Business of the Business

Season 2 of Business of the Business kicks off with someone with a dream job for many wrestling fans - overseeing all of the WWE action figure lines at Mattel. Steve Ozer, Associate Manager Global Brand Marketing WWE talks with Kevin about what it's like to manage dozens and dozens of releases across the company's various lines each year. But before that, the two dive into Steve's background and how this dream job came to be. Whether you are a fan of WWE, action figures, or just like a great story of someone who knew what they were, and were not, passionate about and turned turned that passion into a career, this episode is a great listen!

Find Steve on social media (where, as he discusses on the episode, he wants to hear from other passionate figure fans to help build the next generation of industry insiders) at
@actionfigureattack on Instagram and Facebook
@actionfigattack on Twitter

Get your daily lucha libre news, videos, photos and more at LuchaCentral.com
Visit our sponsor Lucha-Masks.com for the most awesome officially licensed face masks made of authentic lucha mask materials.

Follow Lucha Central @luchacentral on Instagram & Facebook
@luchacentralcom on Twitter

And follow Kevin & Ruben Zamora's Masked Republic at
@MaskedRepublic across all social media.

Check out the article on them from this past Saturday on the Sports Illustrated website:
https://www.si.com/wrestling/2021/01/09/masked-republic-paving-path

Kevin talks to Joe Enriquez, Senior Buyer of mens novelty tees for the Hot Topic chain of more than 600 stores specializing in music and pop culture apparel and accessories. With Masked Republic having just launched Legends of Lucha Libre apparel on HotTopic.com and with designs coming to brick-and-mortar stores soon, Kevin and Joe talk about the modern retail landscape for pop culture products, what it takes to get a shot in the chain and a look into the history of how brands beyond WWE broke into the chain. From New Japan Pro Wrestling's first Bullet Club design (including the REAL story behind how the deal was made), to a sprinkling of Lucha Underground product to AEW's simultaneous brand and apparel launch to the debut of Legends of Lucha Libre, Kevin and Joe cover it all.

To see all of the Legends of Lucha Libre tees available now at Hot Topic: https://www.hottopic.com/search?q=legends+of+lucha+libre

Visit LuchaCentral.com daily for news, videos, photos and more - it's your Ultimate Destination For All Things Lucha Libre!

Iconic visual artist Urban Aztec joins the show and shares his perspective from both sides of the licensing coin - licensor and hired artist to carry out the design of officially licensed products for companies including Marvel and WWE. Plus, hear about how Jesse and Masked Republic teamed up to remix some of the most legendary lucha libre masks and the often times strange world of lucha IP.

More on Jesse:
Jesse Hernandez (@UrbanAztec) is a visual artist born and raised in the San Francisco bay area. He is most widely recognized for his street art murals, vinyl toys, and diverse Illustration work. His style is known as Urban Aztec, a combination of graffiti and ancient indigenous culture. Hernandez’s artwork has been featured by Marvel, Warner Bros, DC Comics, WWE, Gears of war 4, San Jose Sharks, The Oakland Athletics, X-Box, Playstation, Sideshow Collectibles, Rockstar energy drink, Rolling Stone, Fandango, Juxtapoz, Run the Jewels, Oakland Museum, and the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. Hernandez has shown art in galleries and museums around the world. He has also painted murals in Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexico city and Amsterdam.

To find some of the Urban Aztec x Masked Republic collabs discussed on the show:
Tees: ProWrestlingTees.com/maskedrepublic
Poster: hernandez.bigcartel.com/product/azteca-luchador-print

To stay up on the Lucha Central Podcast Network along with daily lucha libre news, videos and more visit LuchaCentral.com and follow @luchacentralcom on Twitter, @luchacentral on Instagram and Facebook.

To stay up on all things Masked Republic follow @maskedrepublic across all social media and MaskedRepublic.com

Kevin sits down with the prolific Jeremey Padawer, Co-President and Partner of Wicked Cool Toys and Jazwares for an extremely insightful episode.  From lessons learned from the 1,000 letters he wrote as a child to celebrities and successful folks to his road from education to the toy world, Jeremy's journey has been anything but ordinary - same as his recent $100,000+ Pokémon card purchase.  Kevin and Jeremy talk about it all.  And for wrestling fans, this is absolutely a can't miss episode as the two discuss how while at Jakks, Jeremy changed wrestling action figures from a kids toy into a global collectible phenomenon starting with the WWF Classics figure line and how he's shaking up the industry again as the man behind the new All Elite Wrestling figures and collectibles which debut in Walmart today, August 3, 2020 and available now at RingsideCollectibles.com.

Once you've listened, give Jeremy a follow on social media for insights to collectibles you won't find anywhere else.
Twitter @JeremyCom
Instagram: @JeremyPadawer

And follow Jazwares to keep up on AEW action figures, Pokémon, Micro Machines and more
Twitter & Instagram: @Jazwares

Keep up on all things Masked Republic related at @MaskedRepublic across all social media platforms.

