George Foreman Knock Out
George Foreman the famous heavyweight champion, came to a San Diego grocery store one sunny September day in 2005. He was there to publicize his Knock Out cleaning products and sign autographs for a long stream of excited fans.
George Foreman in San Diego to hawk his Knock Out cleaning products
The Crystal Pyramid Productions video crew, Mark Schulze and Patty Mooney, shot a VNR on Mr. Foreman and his Knock Out cleaning products.
We never had the opportunity to ever see the Video News Release, because many times we’ll hand over the videotape or disk to a client and then we’re out of the loop.
Knock Out Got Knocked Out of Business
We later learned that apparently the presence of George Foreman over the following nine years was not enough to keep the company in business.
According to a March 2013 article on Fortune.com, the SEC suspended trading in shares of George Foreman Enterprises. It had gone public a month before we videotaped Mr. Foreman and his Knock Out cleaning products, so it seemed like it was off to a great start. And nearly everyone in line for an autograph by Mr. Foreman at that grocery store had bought a bottle or two of his Knock Out cleaning products. In the long run, though it appears that the company’s attempt to “leverage the assets of one of the most powerful celebrity athlete brands of all time” came to naught.
George Foreman Enterprises
By 2007, the company declared $200,000 in sales and around $3 million in losses. George Foreman Enterprises has been defunct since 2013.
Patty Mooney and Mark Schulze pose with George Foreman at his autograph session in San Diego
This is a shame, as Mr. Foreman was a very personable guy and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.
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