“Black Belt Television If You Build It, They Will Come”

Kabuki Warriors Tales

Television was invented in the twenties and seventy years later there still was not a full time Martial Arts channel. Although there had been lots of talk there were no results, until recently.

Airwaves Of Martial Arts
“Black Belt Television If You Build It, They Will Come”
By Chip Youngblood
Staff Writer Sport Martial Arts Magazine, 2009

In November 2004, Black Belt TV was launched into seventeen million homes, giving the Martial Artist a venue to reach everyone with their message. Here is the journey of one man’s dream of creating a twenty-four hour, in your face, real Martial Arts channel and giving the sponsors the chance to get on board to showcase their products to the world.

“Black Belt Television If You Build It, They Will Come”
I am sitting on the plane thinking of the past two weeks as being the roller coaster ride of my career. Spending two weeks with Professor Gary Lee is unlike anything I would have ever expected. He is a warrior and sage that has experienced many unexpected adventures.

However let’s start from the beginning. It was a year ago when I was asked to cover the Super Grands in Houston, Texas. The Super Grands is a spectacular event, a gathering of superb Black Belts and past Superstars. I first saw Professor Gary  Lee at the Super Grands where he was the master of ceremonies for the finals. He was a figure to behold, wearing his Hakama and Kimonos. He looked as if he were a samurai in the wrong century. I set up a meeting that would change my mind and my attitude towards Martial Arts.

Professor Lee has had an incredible career in the Martial Arts. He is a historian of sport Karate in America, NBL World Champion, and International Competitor for over Thirty Years, Actor, Producer, Black Belt Hall of Famer. Professor Lee regards his career as, “A constant learning process of information for as long as I can remember.”

He came from his home land of Hawaii with hardly anything. However, he survived living on the Mainland, with no family or guidance, thanks to his Karate God Fathers, as he calls them. The Karate men who have been a part of his life since his early teenage years are, Jim Harrison, Bob Wall, Dr. Mauny Gyi, Mako, Allen Steen, Jerry Piddington, Mike Stone, Sam Chapman, Ted Tabura, John Kuhl (deceased), George Minshew, Carl Geis, Andrew Tamper, George Anderson, Robert Trias (deceased), Sensei Kishi, Sid Campbell (deceased), Glenn Kwan, Ed Parker (deceased) Ed Daniel, Al Gene Carulia, Ernie “Radar” Smith (deceased).

This was an incredible array of present and past legends of the Martial Arts. Tears come to his eyes when he talks about each legendsand how each one played an important part in his career. The Living Legend has had the honor of roasting three of his heroes. No wonder Professor Lee is the man and the leader he is today.

When we were done with the interview, Professor Lee said he had a project in the works, but did not know all the details yet. He said, “I will call you in a year. I will have a grasp of the project then and if it hits it will be the biggest and most exciting contribution to the Martial Arts in a long time. A full time television channel totally dedicated to Martial Arts with educational values and high-class entertainment as a start. It’s called ‘BLACK BELT TV’.”

Much effort has gone into this project of getting a national Martial Arts station up and running, but no one had a personality like Professor Gary Lee or his martial arts contacts. Professor Lee and his son Garett Lee are sponsored yearly by Gallery Furniture, Collectors Firearms, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Century Fitness and The Living Legends.

The Metronome Company who owns BLACK BELT TV and one of the producers, Erik D. Jones, approached Professor Lee. They offered Professor Lee a contract to do a Martial Arts show called “Martial Arts Exclusive” a Martial Arts variety show with fun as it’s priority. They would travel around the country filming everything from tournaments, talent contest, expos, and special Karate promotions. Professor Gary Lee has interviewed the following celebrities for Black Belt TV, Eric Lee, Bob Wall, Al Dacascos, Sid Campbell, Gene LeBell, Alan Goldberg, Ed Daniel, J. Pat Burleson, Tim Kirby, Cynthia Rothrock, Stephen Hayes, James Lew, Bernie “Pops” Krasnoo, Arnold Urquidez, Blinky Rodriguez, Chung Lee, Don ”The Dragon” Wilson, Kathy Long, Bill Ryusaki, Ice T., Keith Weston, Lawrence Arthur, James Hong, Bill Viola, Boice Lydell and many more. The most memorable event of the show was the demonstrations.

