Steve Bellamy


Steve Bellamy is an entrepreneur in sports and entertainment best known for the founding of niche cable television networks, including the Tennis Channel, The Surf Channel, The Skate Channel and The Ski Channel. He is also a writer/director/producer of six feature films, including Winter and The Story.

Biography

Early career

Bellamy founded Atonal Tennis, Inc. in 1985 and managed the Palisades Tennis Center.

Sports channels founding

About 1997, Bellamy had the idea of cable channel for skiing and started work on the concept. He switch to working on a tennis channel concept given the broader audience for tennis. In 2001, the Tennis Channel was founded by Steve Bellamy. The channel was launched in Spring 2003. Bellamy had planned to use the Tennis Channel Open, a Tennis Channel acquisition, as the core event as a part of a larger "Tennispalooza". In 2005, Bellamy left to start The Ski Channel.
In 2006, Bellamy became chief executive officer of Action Sport Networks. In April 2007, Bellamy announced the formation of The Ski Channel that would focus on mountain oriented sports, activity and lifestyle under the aegis of his Atonal Sports and Entertainment.
During the 2012 US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, Bellamy announced that he was launching the Surf Channel, devoted to beach, water and board sports, lifestyle and travel, in mid-September.
By 2015, he was made chairman of Action Sport Networks, which he retains. Bellamy was named Kodak president of motion picture and entertainment in October 2015.

Films

In August 2010, Bellamy wrote and directed a film featuring mountain sports athletes. This film won at the Las Vegas Film Festival, where Bellamy also won the award for best director. It featured a team making a climb to the top of Mount Everest. The next year, it was followed by Winter.

Atonal Sports and Entertainment

owned and operated several tennis centers, a film company, Atonal Films and TV, and Palisades Sound Recording Studio. Atonal Films produced documentaries. Sports facilities owned by Atonal included the Palisades Tennis Center, Westwood Tennis Center, Van Nuys Tennis Center and the LA Golf Academy.