Post by gvb on Sept 17, 2020 15:06:49 GMT -6
The Press Room inside the Headquarters of MWE was as crowded as it can possibly be these days. On the front row were sitting some high profile guests, including political personalities such as Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Alderman Pat Dowell and the Governor Of The State Of Illinois J. B. Pritzker. All of them were, obviously, wearing their face mask and keeping the social distance, just like the crowd of journalists, bloggers and wrestling columnists that were completing the audience that rushed to this unexpected Press Conference called by Grace van Beek.
The young owner of MWE made her entrance on the stage, welcomed by the flickering lights of dozens of flash photography immortalizing the moment. As she took the centre of the stage she was quickly joined by Chuck Matthews and the General Managers of both Millennium and Riot, Elsa McCarthy and Vincent Moretti. Lastly, a fifth person sat down at their same table, immediately arousing the curiosity of the audience and becoming the subject of their buzzing. Gianluigi Vaccaro, former General Manager of the green brand and former CFO of [R]evo Pro was dressed in one of his famous haute couture silk suits, navy blue in color paired with a white shirt and a dark crimson tie. He stood there for a moment to scan the room with his eyes and offer himself for one last round of photos before he took his place, sitting down on Grace’s left.
And it was the Diamond Princess who, obviously, did the honors:
Grace van Beek:
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to this Press Conference. Before I get to the reason why I summoned you all here, I would like to greet and personally thank Alderman Dowell, Mayor Lightfoot and the Governor of the great state of Illinois, Mister Pritzker as well as anyone else who made all this possible. There’s a deep bond between this City and the company we represent here tonight. It is not only where our Headquarters are located, not just the city hosting the state-of-the-art Arena we air our shows from. From our very name recalling the Millennium Park, to what became one of the most recognizable titles in this business, I am obviously talking about the Cloud Gate Championship that, I do not need to remind you, takes its name from one of Chicago’s most notable landmarks. Amd let us not forget the Chicago Way championship, named after a quote from a legendary movie depicting a page from the Second City’s recent history.
Speaking in a calm and professional tone, she kept her eyes on the VIP guests sitting on the front row throughout the entire introduction.
Grace van Beek:
Ever since Mr. Matthews turned a dying Seattle based company into a profitable venture in his hometown of Chicago almost three years ago, this strong connection has been the lifeblood of MWE, and I like to believe, one of the reasons for its ever growing success. In every city on the US soil we visited, in every country we took our shows to during our world tour that was sadly interrupted by the still ongoing pandemic, we proudly carried the flag and the spirit of this city and its people with us. Not many people may know it, but the 92% of our employees, from the backstage workers to the administrative personnel are locals.
Her long-winded preamble left the journalists gathered at the MWE HQ unimpressed. But they clearly weren’t the audience Grace was talking to, Those words were meant to appease the local political authorities, and judging by the look on their faces, she was succeeding.
Grace van Beek:
But a company cannot live on a successful past, or settle for what is a glorious present. In order to thrive, we shall start laying the foundations of what will be, I promise you, a bright future.
This was what everyone came here for, finally awakening their attention. Grace let a few moments pass, creating that bit of suspense you wouldn’t expect from someone always so straight-to-the point like her.
Grace van Beek:
Evolution, with an eye toward tradition. That is what we had in mind when we decided to launch MWE’s newest project. It is an honor and a privilege for me to present you..
Another pause, this time followed by the lights dimming down and a clip rolling on the screen hanging behind Grace and the MWE upper echelons. It opened with an aerial view of Chicago, its unmistakable skyline standing out against the clean summer sky. Panning through its streets we reach the MWE headquarters, moving past it and into the Millennium Park, reaching the world famous “bean”, also known as the Cloud Gate. We were then taken to the Enterprise Arena, home of the company's events but not even that was our destination. Down the traffic jammed street we moved reaching the neighborhood known as Fuller Park. Here the image shifted to a black and white footage, archives of a recent past. In this trip back in time, we reach an intersection, slowing down until we stand in front of a school. Kids are playing in the courtyard of what, according to the nameplate on the gate, is known as the Francis Parkman School.
