Karmaloop TV Acquires Classic Kung Fu Films

Upstart network Karmaloop TV will look to kick up its programming lineup with the announcement Monday of a licensing deal with the Kung-fu movie distribution company Celestial Pictures.

Karmaloop will have access to more than 60 of the Hong Kong-based company's large collection of Chinese-made films including the Shaw Brothers' library of fan favorite kung fu and action classics such as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Five Deadly Venoms, and The One-Armed Swordsman.

"This is a unique genre of films that has a huge following and influence on Verge Culture, the multi-cultural community of tech-savvy young people who communicate digitally to share the latest trends in fashion, lifestyle and entertainment," states Greg Selkoe, CEO of Karmaloop TV. "This is particularly true of the Shaw Brothers' kung fu films, which have inspired everything from the names, rhymes and album titles of iconic hip hop superstars like Wu-Tang Clan to action films like Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill to a vast array of art, video games and fashion."

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.