OUR HOST

TALKING TOUGH host Rick Bassman writes in the introduction to his autobiography “Little Big Man,” “…and that’s BEFORE the past three years, which have been a punch-me-in-the-face, microcosmic, accelerated shit storm of painful-gut-wrenching-experiences (God please, let there be no deeper depths in this seemingly bottomless pit of rock bottoms), that just may…FINALLY…MAY…see me come out the “other” side of this.”   Like his Guests on TALKING TOUGH, Rick too was at the top of his world.  Also like his guests, he crashed to the bottom in spectacular fashion. From being the highest-ranking executive ever hired by The Walt Disney Company without a college degree and winning an Emmy Award, to travelling the world with artists like Guns N Roses, to owning his own successful Pro Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts brands.  And his “highs” were always interspersed with “lows…”  Stage 4 testicular and lung cancer, loss of many close to him, countless street fights, a wrecked spine, life-threatening infections, double kidney failure, two strokes and a heart attack, led Rick to choose a three decades-long depression, homelessness and addiction. And also like his Guests, Rick is rising again, taking responsibility for his life, consciously finding an ever-widening path to peace and spirituality, and giving his all to be of service.

RICK BASSMAN

Rick wants to TALK TOUGH because he’s lived it.

At the TOP:

• At 5’4”, 135 lbs., ruled the LA “Big Guy” scene
• William Morris agent
• High-ranking Disney exec
• Big-time concert promoter
• TV and Movie producer,
• Owner of very successful Professional Wrestling and Mixed martial Arts brands & fighting gyms.
• Married, monster house, Mercedes, Money, and all that bullshit.

At the BOTTOM:

• Stage 4 lung cancer and many other life-threatening illnesses
• Shot… stabbed… bitten
• Homelessness
• Poverty
• Addiction
•  Tragic loss of many of the closest people –and pets—in his world.

And NOW?...

• Spiritual seeker and enthusiast
• Publish his memoir “Little Big Man,” guide it to the top of the Amazon & NY Times bestsellers charts
• Break the world bench press record
• Complete his Business Plan to raise donations to found and operate the world’s largest Pit Bull Rescue