Abrupt cut back to present days, the kids are nowhere to be seen. The exterior of the building looks in a much better shape than it was a few years ago, clearly signifying that renovation works have been done to it recently. But the thing that stands out the most is that the gate reading Francis Parkman School over it was no longer there. It was replaced with a different one, similar in style to the previous but shiny new. The main point of interest though was the central plate, dominated by a peculiar logo.
Grace van Beek:
… The Millennium Academy.
Came the solemn and proud voice of Grace van Beek, thundering over the soft soundtrack of the clip. The screen shut off, the lights came back inside the room and that same logo could now be seen on the backdrop of the stage.
Grace van Beek:
As, I am sure, you guessed, this is a brand new wrestling school, right here in the beating heart of Chicago. Saying this, though, sounds reductive. Calling it a developmental brand does not cut it either. The Academy is all this and much more. But I will leave the details to Mr. Vaccaro, who has been supervising the project since its inception. He did not want me to say this, but the Academy can and should be considered his brainchild.
Gianluigi glanced over at Grace, a slight smile on his face as he shook his head. He waited for the light round of applause of the now intrigued audience before speaking.
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
Good evening everyone and thank you Miss van Beek for the introduction.
Grace gave him a light nod of the head.
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days about what I would answer to those who will ask me what The Academy is. Of all the words I used to describe it, there was one that hit the nail on the head. The Academy is a journey.
He gave them a moment to process what sounded like an odd association before he quickly explained it.
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
It’s the journey of ten young aspiring wrestlers, from the very first match to the big stage and blinding lights of a major company. But it’s also a journey for MWE, the first step into the future, a glimpse at the shape of things to come, an exclusive first look at the next generation of performers. The Francis Parker School…
Again the screen turned on to give us an inside look at The Academy
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
Has been remodeled and renewed to welcome within its walls the first class of The Millennium Academy. Ten students will enter this facility to start their journey to stardom, welcomed by a meticulously selected staff. Trainers, medical personnel and teachers as well. We are not only training them to be wrestling machines, we also give them the opportunity to continue their studies and obtain an educational level. We all know too well how many uncertainties color the lives of a wrestler, it’s never a bad thing to have a backup plan.
A couple of members of the Second City’s Board Of Education nodded in approval.
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
If in their morning the students will attend their classes, the afternoons will be dedicated to perfect their craft. This will cover their week from Monday to Thursday, with Friday being the day they will have the chance to showcase their progress in The Academy televised episode, available exclusively on MENTV.
Gian gave a quick nod to Chuck, thanking the owner of the network.
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
After the show is over, the students will be free to go back to their homes and families for the weekend, taking a couple of days to unwind and recharge to prepare themselves for another week. Of course, The Millennium Academy will remain open for those who should want, or need, a place to stay in.
The video shows one of the single rooms where the students will spend their nights, before cutting back to one of the hallways.
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
As you may have noticed during this little virtual tour of the facility, every hallway, every room in the building with the obvious exception of locker rooms, bedrooms, restrooms and a couple more “safe rooms” where the students can discuss personal matters with their trainers and team leaders, is wired with cameras. Pretty much like the house of a famous reality show, I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about.
There was a bit of commotion in the room, the attendants filling the silence following Gian’s words with hushed chatter amongst them.
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
If anyone has any questions, I’ll be glad to answer them.
It didn’t take long for the first journalist to raise his hand and ask.
Journalist #1:
Mark Lennox, Rope Break podcast.You mentioned team leaders… What’s their role?
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
Thank you Mark. I owe you all an apology for forgetting this part. Although they will train together, the students will be divided in two teams of five members each. The main role of team leaders is that of providing assistance and guidance to the students they will personally select to join their team. To give them advice, before and after a match, to help them improve and mold them into the superstars they are going to be.
