HeadsUp Entertainment International Inc. is a global media and entertainment company committed to creating branded entertainment by developing, producing and marketing televised programming based on poker and other entertainment themes. Through partnerships with a number of prestigious casinos, the Company has strengthened its Canadian Championship Poker brand and increased its ability to attract renowned poker players to its tournaments.
In recent news, the Company announced that 2005 World Series of Poker Champion Joe Hachem would be playing in the main event of its 2008 Canadian Open Poker Championships, along with other players such as Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, “Yukon” Brad Booth, Huckleberry Seed, Gavin Smith, Mel Judah and Bill Edler. When commenting on the news, President and CEO Kelly B. Kellner stated, “We are attracting a world class field. With celebrities and poker pros from around the world, the spotlight will definitely be on Calgary.”
At the conclusion of the event, HeadsUp Entertainment announced its great success. Joe Hachem enthusiastically said, “This is by far the best heads up tournament I have ever played in and I will definitely be back next year. The structure is much better than the World Series or NBC Invitational with the best of 3 formats and a terrific blind structure.” His statement affirms the efforts HeadsUp Entertainment has made to set the international benchmark for poker enthusiasts.
In just its first two years of operation, the Company has produced seven hours of poker programming for Roger’s Sportsnet Inc. and The ScoreTelevision Network. This year HeadsUp Entertainment plans to produce 20+ hours of nationally televised poker programming with its television partner, The ScoreTelevision Network. In its current position, the Company is poised to achieve its goal of producing more than 90% of all poker programming in Canada.
Because HeadsUp Entertainment has partnerships with many prominent casinos, it is able to easily build excitement among amateur poker players by giving them the opportunity to compete for spots at the Company’s tournaments. The growing interest in poker over the last decade has resulted in multitudes of new players expressing their desire to participate in tournaments, as evidenced by the record-breaking numbers reported by the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour events.
President and CEO Kelly B. Kellner is an avid poker player himself and is dedicated to providing Canadian poker players the opportunity to develop into world-class competitors. He has over 12 years of experience working in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions in the international public markets. He has produced and hosted a weekly television program marketing real estate in Winnipeg. His experience with television programming, business, and poker itself is a vital asset to the Company.
Norman MacKinnon, Chief Financial Officer, has extensive experience in taxation issues derived from his 47 years as a Chartered Accountant in British Columbia. For more than 35 of those years, he served as a director, financial advisor or member of an audit committee on the boards of many VSE, TSE, TSX Venture and NASDAQ public corporations. He has specializes in tax planning, retaining CFO positions and controllership of emerging public companies.
In recent trading, HDUP.PK made a new 52-week low, offering decisive investors the opportunity to invest at a discounted price. The volume has picked up considerably since the beginning of January, greatly increasing liquidity. The stock averages about 165,000 traded shares per week, or 33,000 traded shares a day.
With the attractive price entry, experienced management team, successful track record, and partnerships with prestigious casinos as well as renowned poker professionals, this company and its investors are strategically positioned to capitalize on the growing interest in poker. HeadsUp Entertainment’s vision of creating world class sports and entertainment experiences for the global marketplace creates almost endless opportunities as the Company focuses its energy on building cash flow, assets and shareholder value.