchises as James Bond, Rocky, Stargate and "The Hobbit" trilogy. Current scripted and unscripted multi-platform projects include "The Voice" (NBC); "Survivor" (CBS); "Shark Tank" (ABC); "Beyond the Tank" (ABC);"Celebrity Apprentice"(NBC); "Vikings" (HISTORY); "Teen Wolf" (MTV); "500 Questions" (ABC); "The People's Choice Awards" (CBS); America's Greatest
MAKERS (INTEL/Turner) and
LUCHA UNDERGROUND (The El Rey Network). Through its finance and distribution entity, Orion TV Productions, the
Syndicated courtroom series "Lauren Lake's Paternity Court" is currently airing its third season. MGM television programming regularly airs in more than 70 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.
About Lucha Libre AAA Lucha Libre AAA is a media and entertainment company founded in 1992 by Antonio Pena Herrada and manages the IP of the "AAA" brand and another 250 characters in its league. The company produces Lucha Libre events globally including venues such as Palacio de los Deportes, Arena Monterrey, HP Pavilion, Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles Sports Arena and Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to working with sponsors such as Corona, Hershey's, Comex and Unilever, the league has released an animated movie and videogame in the Mexican market. Lucha Libre AAA develops 5 hours of content per week that is aired on three television channels in Mexico: Galavision and Televisa Deportes Network.
About FactoryMade Ventures FactoryMade is an incubator for entertainment businesses and was founded by John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa. The company builds IP-based franchises and production and distribution platforms by leveraging its strong ties to the Hollywood creative community and partnering with global brands and investors. Its ventures include
EL REY NETWORK and Tres Pistoleros Studios with Robert Rodriguez and a joint venture with the leading Mexican wrestling league Lucha Libre AAA. In addition to working with corporate partners such as Telefonica and JCP, they previously spearheaded the creation of Hasbro's film business (Transformers, G.I. Joe, Battleship) and television business (Hasbro TV Studios, the
hub NETWORK with Discovery Communications), and developed retail's first integrated digital gaming and commerce platform with HSN (HSN Arcade).
About SXSW Music The South by Southwest(R) Music and Media Conference (SXSW(R)) is a six-day event held every March in Austin. The conference offers unmatched access to ideas and global viewpoints on an increasingly borderless industry. It aims to educate and inspire musicians and professionals alike, with sessions attended by over 30,000 registrants and showcasing artists. A large multi-industry trade show exhibition, Music Gear Expo and daytime stage performances round out the day while evenings are devoted to the SXSW Music Festival, which showcases over 2,200 acts ranging from the unsigned to the iconic. The 2016 event takes place March 15 - 20 2016. For more information, please visit sxsw.com.
Image courtesy of El Rey Network
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