Movies | October 25, 2009 | 20 comments

Making Bruce Lee a lucrative global brand

source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703816204574485944207879508.html

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Shannon Lee, the daughter and heir of martial-arts expert Bruce Lee, is trying to add some pow to the late movie star's legacy.
(McBride, S., 2009, October 23, par.1)

In a bid to tap into growing interest in Mr. Lee in China and to develop her father into a powerhouse global brand, Ms. Lee last year bought back the rights to his image from General Electric Co.'s Universal Studios, which had held them since the late 1980s. "They didn't put the effort behind it I felt should be put behind it," she says. Universal declined to comment.
(McBride, S., 2009, October 23, par.2)

Then she formed Bruce Lee Enterprises, a licensing company, and LeeWay Media Group, a production company, to raise his profile. Ms. Lee also consulted with the estates of other famous people, including Elvis Presley and John Wayne, to learn more about how to successfully revive a deceased icon's image.
(McBride, S., 2009, October 23, par.3)

In recent years, the Bruce Lee brand has brought in around $1 million a year, the estate says. With the new push, Ms. Lee hopes she can squeeze $5 million to $10 million from it annually. She has already signed deals with companies ranging from Lucky Brand Dungarees Inc. to Charter Communications Inc. Charter is using her father's image...
(McBride, S., 2009, October 23, par.4)

Mr. Lee's image is potentially worth seven figures annually, according to David Reeder, vice president of Greenlight. "He's truly a global icon, and there aren't many of those around." While there are "probably 30, 40 of those people that really resonate" in the U.S., he adds, internationally the list shrinks to just a handful, including Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee.
(McBride, S., 2009, October 23, par.8)

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20 comments // Making Bruce Lee a lucrative global brand

  • FishaHouse777
    • 0
      FishaHouse777  

    • Bruce Lee wouldn't want this, he was a man of self-discipline, self-recognition, and self-wisdom. He would be sick at the thought of his own daughter capitalizing on his legacy.
      To prove my point his own dojo, Jeet Kune Do, was shut down by himself personally before he died. He said that anyone who wanted to learn his own form of Jeet Kune Do was a fool, that they must learn it on their own through their own path. So he stopped giving lessons unless he himself decided too, but unfortunately Jeet Kune Do continues today by some of his highest disciplines. Sharon Lee needs to find her own millions and her own legacy.

    • 2 years ago
  • iPedro
    • 0
      iPedro  
    • FishaHouse777:

      Though I agree with all of your points, there's a counter balance to all this: Bruce Lee would have wanted to guarantee the wellbeing of his daughter, even at the expense of selling his image.

      He was also very much a man who wanted to be seen. He enjoyed fame and didn't miss an opportunity to be in the limelight.

      I would hate to see Bruce Lee branded perfumes and clothing but having the rights to his image allows for Shannon to work with producers to fulfill some of the movie ideas that Bruce Lee had planned.

      CG technology will allow a well written script to come to life with Bruce Lee once again gracing our big screens.

    • 2 years ago
  • iPedro
    • 0
      iPedro  

    • 3D animation technology has reached a point (i.e. Avatar, Beowolf) that making a live action movie starring Bruce Lee is becoming feasible.

      If Shannon plays her cards right, we'll be seeing new Bruce Lee live action films in the mid 2010's. :-)

    • 2 years ago
  • idealist
  • rodstradamus
    • 0
      rodstradamus  

    • Sell out your dad for money, sounds great. Look at all these corporate whores commenting, "I'll by anything with Bruce on it." Try reading his book and living like a real man (or woman) instead of buying corporate products with his image on it just to be cool.

    • 2 years ago
  • idealist
    • 0
      idealist  
    • rodstradamus:

      1. bruce lee IS cool.
      2. do you make your own clothes and products?
      do you not get anything in your daily life from a corporation? hmmmm?
      your gonna buy something someday, maybe you dont care where it comes from when you buy it but your money will find its way most likely to a group of white people sitting in building way up above you.
      its easy to be righteous in words.

    • 2 years ago
  • FishaHouse777
  • rodstradamus
  • bigloutech
  • trig3r
  • Apocalipstick
  • Koringe
    • 0
      Koringe  

    • It's great to hear she’s still making progress and getting things done. Once they open the museums and the big statue is done over there I hope they make a documentary on the process she went through.

    • 2 years ago
  • KSirys
  • jmsrmy
  • Manatee_man
  • CalPal
  • samthesixth
  • samthesixth
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