Bubba the Love Sponge® was the voice and play-by-play
announcer for the celebrity reality TV competition Hulk Hogan’s
Celebrity Championship Wrestling, that aired Fall 2008 on the
CMT network. Bubba was also featured on the VH1 reality TV
series Hogan Knows Best, as pro wrestler/TV host Hulk Hogan
is his closest friend. Hogan has a regular presence on the
Bubba the Love Sponge® Show and was the best man at Bubba’s
wedding to Heather Cole in January 2007. Bubba has also been
regularly featured on cable TV’s Howard Stern On Demand (part
of InDemand Networks), and is currently considering additional
on-demand and reality TV show proposals.
Bubba consistently attracts press coverage in a wide variety of media, whether for his provocative on-air opinions and activities, or for comments made by his guests, who tend to speak more freely on his show. In fall 2007 Bubba made national headlines for detaining a suicidal caller to his show for nearly an hour until police could locate the man, separate him from his gun, and get him help. During the same time period, Baltimore Oriole Aubrey Huff was roundly criticized for candid remarks he made about baseball on Bubba’s show. Bubba is a regular guest on FOX 13 TV/Tampa’s 11 pm news segment “Lightning Round,” and, in addition to the radio industry media, has been extensively interviewed or quoted for media outlets including CNN Headline News’ Showbiz Tonight, People magazine, TMZ.com, E! True Hollywood Story and many more. The raucous DVDs Bubba Raw®1 and Bubba Raw®2 were released in July 2008 and November 2008 respectively by IVD Exclusives, and are experiencing great sales nationwide at retail locations and online. Both feature uncut, uncensored, behind-the-scenes video footage culled from thousands of hours of on-air and off-air show antics, and will be followed by the release of Bubba Raw®3, currently in development. Bubbapalooza, the live comedy & entertainment show featuring Bubba and his radio show’s co-hosts (Brent Hatley, SpiceBoy, Manson and Ned, along with other staffers) debuted in Ft. Myers, Florida in October 2007. Due to popular demand, Bubbapalooza has since been presented at The Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix; The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas; Star Plaza Theatre, Merrillville, IN; Mark G. Etess Arena at Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, NJ; The Agora, Cleveland, OH; The Fillmore Detroit; and the historic Florida Theatre in Jacksonville. Attendance at every venue is outstanding, with $149 VIP tickets that include premium seating and a pre-show meet-and-greet selling out in minutes. Bubba attracts hordes whenever he makes personal appearances, whether at racing shows, charity events such as his “Toys for Ta-Tas” donations drive, or his much-reported annual visits to the AVN Awards and Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, where he is an invited awards presenter and celebrity event host. His involvement in racing now includes owning his own 8-car race team, CRI (Clem Racing, Inc.), consisting of two dirt late models driven by him and renowned late model driver Keith Nosbich; his 6-year-old son, Tyler Clem; and 9-year-old Michael Atwell, along with four quarter midgets driven by Tyler and Michael, as well. The team competes across the US, and has corporate sponsorships with Lumber Liquidators, Miller Lite, K&N Filters, Bell, Oakley, Amsoil, Leaf Racewear and Supreme Protein. Tyler and Michael are also two of the youngest drivers to enjoy development deals with Stewart/ Hass Racing, Tony Stewart’s new NASCAR racing team.Bubba was the invited Grand Marshal for the nationally-televised Aaron's 312 NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2009. The Bubba the Love Sponge® Foundation, recently formed as a 501 (c) Florida charity, donated funds raised through “Toys for Ta-Tas” to two Tampa area charities serving children and families, and to the families of two slain/injured law enforcement officers in the Tampa Bay area through his "Buba's Bikes for Badges" charity ride and poker run in May 2009. He will continue to donate proceeds from future events held to raise awareness and provide funds for community victims and related causes. Bubba’s fans across the US, known as the “Bubba Army,” are avid purchasers of Bubba merchandise including clothing, CDs, DVDs, iTunes downloads, truck mud flaps, and limited edition CDs, including the mammoth, 25-disc Bubba’s Super K5 Anthology: A $299 autographed box set with a 38-page booklet highlighting the show’s history, special online video access codes, and, of course, plenty of photos. Bubba merchandise has been purchased by fans in all 50 states and Canada, with concentrations in markets such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tampa, Sacramento, San Diego, Edmonton, Calgary, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, to name a few. A full time staff of four is utilized to handle the preparation and fulfillment of nearly 50,000 annual orders. The reach and popularity of the “Bubba Army” cannot be underestimated, as “Bubba Army” clothing has been spotted on members of such popular TV shows as Ice Road Truckers, Ax Men, Hogan Knows Best, and Brooke Knows Best. The Bubba Radio Network® currently employs 18 people full-time in radio broadcasting, merchandising, audio and video production, and sales and marketing. The Bubba Radio Network® also develops and sells exclusive content and merchandise via its heavily trafficked web site (www.btls.com), which 4.4 million people logged on to during 2007 – more than 366,000 unique users in an average month. |
