MudTruckTV.com Featured Interview
Date: July 2009
Interviewee: Brian & Lisa Austin
Title: Owners of MudTruckTV (MTTV)
Web: www.MudTruckTV.com
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Introduction: MudTruckTV.com is the home of the fastest growing Television show in all of America dedicated solely to the sport of mud trucks that is aired into homes all across America and worldwide on the web.They can be seen on The Dish Network, ICTV channel 230 nationwide and on the web at www.MudTruckTV.com.The show is completely dedicated to the sport of Mud Racing and Bogging across the nation – bringing you inside the world of monster mud truck action… with loads of thrills…loads of spills…and loads of surprises you won’t find anywhere else.
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UR: Brian and Lisa, thanks for taking the time to
talk with us. Congratulations on the
success of MudTruckTV (MTTV) and your show on The Dish Network. How does it feel and what are your hopes for
the future?
MTTV:Well to be quite honest, we never expected the show to grow
to what it has in such a short time. We feel absolutely great about MTTV and
what we have been able to do for the not only the sport as a whole, but the
individual Promoters, Drivers, Fans and Spectators. MTTV provides the country’s
only real TV Show that’s completely devoted to Mud Race Competition. Sure, you
can see 5 or 10 minutes clips here and there and you can buy DVD’s of events on
various sites around the net, (which are very cool) but with Mud Truck TV you
get the “Real Deal” An actual full 30 minute show on TV coast to coast. People
involved in the races can take ownership in MTTV..Its Their show, all about
Them and what They do and we are just like them, down to earth ordinary people
who love getting muddy! Every time we go
to a race and interview a competitor that’s worked his/her tail off on their
particular machine in order to compete, it feels great to be able to put them
on television, to give them the recognition and exposure they deserve. It’s a
feeling like no other!
As for our hopes for the future, we hope that the show will
continue to grow and we can pick up a few corporate sponsors, so we can
continue to develop new ways of taking not only MTTV but the sport itself to
the next level. We appreciate folks like UrbanRedneck.com for doing what you do
as well, to give us all a place to meet, network and interact with outdoor
enthusiasts everywhere.
UR:The concept is great and there is truly a great fan base. Tell us, how did you both start MudTruck TV?
MTTV: Well, we were doing a Country Music Show on local cable in
our home town of Conway, AR. when we were approached by a good friend of ours
who also owned a mud race facility. He asked us if we had ever thought about
putting mud trucks on TV. We sat down and thought about it for a while and said
to ourselves, “Why not give it a try.” The next thing we thought about was what
we were going to call the show, what name should we use. We thought to
ourselves, its “Mud Trucks on Television”
It was at that moment that Mud Truck TV was born. We ran the
show on local cable in Arkansas for a few months, when another friend of ours
at the time suggested that we design a website to stream the show on, so that
people who couldn’t get the show on cable would be able to watch it. A few
short weeks after the site went live and we ran a few shows, the whole thing
exploded. We had tracks E-Mailing about getting races filmed, people asking for
DVD’s, T-Shirts etc. So after filing all the trademarks, copyrights and other
stuff, MTTV became a full-blown show and business. So far, it’s all been
“Uphill” from there.
UR: With such a fast growing number of fans, how do you see mud racing evolving and could it potentially become a
mainstream sport?
MTTV: Well, Mud Racing in our opinions is already a mainstream
sport, the only difference between it and Golf, Football or NASCAR is that it’s
not been on TV in some years. Back in the 1980’s Gary Baker had a weekly show
on the TNN Network called “Truck and Tractor Power” that was all about mud
drags and mud racing. The show pulled top numbers in the ratings for a long
time until it was sold back in 1992. The sport is really huge; again, it’s just
not been on National TV for years, until now with MTTV. As a matter of fact, we
are working with Gary Baker and his new organization “PRO-BADD” which stands
for Professional Racing Organizations – Blown Alcohol Dirt Dragsters, with
Gary’s experience with the sport and television networks, we hope to more than
triple the number of households able to watch MTTV by 2010.
UR:I know you’ve traveled across the nation to these events. What are your thoughts on the Mud Hole events
such as MudAPalooza and MuddiGras compared to the Mud Racing events?
MTTV:Well, it’s our opinion that they are two different things
all together, but one is just as cool as the other. You have the races that you
can go and watch as a spectator or you can compete for prizes, trophies, cash
etc. in an organized fashion as there is almost always a class for everyone and
you also have what we call “Mud Fests” where the same people can all get
together and play in the mud, socialize and really have a terrific time. We
have a blast at either one. If you follow the show, you will know that we cover
places like the Redneck Yacht Club in Florida and Sparks America’s “Mud Stock
Oklahoma each year, both are very cool and they do mix a little competition in
with the party too. We also feature places like Lee County Mud Motor Sports
Complex in Sanford, NC – Kansas Badlands in South Haven, KS. and many other
facilities that have the fastest trucks/dirt dragsters and the biggest payout
races in America! We feel like MTTV is the perfect mix. It’s all about the
sport and all about the people!
UR: What is the best mud event you experienced, your personal favorite?
MTTV:Now that’s a tough question…We do get asked this a lot as we
travel around. There are so many different tracks and styles of off-road racing
out there, it’s nearly impossible to have a favorite. However, if we were
recommending a particular type of race for a first time spectator to go see, it
would have to be Hill N Hole Racing or Side By Side Drags or Bogs or maybe a
Rock Crawl or an ATV Mud Bog or maybe a Sand Drag.. Can you see where were
going with this?
All of them are a real adrenaline rush for sure!
UR: Brian, thank you so much for taking the time
to talk with us. In closing, is there anything you’d like to say to our members?
MTTV: We would just like to let everyone know that we will
continue to provide the best possible shows that we can and the best coverage
possible of the sport that we all love so much. We would also like to thank
UrbanRedneck.com for giving us folks a place to get together and enjoy our
common interests. Thank You! – Yall come see us now, ya hear!
Profile: Brian &
Lisa Austin, Owners of MTTV
Hometown(s):
Brian –
Muskogee, OK. Lisa – Lake Wells, FL.
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Favorite food:
Anything
off the grill or from the ground (Pigs Included)
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Favorite Music:
We both
worked in radio for years, we like it ALL!
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Hobbies:
Lisa –
Shopping, Camping and Traveling
Brian-
Fishing Hunting Camping and all the stuff Lisa likes to do!
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Favorite Movies:
Take This
Job and Shove It – The Ring – Forrest Gump – Harry Potter – Blue Collar
Comedy Tour (The Movie)
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Previous Jobs:
Brian
worked in radio for over 20 years.
Lisa
modeled for some of the top agencies in America, including Casablanca, Ford,
Elite and Storm. (She had her own calendar too) |
Favorite TV show:
(other than MudTruck TV, lol) – The Tonight Show – Jay or Conan – (we miss Jay) and Lisa likes all the SOAPS! |
Heroes:
God and our Dad’s (In that order) |
Favorite Quote or
Inspirational Saying: When everything is coming your way…Your in the
WRONG lane!
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