And find daily lucha libre & pro wrestling news, videos, podcasts and more at LuchaCentral.com

Comic book writer Michael Kingston has been leading the way in independent pro wrestling related comics for over a decade now.  What started as a passion project, has grown into an industry wide phenomenon with multiple successful Kickstarer campaigns and some legendary wrestling names taking part in writing or creating art for the series.  From WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler creating covers to a long list of WWE, WCW, ECW, Impact Wrestling and AEW stars making their own contributions, Michael and Kevin talk about not only the growth of the series, but how Kingston has had to navigate working with the talent.  

Currently, Kingston is finishing his latest Kickstarer for "Headlocked: Tales from the Road 2" which features 13 stories from 14 wrestlers exploring the furthest corners of the Headlocked Universe with 7 different wrestlers contributing art!Stories by: Christian, Christopher Daniels, Dolph Ziggler, Dominik Dijakovic, Gangrel, Hurricane, Joey Janela, Mustafa Ali, MVP, RVD, Samoa Joe, Taya Valkyrie, and The Young Bucks.

All-Star Pinup Gallery featuring Ed McGuiness, Jill Thompson, Lauren Moran, Michel Mulipola, Danhausen, G-Raver, Lee Moriarty, Sloan, and Treehouse Lee.

The stories are all self-contained and can be enjoyed without knowing any continuity.This book will be a lot of fun and you don't have to have read any of the others to enjoy it!

 The book can be backed/pre-ordered on Kickstarter here until July 27th.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headlockedcomic/headlocked-tales-from-the-road

Colt Cabana is a name familiar with many pro wrestling fans around the globe for his comedic in-ring style and achievements.  What many may not realize is that for more than 10 years now, Cabana has been on the forefront of evolving both his own, and the industry's, wrestler merchandising game.  From creating his own DVD distributed docu-serie "Wrestling Road Diaries," to launching the first modern pro wrestling podcast "The Art of Wrestling," to co-founding the most disruptive company in modern pro wrestling merchandising history, ProWrestlingTees.com, Cabana's philosophies and decisions have changed not only his fortunes, but those of many others throughout the industry.  He has also pioneered how modern wrestlers interact with their fans and the direct-to-consumer nature of being an independent professional wrestler.  Kevin and Colt talk about al this and more on Episode 3 of the Business of the Business: How Officially Licensed Merch Gets Made.

For Colt Cabana's own merchandising website: ColtMerch.comColt Cabana's Pro Wrestling Tees shop: ProWrestlingTees.com/coltcabanaMasked Republic's Pro Wrestling Tees shop: ProWrestlingTees.com/maskedrepublicPro Wrestling Tees "Behind The Merch" Documentary on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89XxGhh_-PE
Be sure to check out all of the other great Lucha Central Podcast Network shows at LuchaCentral.com/podcast-network

Artist, graphic designer and illustrator Jeffrey Everett, a.k.a. Rockets Are Red, joins the show for part one of his interview. Before getting into the 100s of the officially licensed merch pieces he has created for music, entertainment and lucha libre entities, Jeff and Kevin discuss:
- His roots as an artist,
- Art School 
- Fine Art vs. Graphic Design vs. Illustration 
- Pursuing graphic design instead of fine art
- Agency work for presidents and the Pope
- Starting to make gig posters for bands and how it changed his path

Don't miss Part 2 - now available as well


Find officially licensed Masked Republic x Rockets Are Red apparel at ProWrestlingTees.com/maskedrepublic and follow Jeff's continued adventures in lucha libre at ExpoLucha.com. Jeff is on Instagram and Facebook @rocketsarered. Kevin is on social media as 1/2 of Masked Republic @maskedrepublic.

Artist, graphic designer and illustrator Jeffrey Everett (a.k.a. Rockets Are Red) continues his conversation with Kevin as they dive into officially licensed works for bands, wrestlers, Masked Republic and their luchadores, and Hollywood films. Topics include:
- Jeff's wrestling fandom
- Incorporating wrestling imagery, like Stone Cold Steve Austin, into band gig posters
- Licensed work for WWE and details on his official Heenan Family, Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho posters.
- The the handcuffs that official work will bring sometimes including the Mick Foley poster that never worked out 
- Working on lucha libre with Masked Republic and why lucha merchandise is more fun to create than "wrestling" merchandise.
- Working with Ring of Honor wrestler Dalton Castle
- His desire to raise the perception of lucha libre art to the level of what is seen as "real art" and winning a design competition for his Expo Lucha work. 
- Fictional IP vs. Real Life IP and creating an officially licensed poster for Stephen King's "It"
- How fans don't always understand the restrictions limits places on artists when works are official -- The blessing & the curse of unofficial official posters and the positives of fan art. 
- Creating a steelbook Bluray cover for Zombieland and being given more restrictions than more details to work with.  

Find officially licensed Masked Republic x Rockets Are Red apparel at ProWrestlingTees.com/maskedrepublic and follow Jeff's continued adventures in lucha libre at ExpoLucha.com. Jeff is on Instagram and Facebook @rocketsarered. Kevin is on social media as 1/2 of Masked Republic @maskedrepublic.