A little publicity for me today in the Washington City Paper. To wit:
But listening to Kinard, it sounds like management has decided Thomas can transcend his surroundings.
"We thought we’d experiment with some different kinds of shows last year, and of all of them, MMA Nation is the only one that lasted," Kinard says. "I wasn’t aware of anybody else doing [an MMA show]. And [in April] he outperformed our normal weekend ratings by more than double. We started out thinking this has the potential to be a nationally syndicated show, and that’s still our plan. You see MMA all over the place on TV, so why not on the radio?"
I hate to be over the top with the self-promotion, but no one is going to hand me the job and career I'm after. I want to work in MMA full time and the fact is I have to make it happen for myself. Thank you to everyone who has ever shown me an ounce of support towards the pursuit of that dream.
Onward and upward.
over 2 years ago
Luke Thomas
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Congrats Luke!
You are very good on the radio and you bust your ass. Good things come to good people who work hard. I hope your success continues. How is the shoulder by the way?
by Nick Travaglini on Jun 11, 2009 8:40 AM EDT reply actions
ALSO
I injured the shoulder lifting weights, NOT training for a debut fight. I’ve since contacted the author to get the article corrected.
I remember it was vanity that injured your shoulder.......lol
You revealed that you injured your shoulder lifting weights in order to look “good” for a Warriors Challenge broadcast. Right?
"Stop smiling you are about to be punched in the face !"
To me, there is nothing more embarrassing for MMA media than when it’s members look like contestants on The Biggest Loser. We’ve probably all got a little weight we could lose and I’m no exception, but being a disgusting fat body should really not be the norm for media personnel.
I’ve been lifting weights a long time and just wanted to put on some extra bulk. I guess that wasn’t too bright after all.
Excellent Write-Up
No one should fault you for making the most of the opportunity to further your MMA-related aspirations. How prominent is this paper?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 11, 2009 8:41 AM EDT reply actions
also.. What would it take for you to go full time?
If BE got bigger and get more sponsors, and if your radio show goes national, would that be enough for you to be in mma full time? Or will you have to get another gig like being in mma live or the WEC or something similar?
It’s hard to say exactly. There isn’t one magic formula, but yes, BE would have to make a lot more money for me to rely on this site. If the radio show eventually goes national, I have no idea what that would pay, but it’d probably be enough.
If I were 24, I could quit and live off the money I make from MMA. Technically, I can be broke, but I could go full time. The issue is that I have a mortgage now, so I just can’t risk it without stable financial backing.
Well yeah ofcourse you've got to be financially stable first..
Hopefully BE becomes bigger, cause it actually deserves to get more recognition than some of the other sites out there.. Thats not me being biased or whatever, cause it’s true..
Where else could you find the most news and intelligent conversations / analysis within the whole community? There aren’t any other sites that has that.. Combine that with sbn’s auto-refresh in the comments is the key factor that I love about this site..
Imagine auto refresh comments in sites with people who go, “stfu n00b!” that would make 500 comments of trolling.. Haha.
by Anton Tabuena on Jun 11, 2009 9:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Congratulations on the article, Luke.
It’s good to hear that MMA is also getting its exposure through the radio as well.
Follow my analysis of all things MMA on BloodyElbow.com
Congrats!
Congrats, Luke – I listen to the podcast so I know what that article must mean for you. It’s like I say, MMA is as contagious as MRSA, so a nationally syndicated MMA Nation should do just fine.
congrats luke
While i sometimes agree with chad dukes that you are a communist nobody can argue that when it comes to MMA you are the uncrowned king. Bloody elbow is by far the best site on the web for information, its the best community for the user, and i look forward to everything you do in the future.
also thanks for serving the country
well done Luke
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Congrats, Luke.
sweat sweat cause i'm a poisonous pill
by Eugene Schelfaut on Jun 11, 2009 9:29 AM EDT reply actions
Nice, but not surprised....
Nice job Luke, as someone who has been a fan of Bloody Elbow for a while now, it’s great to see the success come from the hard work… Keep it up!
cough IAVA ad banners? cough
Good job Luke!
On another note, to be filed under semi useless drivel, What’s up with Most MMA media with Sherdog ties and crazy facial hair? Is it a requirement that you have it as some point? Scott “Jesus” Holmes, TJ, Josh Gross, Sherwood, etc. I’m not going to be surprised to find out Hunt has recently stated to form a hair lip.
'grats Luke
Well deserved. Keep it up.
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Jun 11, 2009 10:39 AM EDT reply actions
You've earned this and a whole lot more
Your dedication, passion and perspective is unreal and I wish you a ton of success. Ignore the naysayers (especially me) and remember: It’s how a blogga EAT!
PS – Gong is right on the money, that is an absurdly adorable pic of you and you should use it more often. Your other bust is more macho, but given the nature of your site, I think this one is a better representation of your editorial style.
Good feedback and thanks for the kind words.
Honestly, I was worried about this picture because I’d gotten only two hours sleep the night before. I thought I was going to look like a disaster. Crisis averted, I suppose.
Seriously, THANK YOU EVERYONE!
by Luke Thomas on Jun 11, 2009 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions
About the pic
It make you look worn, but in a good way like you work hard which is sort of the point. It also hides your hugeness. It makes you look like a slight man.
Luke is tall everyone. If you ever have the pleasure of meeting him, he is tall, but proportioned so in photos without scale he seems like average guy. He is not HMC freak tall, but he is very tall and deceptively so.
Wow – nice! Congrats on all your success, you’ve earned it!
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ. -- TangleBones
Congratulations Luke! You have earned some recognition. I have been a big fan of yours since you were at Mad Squabbles. Moving over to BE provided you with a solid team to allow you to focus on doing what you do so well: writing. It’s been nice to watch the rest of the BE team’s writing rise up toward your level as time passed. I really think the intelligence and writing ability of everyone at BE is what made the site so good, which, in turn, attracted a more intelligent audience and now provides the most intelligent debates in MMA.
I really wish that BE could become more financially successful if for nothing else than to see you guys compensated properly for your hard work. It seems like you have enough people on the team with coding/programming know-how to do all sort of stuff. It sucks seeing a solid site like this not making the big bucks while a site like Sherdog that has really one person at it who still seems like they even watch MMA anymore (i.e., Breen).
P.S. – Out of curiosity, what other job do you have? I was under the impression that you had become 100% supported my MMA a while back.
(formerly TheFightJournal)
Just wanted to chime in—when I first got linked over to BE, I found my way to one of Luke’s online radio shows he was doing back then. Actually I think he was talking with Sam Caplan, ironically. Anyway, it was the first MMA radio show I heard where the host didn’t sound like he was “playing radio” but actually sounded like a real radio host. I’m always honored to go on there, and I think the show could be a serious trailblazer for MMA radio nationwide.
That’s great. I don’t know of anyone with the MMA expertise, writing ability, and live radio/TV prowess of Luke. He’s a bit excitable at times, but that’s just passion shining through. ;)
by Cannon Jacques on Jun 11, 2009 10:10 PM EDT reply actions
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