'Mask' documentary on TapouT founder debuts April 3, filmmaker vents on Reebok

Long before the UFC was a $4 billion acquisition, MMA was a grassroots sport struggling for survival, fed by rabid Internet fans who drove hours to see Indian casino shows.

That’s where Charles “Mask” Lewis first made his mark. Out of his car trunk, the native of San Bernardino, Calif., sold T-shirts sporting the logo of MMA’s first apparel brand, TapouT.

Lewis sponsored dozens of fighters, paying them out of his pocket before he paid himself. By the time MMA exploded in popularity in the mid-2000s, TapouT was a ubiqutious pop culture presence, and Lewis was a millionaire. But it was his electric personality that made him one of the most beloved figures in the sport.

After seven years, Lewis’ story will be seen for the first time in “Mask,” a documentary released by Gravitas Ventures that’s set to debut April 3 on multiple cable and online platforms via video on demand, including Hulu, Amazon and Google Play. The film also will be available on Netflix this fall.

Lewis’ death in 2009 from a car crash sent a shockwave through the close-knit MMA industry and was the catalyst for TapouT’s implosion after the company was sold to licensing company Authentic Brands Group. The legacy of “Mask” lived on, however, when the UFC, which had forged a close relationship with Lewis in his early days, honored its friend with a permanent spot on the octagon fence and inducted him into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Filmmaker Bobby Razak, a former TapouT employee, also was compelled to celebrate Lewis’ story and bring it to life on film. As he quickly discovered, he had a voluminous amount of material to work with. The process of forging Lewis’ narrative, though, was anything but easy.

Below is an interview with Razak about the upcoming documentary, Lewis’ legacy, and what Lewis might think about MMA today.

Charles “Mask” Lewis

MMAjunkie: How long did it take you to make this documentary?

Razak: (laughs) Man, it’s been going on and off since maybe 2010 to 2011. The main way I make my money is on commercials. So the reason it took so long is because I got an initial investor, who gave me the initial incubation money went. Once that went, I kind of had to pay for it myself. So it was like, I did a commercial, go back to ‘Mask.’

MMAjunkie: What was your goal when you set out to make it?

Razak: I was the founder of TapouT Films. I was with the company from the very beginning. One of my first deals with Charles was I sponsored him. We did a poster deal for my first movie “Rites of Passage.” So we kind of grew together. I’d created this incredible body of work with him over the years. Every time I’d shoot a TapouT commercial, I’d always shoot a little bit of Charles. So when he died, I realized I had this amazing body of work. I really wanted to show what kind of man Charles Lewis was, and how complicated he was.

MMAjunkie: People who’ve been following this sport for a while know exactly who he is. How did you tie him into the world outside of MMA?

Razak: Charles Lewis was a black man from San Bernardino, and he created a massive business empire. At our peak, we were making $200 (million) to $300 million per year. It’s an incredible business story. If you watch the film, it’s not heavily MMA. But it shows aspects of MMA and what he loved.

Someone who’s not involved with MMA would want to watch this, because it’s like watching the underground business. Charles did everything himself. He raised the money for the beginning, created the clothing, he was the business brain behind the company. I think anybody who watches this film will be fascinated by this guy from San Bernardino created this company that was worth multi, multi-millions.

MMAjunkie: What’s your opinion about how TapouT turned out?

Razak: It makes me sick to my stomach. First of all, Charles never liked WWE. (Editor’s note: ABG signed a deal to reboot the TapouT brand with the professional wrestling promotion in 2016.) He was so against wrestling and he considered it very fake.

When Charles died, without him, the company was ruined. I believe 13 months after he died, the company became bankrupt. So I’m very unhappy what happened with TapouT. There were a lot of tenured employees working who just got fired when ABG purchased it. It wasn’t ABG’s fault, because they were just buying something they could get, but then the way the whole happened, it makes me really sick. Every time I sit down and think about it, it’s very painful. It’s something I might need therapy for one day.

MMAjunkie: Was the documentary therapeutic for you at all?

Razak: No, not yet. I thought it would be, but no. Sometimes when you forget about someone, you continue your life. But because he was so much of my life, after he died, it felt like it was always a fresh wound. The most unusual thing that happened. I did over 300 commercials, I did over 12 documentaries in all genres, and even now when I watch ‘Mask’ in a screening or on TV, I have the most weird experience. It’s like I’m watching it for the first time. I still feel like my stomach is being wrenched. I’ve never felt that before. I’ve watched it so many times recently because I have to do these teasers for the networks and distributors, and every time I watched it, there was something new that felt like I was being stabbed in the heart.

MMAjunkie: Do you try not to watch it, then?

Razak: I have no choice, because I have to watch it a million times. I’m a perfectionist, and I keep working on it. I have no choice.

MMAjunkie: What do you think Charles would think of the UFC and MMA today?

Razak: That’s a tough question. He wasn’t alive for the FOX deal. He would have loved the fact that UFC was on free TV and free cable, that you can watch a fight Sunday morning in your bed and Saturday night for free. I think he would have loved it. I think the Reebok deal wouldn’t have it. Him knowing about that Reebok deal, knowing that TapouT wasn’t a part of that … because if he was alive, there would be no Reebok deal. I’m telling you 100 percent there would be no Reebok deal. He was incredibly tight with (UFC President) Dana (White) and (former UFC CEO) Lorenzo (Fertitta). That’s why they put his name on the cage. I believe if there would have been a singular deal for a clothing company, it would have been Charles. No way in hell would there have been a Reebok deal. Charles loved fighters. He would pay fighters more than he paid himself. He would have not have done a raw deal for these fighters. He would have made sure they were paid correctly. If they voiced their concerns, he would have addressed it 100 percent. He would have been disgusted by this Reebok deal, and I think he won’t get any rest – if there is something like going into the light, he ain’t there, because he’d be turning in his grave.

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