Professor Lee is known for his spectacular sword demonstrations, which he perfected during his twenty years of performing at Six Flags Astroworld. When asked about his sword training Gary smiles and said “ I wanted to train as close as I could to the samurai, so I modeled my self after great swordsmen like, Toshiro Mifune, Hidy Ochiai, Tadashi Yamashita, Dale Kirby and Sonny Chiba. These were the master swordsmen who inspired me. I remember watching the Iaido guys go out into the jungle and come back covered in blood week after week, six to ten guys dressed in Hakama, carrying their sword over their shoulders. One day I decided to follow them. I kept my distance and crept my way through the thick jungle, sometimes crawling on the ground so I wouldn’t be seen or heard. Besides, I was scared to death that I had enough nerve to follow them. From a distance I saw them work their swords and boken for about an hour, then I saw a group of locals bringing in cages. In the cages were pigs. The locals would tie the legs and grab each end of the huge pig and then throw it at the master swordsman. He then would draw and cut directly in two pieces. Now I know where the blood came from and later I found out they were doing this for the huge picnics (Luau) for the tourist. All the pigs went to roast in the sandpit."

One particular interview at the Martial Arts History Museum grand opening ceremonies in Burbank, California really surprised me. That interview was between Professor Gary Lee and Grandmaster Hidy Ochiai. You could tell by their expression and friendship they were old warriors of a past sport gone but not forgotten by these two. I got a little closer so I could hear their conversation and what I heard was them comparing different cuts they have made on human bodies with their katanas. Professor Lee would say “I have done it with watermelons and cantaloupes” and the Master Ochiai would respond “Gary that is good but have you cut apples on rice paper and not cut the paper?” Professor Lee would say “Oss” and then say “I have cut seven cucumbers on the throat, neck, stomach and groin” and Master Ochiai would say, “Yes Gary, I have too but I was blindfolded.” Then Professor Lee said, “Sensei my greatest cut was at the World Martial Arts Tournament where I cut a lemon and then a slice of lemon on the neck of my uki.”

Master Ochiai laughed and said, “Gary don’t you remember at the Battle of Atlanta I cut a rice grain in half on my uki’s forehead?” Professor Lee has tears running down his cheek and stood up and bowed and said, “Sir, I am honored, you are samurai, Oss!” Paramount Movie Studios, a local TV news show and Black Belt TV witnessed a remarkable interview that was rare and very personal.

Well a year went by and I received the phone call from Hawaiirock Productions, Professor Lee had some great news he said, “Black Belt TV will be on the air November 2004.” The word got out quickly and with anything great comes competition. When I asked professor Lee about the competition of another network or even somebody else saying they are Black Belt TV, he laughs and says, “Well I can promise you this, no one has beat the streets harder than I, my crew and my Black Belt TV producers to give the un-bias reporting we do and a little logo in a couple of magazines is not going to change all the hard work and traveling my team has done to get us up and running and on the air.”

Professor Lee and I were picked up by a black limo at the airport and driven to the downtown area of Houston. The skyline is beautiful and Houston is a great city. The limo driver dropped me off at a tall building and said for me to go to the top floor and I would be met by another one of Professor Lee’s staff. I did what I was told and when I got to the roof Professor Lee’s assistant Susan Thompson met me. The first thing she asked me was, was I  afraid of heights; that was strange. Well she walked over to a round circle and then I saw a helicopter come out of nowhere and land next to us. Then she told me to get in the helicopter and enjoy the ride. Professor Lee wanted me to see the whole city from a different view. What an experience. When we landed on top of another building an hour later, there he was, Professor Gary Lee. We went down a couple of flights and walked into this huge seafood restaurant and had a great dinner. The next couple of days I would be out of breath trying to keep up with the professor. When the smoke had settled after his long days in the Martial Arts, we would hang out next to his little two acre bass pond and talk about Black Belt TV and how it is going to change the future of Martial Arts advertising and how we are the pioneers of a new area.

Professor Lee said, “The Martial Arts needs a complete station on un-biased programming, going after all communities and cultures. For example a show for teens, and young adults, a Martial Arts Christian show, Animation Black Belt Style, and All Spanish teaching show with well-known Spanish speaking masters. How about an Eric Lee celebrity show? Remember Michele “The Mouse” Krasnoo, one of the most popular sport Karate players ever? She wants a show too.”