Three years ago today (Mar.11) one of the co-founders of TapouT, Charles “Mask” Lewis tragically passed away. He was killed in a horrific car accident in California.
Below is the press release about the film and the official movie trailer…
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 08, 2012
Acclaimed director and founder of TapouT Films, Bobby Razak is currently working to complete his latest film documentary, tentatively titled “Mask”, covering the life and passion of long-time personal friend and TapouT creator, Charles “Mask” Lewis. StreetMade, a media and apparel brand, teams up with Razak to co-produce the film in hopes to continue and expand upon the values and ideals for which Lewis was known.
“As fans of the sport of MMA, we thought this would be a great project to get involved with,” says Shane Teater, StreetMade founder. Mask built a great empire and helped a fringe sport grow exponentially in popularity, while sticking to who he really was. We see StreetMade in a similar way; we stand for something, like our motto says “Just Out Work ‘Em.”
Lewis, who founded TapouT in 1997 with two other friends, began traveling the country to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) shows selling TapouT apparel out of the trunk of their car. Lewis got his nickname “Mask” because of the facepaint he used to wear and his outlandish comic book-like outfits. When out of the spotlight, Lewis was known as friendly, giving and always positive. In an interview he once said, “I want to encourage people, to encourage [people].”
The year’s following showed to be successful; by 2007 TapouT’s revenue reached $22.5 million, but that success, unfortunately, was short lived. On March 11, 2009, Lewis was killed in a car crash in Newport Beach, CA. The history of MMA cannot be told without the mention of Charles “Mask” Lewis. To honor that, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) posthumously inducted him as the first and only non-fighter into the UFC Hall of Fame in July of 2009.
Razak, who hopes to release the film in early 2013, says of the project, “I get to share the story…the real story, of what happened to my friend, who “Mask” really was and what he believed in. No one else can do this movie except for me. No one has the footage and no one knew him like I did. It’s an honor and my destiny…my divine right to tell his story.”
Undoubtedly, there will be many who anxiously await the finished result, but possibly no one more than the director himself. “Mask” will take fans on a journey through the life of Charles Lewis, who he was, and what he was able to accomplish in the years he brought the MMA culture to the forefront.
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