Theme Song: "The Voice Inside (Every Dream)" from WMAC Masters
It all began as a simple summer project. I thought to myself, "This wedding videography game leaves me with a LOT of free time. I'm bored as hell." Out of the corner my eye I catch a glimpse of my parents' fairly new but cobweb-covered DVD recorder, and I know what needs to be done: I'm gonna transfer all my old VHS tapes to DVD. FuN! Or at least... an OCD guy's version of fun?
As I'm rifling through my old videotapes, reliving the golden days of yesteryear, I start falling in love with my favorite TV shows all over again. As my friends know, I've always wanted to be a stuntman; it's almost as old as my dream of being a screenwriter/filmmaker. This dream was fueled by shows like WMAC Masters (1996), American Gladiators (1988), Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1992), Superhuman Samurai Cyber Squad (1995) and Yes, even Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters From Beverly Hills (1996), not to mention a slew of martial arts films such as The Last Dragon (1987), Bloodsport (1987), and Best Of The Best (1991). As a kid, I would absorb all these images and execute fight choreography flawlessly (both parts at the same time, LOL). Not much has changed. ;-D
Once I finish burning these classics on to DVD, I realize that the internet surprisingly BARREN, in terms of video footage. Thus, I decide to share the wealth and post these clips on YouTube. WMAC fans across the globe flock to the videos--I guess I'm not the only fan out there. And then one day, out of the blue, I see the most exciting comment EVER on one of the videos. It reads: "Thanks for Posting! I have all the eps on tape."
Say WHAT??!! Ever since WMAC Masters was canceled over ten years ago, I'd been patrolling eBay looking for someone with ALL the episodes, or at least the ones I don't have. Needless to say, I'm FLOATING-ON-CLOUD 9 excited about this sudden development. The poster, Gwen, and I become fast friends and bond over our love for this life-affirming TV show; the same thing happens with another young fan, Keenan. We even choose our own Ki Symbols (fighter names) over the summer. Gwen becomes Lioness, Keenan becomes Overdrive, and I become Jawbreaker (The name says it all, I'll break your jaw!).
UNFORTUNATELY, after I've shared the last of my old videos on YouTube, I get flagged for copyright infringement (by a VIACOM rep) for ONE obscure video from The Rerun Show, a sketch comedy show that aired on VH1 for about 6 months back in '97. Shit. To avoid the snowball effect (YouTube has a STRICT 2-Strikes and You're Out Rule), I immediately delete all my copyrighted videos within an hour. Although MILLIONS of people do it, I know for a fact that if you get caught, you're screwed, and no one online is gonna give a damn. Plus, unlike most people, I actually DO direct, edit, and/or star in close to 70 videos of my own, and I just can't store them all on such a small hard drive. But you know what they say, "For every window that closes, a door opens."
And they are right! It dawns on me that this so-called setback has paved the way for me to use my other expertise, Web Design. As my homegirl Xena used to say, "I have many skills." *wink* Over Winter Break, I hunker down, start doing some intense research via the internet and magazine articles, and within a couple of months, WMACMASTERS-DOT-NET is ready for lift-off! Complete with cast biographies, song downloads, full-length episodes, fan fiction (provided by Keenan & Gwen), and much more, the site is slowly but surely growing steam. And to Gwen & Keenan, I'd like to once again say THANKS for all your contributions, and I'd like to apologize for not being the best Strictly-Internet friend--I've never been very good at that. ;-) LONG LIVE THE WMAC, OWW!!
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