BEVERLY HILLS, Calif./ November 6, 2006/Sports Wire/ Imperia Entertainment, Inc. (Pink Sheets: IPEI) President James Hergott announced today that American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, California will host the first auditions for its feature length movie set in the sport of mixed martial arts entitled Never Submit (www.neversubmit.com) on Sunday November 19th beginning at 2pm. Slated to audition at AKA include fighters Phil Baroni, Matt Major, Sean Sherk, Trevor Prangley, Josh Thomson, Jon Fitch, Cane Velasquez, Paul Buentello, Jimmy Zimmerman and Bobby Southworth. Already cast for roles in the movie are Pride Fighting Championships superstars Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Additionally, fighters represented by Jervis Cole, of Zinkin Entertainment & Sports Management including MMA superstars Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Josh Koscheck, Cung Le, Mike Swick and Rashad Evans may also audition at AKA for “Never Submit”.

Additional actors, fighters and aspiring thespians are welcome to attend the open casting call, which begins at 4pm. Producer Cindy Ortiz adds, “I have been in contact with fight managers across North America who have candidates they plan to send to AKA on the 19th. That speaks volumes to me, as well as to the writer and director of “Never Submit,” James Hergott, who will also be on hand to evaluate the talent.”

This will be Imperia Entertainment’s first audition location for “Never Submit”. Additional audition locations and days will be announced in the near future including several locations throughout North America including Las Vegas, Chicago, Southern California, New York City, Oregon and Canada.

Imperia Entertainment will announce the actors and fighters for the film in future press releases. Inquiries pertaining to fighters interested in auditioning for roles, potential sponsorship opportunities available to companies/vendors and MMA media requests should be made via e-mail to Producer Cindy Ortiz at cindy@imperiaentertainment.com. Cindy will also send fighters and actors interested in auditioning a character breakdown and scenes from the script for preparation purposes. This information will also be posted on the website in the near future.

ABOUT JERVIS COLE AND ZINKIN ENTERTAINMENT

Former pro basketball player, Jervis Cole, with Zinkin Entertainment & Sports Management (headquartered in Fresno, CA) is one of the top MMA sports agents in the country. “Jervis and I have been in contact since July about the movie” explains Ortiz. “His agency represents some of the hottest MMA fighters out there. Zinkin Entertainment is a well-respected agency in this industry because not only do they manage the fight careers of their athletes, they explore opportunities of interest to their clients outside of that realm. Competing in combat sports is something these athletes choose to do…but it’s not the only thing they can do. Many fighters aspire to see themselves on the silver screen and we are impressed with the level of talent Jervis Cole and Zinkin Entertainment have confidence in.”

ABOUT AKA

AKA is owned and operated by Javier Mendez, a former two-time world champion kick-boxer, and is home to a number of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitors, many of which are making plans to audition for roles in “Never Submit”.

ABOUT “NEVER SUBMIT”

“Never Submit” is an inspirational tale similar to “Rocky,” but the lead character is an intelligent young man (as are most fighters competing in this sport) rather than a beaten-down punch-drunk fighter. An amazing cast of characters will round out this film; each from different walks of life; each with his own set of circumstances and motivating factors driving him to be the best. Never Submit is a metaphor describing the way these athletes live their lives.

Director James Hergott comments, “As a former Judo competitor, I have closely followed this sport and have been a fan of MMA since its North American introduction in 1993. Only during the past two years has mixed martial arts finally started to gain true mainstream acceptance. Never Submit will appeal to the hardcore fans as well as expose moviegoers to this emerging sport who may know very little, if anything, about MMA when they enter the theater. My goal is to turn as many viewers into MMA fans as possible by the closing credits.”

“It is my intent as writer and director to portray the sport of MMA, the athletes competing in it and the fans supporting it in a positive light. MMA isn’t a barbaric underground blood sport like it has been depicted in the past by other filmmakers. It’s a very intellectual sport; a physical chess match between men. Never Submit will showcase the courage, integrity, commitment, athleticism and sportsmanship found in these modern day gladiators and I’m looking forward to telling their stories. MMA offers one of, if not the most diverse and talented pools of athletes found in any sport, in any country, on any continent in the world and that’s one of the things that makes it so great,” he adds.

Imperia Entertainment recently announced a partnership with TapouT Magazine (www.tapoutmagazine.com) as part of a cross-country tour to promote the publication as well as the movie. Stops at select dojos to hold auditions for Never Submit are being finalized. TapouT Magazine readers can expect to see the mixed martial arts movie prominently featured in the bi-monthly publication throughout the casting, filming and theatrical release stages, as well as enjoy behind the scenes details from Never Submit director James Hergott, one of TapouT Magazine’s newest contributors.