MLW CEO Court Bauer has his “I’s” dotted and “T’s” crossed when it comes to the future of his company as we all keep a distance at riding this wave out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bauer did an exclusive interview with the MLW website to address concerns and questions regarding the company. Bauer discusses matters such as MLW’s plans domestically , he talks the return of the MLW Radio Network, and mentions how the promotion could go comfortably into 2021 with content if the pandemic concern ever gets to that extreme. Here are some highlights.
MLW.com: The COVID-19 pandemic hit close to home for you and MLW HQ.
Court Bauer: Yes, we have been hit very hard here in New York. Our offices are a half of a mile from the first containment zone in the country. It’s surreal.
My admiration and thoughts go out to everyone on the frontlines from the medical end saving lives and looking for medical breakthroughs, to those keeping the supply chain going along with essential services, first responders and all who risk their lives for us. They are true heroes. They’re incredibly brave and selfless. This is a dark hour but because of them we’ll see it through and eventually return to a normal, healthy everyday existence.
MLW.com: What’s MLW business like during the pandemic?
Court: It’s different, but not radically so. I have told my staff health and family comes first. Our offices here are near the epicenter of one of the first outbreaks here in New Rochelle so we have been working remotely for about a month. We’ve had some close calls with family members very ill. For real. I have never seen someone that sick in my life, but thankfully they pulled through. It puts things in perspective, for sure.
MLW.com: What’s MLW business like during the pandemic?
Court: It’s different, but not radically so. I have told my staff health and family comes first. Our offices here are near the epicenter of one of the first outbreaks here in New Rochelle so we have been working remotely for about a month. We’ve had some close calls with family members very ill. For real. I have never seen someone that sick in my life, but thankfully they pulled through. It puts things in perspective, for sure.
As for the nuts and bolts of our business, we’ve had time to continue discussions to expand our domestic content offerings, plus focus on some ambitious projects as well as growing our global footprint. These are always priorities but right now we’ve been able to make significant progress on these fronts.
We just closed deals in Poland, the Middle East, North Africa and will have more deals done soon. Now more than ever there is a thirst for content and we’re happy to take those calls and see where it takes us.
We’re also pursuing deals here in the states as well investing in our TV production operations. If you watch FUSION over the past few weeks, you’ve probably noticed some of the upgrades. More are on the way.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the MLW Radio Network has also kicked off a new spring line-up. We’ve rolled out several new podcasts including: Talk’n Shop hosted by Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows and Rocky Romero as well as shows from Dutch Mantell and a few more on the way. Including some familiar faces from MLW.
MLW.com: What’s your strategy for producing programming on the horizon if the pandemic goes on for some time?
Court: Wrestling is the greatest sport there is. It’s also a wonderful device to use to escape reality. For as long as this thing lasts, it’s my goal to hopefully provide that escape through MLW and make people laugh, get excited and distract.
As for strategy… we have a plan and it ties into something the fans have been demanding since we relaunched in 2017. We have at a minimum 50 episodes being mapped out. We could comfortably go into mid 2021 without promoting a live event.
I pray the world overcomes this pandemic sooner than that timeline and everyone can return to enjoying life in good health. But I have to prepare for every scenario.
We are building business models for a return as early as June, one that anticipates a return in 15 months and a few in-between that range. We need to be ready for several scenarios. There’s no playbook for what we’re going through, so we just have to be nimble, prudent and realistic about this.
Much more from this conversation which you can check out in it’s entirety by going here.
