Dixie Carter (professional wrestling)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dixie Carter | |
|---|---|
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| Dixie Carter (right) with Jerry Jarrett. | |
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Dixie Carter |
| Born | Dallas, Texas, United States [1] |
Dixie Carter (born 1964 or 1965) is an American businesswoman, currently serving as president of the limited liability company TNA Entertainment. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, TNA Entertainment produces professional wrestling television programs, live events, pay-per-views and associated merchandise such as video games. [2]
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[edit] Career
Carter was born in Dallas, Texas. She graduated from The Hockaday School in 1982 and subsequently attended the University of Mississippi, graduating in 1986 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. While a student, Carter was active on the Student Programming Board, and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma women's fraternity. In addition, Carter worked as an intern with Levenson & Hill, a marketing and advertisement firm in the Las Colinas suburb of Dallas, Texas. Upon graduating, Carter became a full-time employee of Levenson & Hill, receiving a promotion to the position of vice president at the age of 27. In 1993, she started her own business in Nashville, focusing primarily on sport and music representation. [2] [3] [1] [4]
In 2002, the president of Monterey Peninsula Talent (a booking agency) contacted Carter and informed her that Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, a fledgling professional wrestling promotion, required a marketing and publicity outlet. Carter began working with TNA, but, two months later, was informed by Jeff Jarrett (a part-owner of TNA) that a key financial backer (HealthSouth Corporation, which was having its own financial problems due to its being investigated for accounting irregularities) had withdrawn support from TNA, and that the company was in dire straits as a result. [2]
Carter, claiming to "[See] the potential in a marketplace that had one company with a $900 million USD market cap and no competitor", contacted her parents, the owners of Panda Energy International, a Dallas-based energy company. In October 2002, Panda Energy purchased 71% of TNA from the HealthSouth Corporation for $250,000 USD. On October 31, 2002, TNA (which originally traded as "J Sports and Entertainment") was renamed "TNA Entertainment", and Carter was appointed president. [5] [2] [3]
Carter was instrumental in securing a television deal with Fox Sports Net in 2004, and in July 2005 she announced that she and several other TNA employees, including vice-president Jeff Jarrett, had negotiated a more lucrative television deal with Spike TV. Carter brought a bottle of champagne to the meeting in order to celebrate. Her creative influence on TNA storylines has been less publicized, although she is known to be a fan of Jonny Fairplay, a reality television contestant who has worked for TNA in the past as a manager. She has also expressed admiration for the work of Vince Russo, a controversial booker. In September 2006, Carter personally negotiated a contract with wrestler Kurt Angle. [6] [7] [8]
Carter has ruled out any possibility of becoming an on-screen character, as is the case with World Wrestling Entertainment chairman Vince McMahon, and previously with former World Championship Wrestling president Eric Bischoff, and former Extreme Championship Wrestling owner Paul Heyman. All three individuals eventually became prominent on-screen characters, albeit Heyman was already one before ECW was formed. [5]
[edit] Personal life
Carter is married to Serg Salinas, with whom she has two children, a daughter born in 2005 and a son born in 2006. [7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Myers, K. (Spring 2006). Wrestling With Success. OleMissBusiness.com. Retrieved on April 15, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Hall, C. (September 27, 2005). Ex-Hockaday girl wrangles wrestlers. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved on April 15, 2007.
- ^ a b Robinson, B. (April 5, 2007). From Rebel to wrestling. The DM Online. Retrieved on April 15, 2007.
- ^ Oliver, G. (June 13, 2007). Dixie Carter reflects on five years of TNA. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved on June 15, 2007.
- ^ a b An Exclusive Interview With TNA President Dixie Carter. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (August 26, 2005). Retrieved on April 15, 2007.
- ^ Lilsboy, R. and Lilsboy, S. (April 14, 2007). The girl gunning for McMahon. The Sun. Retrieved on April 15, 2007.
- ^ a b Forman, S. (October 4, 2006). Part Two Of The Interview With TNA President Dixie Carter. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Retrieved on April 15, 2007.
- ^ Forman, S. (October 3, 2006). Part One Of The Interview With TNA President Dixie Carter. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Retrieved on April 15, 2007.