Journalist #2:
Brian Manson, Chicago Today. Can you tell us who these team leaders will be?
Gian shook his head at the question.
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
Unfortunately no. We are still looking through candidates, trying to find the perfect people. The profile we are looking for is that of a former wrestler who has no issues moving to Chicago. Hopefully we will be able to announce them soon, as well as the first class of students.
Brian Manson:
And as for the starting date? When will The Academy officially open its doors?
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
October 1st, with the first show airing two week later, Friday 16. This is to give the students some time to settle in and the team leaders a chance to evaluate them for a week before picking their choices.
A third journalist, a young female, stood up to ask another question.
Journalist #3:
Good evening I’m Jane Squire. Are we going to see any title in The Academy? Or any other form of prize and reward?
Gianluigi took a moment before answering the question.
Gianluigi Vaccaro:
Though I believe that the biggest and most important reward the students should be aiming for is the unique wealth of experience they will earn throughout this experience, the answer is yes. There will be actually two championships, a single title and one for the team. Miss van Beek is personally designing them, much like she did with the Chicago Way, the Intercontinental and MENTV titles. The peculiarity of the Team title is that all five members of the team holding it are eligible to defend it. And in the same way, the challengers will be randomly drawn.
More questions were asked by the people in attendance, not only to Gian but to Elsa, Vincent and even Chuck. Matthews was asked if there will be a chance to follow the lives of the students 24/7 on the network, to which he replied with “No. We’re not interested in that kind of television and neither is our audience. The students may be under the prying eyes of hundreds of camera, but only the most relevant moments will be featured on the Friday Night show.”
Grace cut the journalists before they could ask any further questions saying that the time for this press conference was up, and inviting everyone to keep an eye on the MWE social media account for any update on The Academy.
And now the OOC part. I’ll keep this short, inviting anyone who might be interested to DM me on the @mwefed account. Here’s a list of what I’m looking for as well as a few notes.
10 students Fresh characters who haven’t had a televised match yet. They must be born after January 1st 2000 and be at least 18 years old to be featured on the shows. 17 years old students can enter as well, but they won’t be competing until they turn 18.
2 Team Leaders
[/b] veterans who are no longer active wrestlers. It may be required, from time to time, that they interact with students in segments.[/span][/div]I’m not expecting promos, some of them may lack the confidence/ability to cut one in front of the camera. What I’m looking for in your segments is “reality”. They are kids, living together and training to become professional wrestlers. I want to see friendship blossom, tension rising, drama unfolding, fights brewing… And why not? Love stories too, if that’s what you want to do. As long as it’s suitable for TV, you have free reigns to develop your character however you see fit. Interact with other students, with trainers, with staff. Sometimes, you could be given a scenario to play out. Every two/three weeks, a seminar will be held featuring a special guest. Take those chances to add something to your character.
Each show (barring special events) will feature 3 matches. An opening contest, a Team Title match and the main event. Results will be summarized, probably written in note form. The focus is building the characters, not having them pulling five stars matches. They will have time for that.
Having a twitter for your character can be fun and will give them more chances for interactions. But it’s not required.
Ideally, none of them will be promoted to the main roster anytime soon. I reserve myself the chance to play that card if the right occasion or storyline arises, but the goal is to have them complete their course and “graduate”.
Graduating at The Academy doesn’t mean you HAVE to bring the character up to one of the “main rosters”. Once they complete their journey, you are free to take your character wherever you want,
For those interested to join, here’s what I need for now. You can DM them to the @mwefed account on twitter.
STUDENT CARD:
Name:
Pic Base:
Bio:
Personality:
Wrestling Style:
TEAM LEADER APP:
Name:
Pic Base:
Twitter:
Brief Bio/Notable Accomplishments:
Personality: