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New article name is Sir Brian Sterling-Vete

Sir Brian Sterling, author or Mental Martial Arts

Sir Brian Sterling

Sir Brian Sterling-Vete (22 August 1958) an English Author, Guinness World Record Holder, Motivational Speaker, Award-Winning Film-Maker, TV Presenter, Actor, Stunt Performer, Martial Arts Expert.

Brian Sterling-Vete was born in the Rusholme and Moss Side district of Manchester, England, son of Norman, an Exporter and Ida, a restorer of historic costumes. He attended school at Heald Place County Primary and then Burnage High School before taking a 3 year honours degree at Manchester Polytechnic, now Manchester Metropolitan University.

A holder of 3 Black Belts, his martial arts training started in Pak Mei Kung Fu at the age 12 and progressed over following decade to include Muay Thai, Aikido, Dim Mak, Yawara and Karate. Sterling was actually the first person to train Muay Thai under Masters Sken and Toddy after they befriended him as neighbours. Licensed first by the British Kung Fu Council (later British Council for Chinese Martial Arts) and then by the British Karate Association (BKA) he has studied, trained and taught martial arts all is life to date and after several features in Fighters Magazine he began lecturing internationally on the subject. Sir Brian was accepted by the World Karate and Kickboxing Organisation as a National team coach Grade A and as International referee Class A.

During this time working through college and university Sterling held down several jobs at a time working as a salesman at the Kendals (House of Fraser) department store in Manchester, as a demolition rigger, a nightclub bouncer, builder/plumbers mate, selling insurance part-time for Liberty Life and Abbey Life respectively, and eventually as a gym instructor.

Sterling found some success in drug-free bodybuilding during this period, competing in the NABBA (National Amateur Body Building Association) Junior Mr. North West, Junior Mr. Britain and Mr. Britain contests and eventually winning the smaller but completely drug-free Mr. Olympic contest in 1980. He went on to set some very acceptable lifts as a drug-free power lifter and specialty specialty strength athlete at 200 lbs bodyweight in 1980: Squat 665lbs x 1 rep, Dead Lift 525lbs x 1 rep,Bench Press 405lbs x 1 rep, Seated Press Behind Neck 225lbs x 1 rep.

When working as an instructor in a gymnasium in Rochdale, England, he eventually struck a deal to buy the almost derelict club which he renovated in to the Olympic Gym in 1980/1; Sterling operated until his first divorce in 1981 when it was lost in the process. With the divorce came a significant career change to that of TV & Film Stunt Performer when he was offered work on the projects of Mancunian author and film producer Cliff Twemlow.

The projects in collaboration with writer and producer Cliff Twemlow included: The Pike (starring Joan Collins - Pre-Production), GBH – The Mancunian, Target Eve Island, Masons War, The Ibiza Connection , Harrising Moments, The Blind Side of God, Ring of Steel (starring Jon Pall Sigmarsson), African Run [ http://www.jeet-kune-do.info/steve_powell_stunts/tuxworrior/index.php The Omega Connection], Predator the Quaith aka Moonstalker, The Eye of Satan Tokyo Sunrise, Firestar and GBH 2 – Lethal Impact . It was on the movie Predator the Quaith aka Moonstalker that Sterling met Cinematographer David Tattersall (Green Mile, James Bond - Die Another Day, The Day the Earth Stood Still, George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Con Air, Star Wars Episode 2 Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith, Lara Croft Tomb Raider and the new Gulliver’s Travels).

Sterling admits that this was a pivotal meeting for him and when he first took a deeper interest in Direction and Cinematography to learn the arts himself while taking advice from, and being inspired by set, new friend and Emmy Award winning cinematographer.

After gaining membership to the professional actors union, British Actors Equity, and while under contract to Jane Hughes Management (now J-Media Management, Orlando, Florida), Sterling went on to make many more on-screen appearances in the UK, Europe and in the USA. Credits include: BBC TV’s That’s Life (regular guest appearances), Naming the Names (stunt and military advisor), Coronation Street , Wipe Out (Carl Chambers), Sterling doubled for Hollywood star Steve McQueen in a series of TV Commercials recreating the movie The Great Escape for Holsten Pils breweries, he again doubles as Ian Fleming’s 007 character, James Bond for Barratt Developments and made three appearances in Star Trek – The Next Generation by [[Paramount Pictures]. As a TV presenter and TV News reporter, Sterling’s work included appearances on the BBC, ITV in the UK and internationally on Alpha TV in Greece, RTL TV Germany and Holland.

