CEO??
DATA ON CEO STEVEN HUMPHRIES & HIS COMPANIES
The following data was able to be collected using only four means: 1) Company websites whereby STEVEN HUMPHRIES is listed as CEO, 2) Press releases attributed to Companies (former/present) whereby HUMPHRIES is listed as CEO, 3) Google searches of related terms and 4) Investor Hub listing Company information.
STEVEN HUMPHRIES runs (or has run) no less than 4 companies out of a little suite in Addison, Texas. According to Company websites, HUMPHRIES lists (or has listed) himself as CEO of these companies:
GOLD RECYCLE CORP (formerly THE FIGHT ZONE) www.goldrecyclecorp.com EARTHWORKS ENTERTAINMENT www.earthworksentertainment.com DEALER ADVANCE www.dealeradvance.com HUMPHRIES MARKETING GROUP www.humphriesmarketinggroup.com (the phone number was disconnected so the company may no longer exist)
With all of these companies (all publicly traded except for Humphries Marketing Group), the employees seem to wear (or have worn) multiple hats despite the diverse industries.
CHRISTOPHER HUMPHRIES is VICE PRESIDENT of GOLD RECYCLE CORP, VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING of EARTHWORKS ENTERTAINMENT and served as MEDIA DIRECTOR for HUMPHRIES MARKETING GROUP (which may no longer exist). Now he is also listed (as part of a release by GOLD RECYCLE CORP) as President of RULE ONE, Inc.
MIKEL HUGHES is VICE PRESIDENT of CREATIVE SERVICES & PRODUCTION for EARTHWORKS ENTERTAINMENT and served as CREATIVE DIRECTOR for HUMPHRIES MARKETING GROUP (which may no longer exist). Now he is also listed (as part of a release by GOLD RECYCLE CORP) as part of RULE ONE, Inc.
RAJ SHARMA is the CIO for DEALER ADVANCE and EARTHWORKS ENTERTAINMENT.
BUCKEYE EPSTEIN is CO-CEO of GOLD RECYCLE CORP (HUMPHRIES is CO-CEO) and COO of EARTHWORKS ENTERTAINMENT. (There is a long list of items not disclosed in his background.)
GOLD RECYCLE CORP/THE FIGHT ZONE (PINK SHEETS: TFZI)
THE FIGHT ZONE was an MMA fighter-centric company that didn’t last long, but it had a public shell. The company disappeared off the face of the planet in December 2008, only to issue 9 press releases in 49 days beginning March 12, 2009. In the first PR, a LOI for a stock exchange was announced between THE FIGHT ZONE and GOLD RECYCLE CORP, which listed its President as JAMES EPSTEIN.
Just 6 days later, a second release marked the merger of the two organizations listing HUMPHRIES as CEO of THE FIGHT ZONE (now GOLD RECYCLE CORP), JIM EPSTEIN as Chairman of GOLD CORP and JAMES EPSTEIN (same person as JIM) as PRESIDENT of THE FIGHT ZONE.
Not even 10 days later, JAMES (or JIM) had moved onto become the President of GOLD RECYCLE CORP.
Then on April 7th, JIM was listed as CEO of GOLD RECYCLE CORP. That same April 7th press release announced “TFZI's Gold Recycle Corp. Announces Hiring of Advertising and Marketing Firm -- Rule One, Inc. of Texas.” Rule One, Inc. was formed by CHRISTOPHER HUMPHRIES and MIKEL HUGHES (both listed in the same PR). From the press release: CEO Jim Epstein said, "We have gone through extensive agency reviews and have chosen Rule One due to their extensive ad buying experience and corporate marketing background.” Could that decision have also been made because Christopher is also VP of GOLD RECYCLE CORP, essentially hiring himself and possibly sitting in the same suite as EPSTEIN?
By the April 13, 2009 press release, JIM (or JAMES) EPSTEIN had been demoted back to President of GOLD RECYCLE CORP and now his brother BUCKEYE assumed the role of CEO to share with STEVEN HUMPHRIES.
On the GOLD RECYCLE CORP WEBSITE, there is a proposed TV commercial. Hosted by STEVEN HUMPHRIES himself, he talks about the scheme, and we even get a look at EPSTEIN’s very own mother who happened to be a “lucky client” who got her check from the good people at GRC.
In 49 days, GOLD RECYCLE CORP/THE FIGHT ZONE launched 9 press releases. From mid-March 2009, the stock moved from $.0007 to $.0001 (May 3).
DEALER ADVANCE (PINK SHEETS: DLAD)
Not much information could be found on DEALER ADVANCE. In December 2007, DEALER ADVANCE did hire out HUMPHRIES MARKETING GROUP to be its marketing company despite that fact that HUMPHRIES himself was CEO of both companies. He even makes that declaration in the press release. Turning to the Investors Hub forum for DEALER ADVANCE, posters have left posts about a possible class action lawsuit against HUMPHRIES for diluting the stock, as well as complaining about how heavily in debt the company was/is. The company was over $2 million in debt in 2006 versus less than $500,000 in revenue during the same year.
EARTHWORKS ENTERTAINMENT (PINK SHEETS: EWKS)
EARTHWORKS ENTERTAINMENT is sitting at $.002 with the big news being a November 24, 2008 press release stating that the company is launching a new cartoon called Z-FORCE. Upon a quick Google search, Z-FORCE was created by Peter Keefe in 2003 and listed in The Hollywood Reporter. Keefe’s Z-FORCE has been a property of EARTHWORKS ENTERTAINMENT (or one of its former names) for some time and Keefe served as CEO until 2007. In 2006, the show was said to have been released into theaters in key markets for February/March 2007 and also distributed through Leading Home Video Company. Cross-referencing all words and even looking up any reviews or video or anything for Z-FORCE, nothing came up, except for the same press releases made by the company. The press release stated that four episodes had been produced for $2 million with another 9 to be completed by June 2009 with a TV launch upcoming. For a show that was coming to theaters and to DVD in 2006/2007, it seems strange it took another 3 years for now just 4 episodes to be finished with a magical TV launch date.
TO DATE, according to HUMPHRIES’ own websites and press releases,
HUMPHRIES became CEO of GOLD RECYCLE CORP in April 2009 HUMPHRIES became CEO of THE FIGHT ZONE sometime in 2009 HUMPHRIES became CEO of EARTHWORKS in July 2008 HUMPHRIES became CEO of DEALER ADVANCE in 2006 HUMPHRIES became CEO of HUMPHRIES MARKETING GROUP in 2003
AND all of these companies, interchanging some employees, operate (or have operated) out of the same suite!
Feel free to do your own research by looking up these websites and simply connect to the dots of a track record that can be called “questionable” to put it lightly.
By looking at HUMPHRIES’ track record, he doesn’t seem to be concerned with building a brand or staying in one industry too long. Some would call it a smash-n-grab scheme or a pump-n-dump, but Mr. HUMPHRIES doesn’t seem to be hiding from the fact he’s running all these “so-called businesses” with some of the same employees out of the same tiny suite. With 3 of these companies publicly-trading, what is his next move? Thanks to his recent efforts, a lot more people will be watching.
