FROM THE CEO
By Nick Orton
him to the green room
for food, but he’d just say
‘I got a line’ (of fans). His work
ethic is inspiring.
I
OFTEN DESCRIBE MY LIFE
as bizarre, and one of the
highlights of that craziness is
the massive BodyPower expo
in Mumbai, India, which I was at
recently. Running these expos
around the world is a pretty
strange thing anyway, but add
in the presence of high profile
actors, politicians and athletes,
and the bizarre scale goes off
the rails. On this show, my
guests included PCA poster
boy Dean White; the enormous
Mr Universe Josh Maley; Head
PCA Judge Warren Dyson; rising
physique star Zac Ansley; the
hilarious and talented Tom
Coleman; superstar bodybuilder
and actor Kai Greene; and the
legendary Flex Wheeler.
I don’t often get much time to talk
to the guests, and I didn’t know
Flex very well, so wanted to chat
to him…I’m glad I did. Rarely have
6
FLEX | MARCH 2018
I met someone who has so much
life experience. He’s not only a
phenomenal bodybuilder, but also
has a wealth of anecdotes and
stories. His life has been so
varied and colourful.
My time with Flex got me
thinking about some of the other
characters that I’ve met through
bodybuilding – I’ve been lucky
enough to meet most of the
‘greats’ and I’ve been asked many
times who I think is the best…I’m
a huge Ronnie fan – that man is
pure machine, whether its
training or business, he just
cannot be stopped, and I love the
fact that he’s so straightforward.
It would always make me laugh
when he showed up at
BodyPower with his six huge
suitcases packed with tees and
vests – he would sit and sell every
one himself. I used to try and get
Dorian has to be one of the
most fascinating bodybuilders.
His mind is a mystery, it’s like a
combination of high intelligence,
mixed with an intenseness which
is quite intimidating at times.
Interviewing Dorian is a tough
task because it demands serious
focus, due to his razor sharp
mind. It’s great to see him
enjoying life to the full nowadays
in Spain, I always sensed
resentment from him about the
press in the UK, because they
never acknowledged his massive
achievements. I have a lot to
thank Dorian for, because when
I started BodyPower, he was
the only one who said ‘yea, let’s
do it, I will support you’ and he
also introduced me to a guy who
I have a close bond to now - on
the very first BodyPower expo,
the week before we opened, our
headline athlete suffered an injury
and couldn’t travel, and Dorian
said to me ‘don’t worry, there’s
a guy who I think is going to be
a big star, I will invite him over,
his name is Kai Greene’…Kai was
quiet, thoughtful and polite. He
talked about art, books and
literature. He was really
interesting. The crowd loved him,
and he’s been back to BodyPower
every year since. At the Mumbai
expo, he was nothing short of a
‘superstar’, mobbed by the
crowds, he handled the mic
like a seasoned pro and
worked the crowd masterfully.
His development has been
astronomical.
We are well into the planning
for the 10th edition of BodyPower
expo UK, and for this special
anniversary edition, expect to
see a host of new, existing and
legendary athletes. 11-13th May
at the NEC
www.bodypower.com