In business Sterling partnered Perry Hughes (Roots Music Group, manager to opera star Jon Christos, contemporary jazz singer and songwriter Rick Guard and former manager to opera star Russell Watson) in a chain of fitness studios including Hollywood Fitness and The Fitness Factory chains.

From 1985 to 1989 Sterling was consultant to British vitamin and food supplement manufacturers, Healthilife and to produce their Super-Bodypower range of food supplements, they were later the sponsorship owners of the NABBA Mr and Miss Universe contests for that period.

Sterling travelled North in 1985 to wrestle the then 1 time winner of the World’s Strongest Man contest in Iceland, Jon Pall Sigmarsson to promote the production of Claire Luckham’s Play, Trafford Tanzi by the Icelandic National Theatre. As a specialist strength coach Sterling later went on to help coach Jon Pall Sigmarsson for another 3 World’s Strongest Man wins.

Inspired by his new friend the World’s Strongest Man, Jon Pall Sigmarsson, Sterling began setting and breaking World Records himself. Sterling's first World Record was set in 1987 in speed block breaking (105 regulation blocks in one minute). This was done to aid charity as part of the BBC’s Children in Need program. That record stood for one year until it was beaten by Mac Gilmour the Scottish Karate Champion on the ITV programme ‘You Bet’ in 1988. This prompted Sir Brian to then make another successful attempt at the same world record, again for the BBC’s Children in Need programme in 1989 (breaking 127 regulation blocks in one minute).

In 1987 and 1988 Sterling also set new world records in fire stunts. Both were for part body burns with gasoline. The first successful world record attempt in 1987 was set at 2 minutes, 24 seconds and the second successful world record attempt took place in 1988, again for a part body burn with gasoline, this time for 2 minutes, 53 seconds. Both of the records were set at the Armalite (now Armatomic) research laboratory under the direction of Craig Mills, the inventor of the pre-burnt carbon fibre multi-layer stunt suit system, then supplying TBA Defence. 17 years later in 2005 Sir Brian captured a Guinness World Record in plate spinning making a personal total of 5 World Records.

In 1988 Sterling formed his MajorVision organisation and began work pioneering specialist documentary films, his total works in this area amount to 58 verifiable independent film productions including the merited Porsche Cars 50th Anniversary documentary, The Power to Win, Fitness on the Move, The Ultimate Self Defence and the award winning Giants of Steam.

As a broadcaster and presenter under his MajorVision banner, Sterling produced programmes and news for Discovery TV, CNN, ITN and the BBC front line news for 15 years and was part of the team winning 4 Royal Television Society awards in the process, and secured an exclusive interview with US President Bill Clinton at the G-8 Summit meeting in 1988. Sterling introduced the concept of Steadicam to the directors of Formula 1 motor racing TV coverage and he also performed the Pit Lane interviews in 1998/9 for FOCA TV. Sterline was the director/camera operator (Rick Bayles – producer) for the team that received the Creative Excellence award for best documentary at the US Film and TV Festival in Chicago 2001 for the documentary "Millennium Bridge." Sterling and MajorVision covered two war zones, Desert Storm in 1991 and Bosnia in 1995; then in 2001 the Oldham race-religion riots in the UK for the BBC News.

Sterling remained very much at the forefront of fitness and strength coaching, leading him to produce and release a complete series of specialist sports training productions through MajorVision including Pro Boxing Heavy Bag Drills, Thai Bag Drills, Focus Pad Drills, Fit-Ball Drills and Medicine Ball Drills all through the UK’s National Coaching Foundation’s publications division, Coachwise-1st 4Sport, these follow on from Sterling’s production of the best selling Dictionary of Weight Training in 1991.

While still making independent documentary films and supplying TV news and current affairs, Sterling moved part of his MajorVision organisation into cellular telecom between 1995-2000, even personally taking on the role of marketing director to CellStar UK and Europe for 2 years, then for Brightpoint Europe Middle East and Asia. He then invested heavily in the sector, pulling out just prior to the crash in 1999/2000.

Sterling led the marine dive-salvage team to lift the Baltic Trading ship The Glaciere from the bottom of Liverpool bay to its current home in the Albert Dock moored outside the World famous Tate Gallery. The ship’s owner, Captain Dave Murray generously donates the ship for use as a sail and dive training vessel for under privileged children.

