explaining the Firm Saga to DH - funny thread

[lindseylu8]

Originally Posted by alisoncooks

So, I've only ever done 1 Firm workout (and it was my first ever fitness video purchase--Firm Body Sculpting system w/ Fanny Lifter).

I am not familiar with any of the "firm saga" and what all the abbreviations, classic vs. new, etc.

Can some one please point me in the right direction to hear/read this story....I'm curious now. What am I missing?

Originally Posted by leahintexas

Me, too! I'd like to know.

Leah

A brief summary from what I know. Im sure there are others that can add more. And please correct me where Im wrong. Its been a while

The firm started w/ Anna & Cynthia Benson (sisters) and Cynthia's husband Mark H (BBH). They did Vol 1, then took preorders for the next few volumes to finance their production. Back then the VHS were $50 + each....

One of the people that worked on the set of the original mansion set Firms (the original 6 "classics") sued BBH because he said he didnt get paid what he deserved. Accroding to BBH, they had listed this guy in the credits as something more than he actually was to help him w/ his career because they were all friends. BBH was forced to sell the Firm to pay their legal fees for this lawsuit. They sold to BMG. The lawsuit lasted a really long time. Is it even over yet?

BBH made more Firms in the library set but were told by BMG(?) that the set was too close to the original set. Then they tried the jungle set, etc. Im not sure what happened w/ the profits from these w/o's-Prime Powers, Cross Trainers, Etc.

BMG sold or got bought out by Goodtimes. Goodtimes started doing the Fanny Lifter (FL) set-Body Sculpting System 1 (BSS1), then they did BSS2, FL + sculpting stick, some add-on releases, BSS3 -the Firm box (aka death box), and then the Transfirmer (TF) set BSS4. And some individual releases.

Then Gaiam bought the Firm in what 2006? Somewhere around that same time-Emily Welsh bought the Firm studio and is now running it. Its not in the original location...Gaiam has put out the "pink Firms", the TransFirmation system (pink weights) aka BSS5, and the Wave (BSS6-though the last 2 werent actually called body sculpting systems they are still sometimes referred to as such)

Anna Benson made the FitPrimes & Kickbutts solo somewhere in there too. Mark H from the original trio still posts on Nancy's boards and is still bitter about the Firm lawsuits.

I think thats all Ive got...

[TinaT]

To add to this: The man who was doing the sueing I believe has passed away, so the suit is all but done.

[Carol K]

Mark was Anna's husband, not Cynthia's.

[CarlaShanti]

The part of the saga that's interesting to me is how the instructors started with the Firm, why they left, and what they have done since leaving. Although I'm not entirely up on all of it, it can get pretty darn dramatic!

[bzar]

one of the reasons i like doing the classics is because it's when "the band" was still together in one big family.

[Carol K]

Originally Posted by CarlaShanti

The part of the saga that's interesting to me is how the instructors started with the Firm, why they left, and what they have done since leaving. Although I'm not entirely up on all of it, it can get pretty darn dramatic!

The first group of instructors who left, didn't really leave. In the late 90s, when Cynthia, Anna and Mark still owned the Firm, they shut down the Charleston studio. The instructors who taught there, like Susan Harris, Tracie Long and Carissa Foster, continued to teach Firm classes at a studio called LifeQuest. When that relationship ended those instructors were no longer Firm employees.

When GT bought the Firm in 2001, they also bought the remaining studio in Columbia. Jen Carmen got married in 2003 and moved to Charleston. She works for the studio Tracie has there. In 2004, Lisa Kay and Pam Cauthen suddenly quit or were fired (people say it was because they were involved in different fitness activities). Libby also left at that time and taught at Pam's yoga studio for awhile, but she is no longer there.

In 2006, GT went bankrupt and became a division of Gaiam. Gaiam bought the Firm, but apparently was not interested in the studio. So they closed the Columbia studio and merged with a studio called something that always slips my mind now. Someone else will remember. This relationship didn't work out well. According to a Columbia newspaper article, the Firm clients didn't like it and presumably a lot of the instructors didn't either. Nancy Tucker bought the old Columbia location and opened bodyFit and Stephanie Huckabee and Suzanne Bates went with her. Many of the Firm instructors who were still involved on the website and with the videos, taught classes at bodyFit. In 2007, Emily Welsh opened a new Firm studio in Lexington. None of the instructors who were teaching at bodyFit returned, except Alison and eventually Allie. At that time, the bodyFit instructors who were still active on the website, said their good-byes.

[CarlaShanti]

It's the reasons why people were fired or clients and instructors didn't like Gaiam that interest me.

Speaking of bodyFit, when are Nancy's Firm-meets-P90X workouts coming out? Very excited about that concept!

[Buzzer]

One other important part of this saga... I heard that Anna Benson also sued Shape magazine for calling Volume 3 (?) a cardio workout. She apparently refused to back down and kept after them, blowing lots of money because of "her ego" (according to Mark, her ex-husband).
I don't know how that all fits in with the rest of the story, but I do know that the lawsuit between the set designer guy (yes, he did pass away) and the lawsuit with Shape magazine lead to the original Firm's downfall...

[Carol K]

Originally Posted by CarlaShanti

Speaking of bodyFit, when are Nancy's Firm-meets-P90X workouts coming out? Very excited about that concept!

Nancy told Joni O that she expects to start taping this month.

[lindseylu8]

Originally Posted by Carol K

Mark was Anna's husband, not Cynthia's.

I have had that wrong all these years!

So does anyone know whatever happened to Cynthia?