In 2002 Sterling began adapting the skills, principles and strategies of the Martial Arts, Sun Tzu and the Shaolin masters which he had studied for 30 years at that point in time, into his own business and life training system of Mental Martial Arts. Fast becoming known for public and corporate seminars as an inspirational and motivational speaker as well as strategic planner, in 2003 Sterling was sent on United Nations to meet Abu Dhabi senior ministers regarding Solar Energy, to date nothing more can be revealed about this visit or its results. Also in 2003 Sterling was awarded a Hereditary Knighthood (HKt.B) by the Knights Templar made more commonly known to the public by best-selling author Dan Brown and in the Tom Hanks movie the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.

In 2006 Sterling's philanthropic energy combined with his multi-faceted skill-set led him to acquire the company Record Breakers, the name was more commonly associated with a commercial TV show about World Records. In 2005 Brian turned this 25 year old organisation into a non-profit, Registered International Fund Raising organisation for Charities.

Sir Brian Sterling-Vete's new book completed his book Mental Martial Arts for release in 2010, the work took him 7 years to compile and complete and when interviewed he is quoted as saying that it also took him 39 years to research, the whole time he has been studying the martial arts to date.

At the time of writing Sir Brian still operates MajorVision International and is currently in the process of setting up new global TV news and media hubs between Minneapolis/Saint Paul in the USA, Manchester in the UK, Warsaw in Poland, Moscow in Russia, Delhi in India and Tokyo in Japan.

Having been honoured as one of the pioneers of British Video and Digital Cinematography in the book by Julian Granger of the British Film Institute in 2005, more hours were bestowed upon Sterling’s work at the Manchester and Salford Film Festival in 2009 and in the book by C.P. Lee and Andy Willis (as featured in the M.E.N.), ‘Cliff Twemlow – King of the Manchester Exploitation Movies’ (Hotun Press) as part of the pioneering movie making team led by Twemlow from the late 70’s through the 80’s and into the 90’s in what has been dubbed ‘The Golden Age’ of guerrilla movie making in Britain.

Stage Productions

• ”‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ - George M. Cohan (M/C Polytechnic Theatre)
• ”‘The Silver Box’ – Jeremiah (M/C Polytechnic Theatre)
• ” ‘Trafford Tanzi’ - Stunt Choreographer & Fight Director (Icelandic National Theatre)
• ” ‘Aladdin’ 1995 and 1996 - Chinese Police Chief Ping (Albert Halls)
• ” ‘Dick Whittington’ 1997,1998 and 1999 - King Rat (Albert Halls)
• ” ‘Spring and Port Wine’ 1998 - Arthur Gasket (Healds Green-Room Production and Theatre)
• ” ‘Blithe Spirit’ 1999 - Mr Condemine (Healds Green-Room Production and Theatre)
• ” ‘Hobson’s Choice’ 1999 - William Mossop (Healds Green-Room Production and Theatre)

Film/TV

• ” ‘Star Trek - The Next Generation’ – Episodes 5, 8 & 9 – episode 8`Justice' as an Edo court official episodes 5 & 9 – ‘The Last Outpost’ and `The Battle' as a Starfleet officer.
• ” ‘Moonstalker’ - Badger
• ” ‘Ibiza Connection’ - Stryker
• ” ‘African Run’ - Gus Carlotti
• ”The Eye of Satan – Kong
• ” ‘Tokyo Sunrise’ - Role: John Hicks
• ”Heretic – Angel Gabriel
• ”The Lake - John Thornton
• ”BBC's ‘Naming The Names’ - Dave Williams
• ” ‘Wipe-Out’ - Carl Chambers
• ”Melt Down – Dave Powell
• ”BBC's That's Life – as himself
• ”You Bet – as himself
• ”Children in Need – as himself
• ”BBC news – as himself

Documentary Production

• ”Freedom Denmark 1990
• ”Summer in Holland 1991
• ”The Power to Win 1992
• ”Fitness on the Move 1992
• ”The Ultimate Self Defence 1993
• ”Fitness over Forty 1993
• ”The Giants of Steam 1994
• ”Porsche 50th Anniversary Documentary 1998
• ”Manchester Storm Episode 1 1999
• ”Millennium Bridge 2001
• ”Manchester Storm Episode 2 2002
• ”Advantage TV 2007
• ”The Rough Guide to Athens 2007

Category:British writers Category:British martial artists Category:British karateka Category:British wushu practitioners