Bigfoot Entertainment
Bigfoot Entertainment was an American independent media group involved in film and television production, distribution, filmmaking education, and related media ventures.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Bigfoot Entertainment was an American media group founded in 2002 by German entrepreneur Michael Gleissner. It operated across independent feature-film production, television programming, media financing, distribution, filmmaking education, fashion television, language learning, and community initiatives. The company’s corporate headquarters were in Miami Beach, Florida, while its principal production complex was Bigfoot Studios on Mactan Island in Cebu, Philippines. The group was organized around a network of affiliated businesses and projects, including Bigfoot Films, Bigfoot Productions, Bigfoot Production Services, Bigfoot Partners, the International Academy of Film and Television, New Cebu Films, and Fashion One Network. Its stated business model combined the development and financing of original content with production services and distribution activities. Projects were filmed in the Philippines and in locations across the United States, Hong Kong, China, Africa, Europe, and Vietnam. Bigfoot Studios became the group’s principal physical production base. The facility was initially constructed in 2004 and later expanded following a 25-year lease negotiated in 2008. Its reported capabilities included six sound stages, editing suites, sound-mixing and Foley facilities, an underwater filming tank, and production infrastructure for specialized underwater work. The company presented the complex as an international studio serving both its own productions and outside projects. Bigfoot’s screen-content portfolio included independent narrative features, documentaries, reality and lifestyle programs, fashion television, and educational video. Film credits associated with the group included The Curiosity of Chance, Falling for Grace, Shanghai Kiss, Hui Lu, Midnight Movie, Within, Irreversi, The Girl With No Number, Deep Gold, and the documentary 9000 Needles. Its television slate included fashion, modeling, travel, environmental, and underwater-themed programming. In April 2009, Bigfoot Films released Hui Lu to Chinese audiences in more than 700 theaters, marking an important distribution effort in that market. The group also pursued media brands and education. It acquired Fashion TV franchises in Singapore and the Philippines and launched the Hong Kong-based 24/7 fashion channel Fashion One in April 2010. Through the International Academy of Film and Television, with a campus in Mactan and offices in Los Angeles, it offered practical filmmaking instruction under industry mentorship. Its Cleverlearn division developed web-based English-language learning and test-preparation products, including Movielearn, which used licensed television content as instructional material. Bigfoot expanded into exhibition and distribution in the United States. It purchased the Majestic Crest Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles, in October 2010, intending to use the venue for independent releases and screenings of its own films. In November 2010, it acquired Ascendent Pictures and established Bigfoot Ascendant Distribution, a division covering theatrical distribution, home entertainment, video on demand, foreign-sales representation, and domestic television sales representation. The group also announced interests in film schools in Florida in 2010. Beyond commercial media, Bigfoot founded the Bigfoot Asia Pacific Foundation, a nonprofit initiative focused on technology access and information-technology education for underprivileged youth in the Philippines. The foundation supported schools through grants and teacher training and established learning centers in public high schools in the Visayas. Publicly documented activity and projects largely date from the 2000s and early 2010s; the company’s present operating status is not established in the supplied reference material.
History
Bigfoot Entertainment was established in 2002 by German entrepreneur Michael Gleissner as a company intended to finance and develop feature films, documentaries, and reality television. From the outset, its activities were international rather than confined to the United States. Productions associated with the group were made in the Philippines and on location in North America, East and Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. A central element of the company’s infrastructure was Bigfoot Studios on Mactan Island in Cebu, Philippines. The studio was initially built in 2004 for Bigfoot Entertainment and Bigfoot Films. In 2008, the company negotiated a 25-year lease and expanded the complex. The resulting facilities were described as including six sound stages, editing and sound facilities, Foley capabilities, and an underwater filming tank. Bigfoot also operated an underwater production unit with specialized filming equipment, marine platforms, and on-site construction capacity for underwater sets. The Cebu operation was presented as the first international movie studio in the Philippines. The group developed a broad production slate. Its film work included independent features such as The Curiosity of Chance, Falling for Grace, Shanghai Kiss, Hui Lu, Midnight Movie, Within, Irreversi, The Girl With No Number, and Deep Gold. It also produced documentaries, including USS Cooper: Return to Ormoc Bay and 9000 Needles. Television activity extended across fashion, modeling, reality, travel, environmental, and underwater subjects. The company’s production and distribution structure enabled it to act as a financier, producer, studio-services provider, and distributor rather than simply as a single film label. Bigfoot also developed businesses outside conventional film production. It acquired Fashion TV franchises in Singapore and the Philippines and produced Fashion TV Asia and related programming. In April 2010 it launched Fashion One, a Hong Kong-based 24-hour fashion network. The group established the International Academy of Film and Television in Mactan, with Los Angeles offices, to provide practical filmmaking education under the guidance of working professionals. Its educational activities also included Cleverlearn, a web-based English-language instruction and test-preparation business. Movielearn used licensed material from television programs such as The Apprentice and Baywatch to teach conversational English. Distribution became more prominent in the late 2000s and early 2010s. In April 2009, Bigfoot Films released Hui Lu in over 700 Chinese theaters. In October 2010, Bigfoot acquired the Majestic Crest Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles, a venue that had received historic-cultural-monument designation from the City of Los Angeles in 2008. The company intended to use the theater for mainstream independent releases and screenings of its own projects. In November 2010, it acquired Ascendent Pictures and formed Bigfoot Ascendant Distribution, adding theatrical and home-entertainment distribution, video-on-demand, foreign-sales representation, and domestic television-sales representation. The company also announced an interest in the Miami Film School in Hollywood, Florida, and the Palm Beach Film School in West Palm Beach. Its community work was conducted partly through the Bigfoot Asia Pacific Foundation, a nonprofit that supported information-technology education for disadvantaged young people. The foundation provided technological grants and teacher training, supported dozens of schools, and established learning centers at public high schools in the Visayas. It received a Cebu City Mayor’s Special Award in 2004, while Bigfoot Global Solutions received a special citation from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2005. The supplied reference material documents Bigfoot Entertainment most extensively through the early 2010s. It does not establish whether the group remains active, how its subsidiaries are currently organized, or who currently leads it.
- 2010
Fashion One launches
[1]Bigfoot introduces a Hong Kong-based 24-hour fashion television network.
- 2010
Majestic Crest Theatre is acquired
[1]Bigfoot purchases the Westwood, Los Angeles theater for independent-film exhibition.
- 2010
Bigfoot Ascendant Distribution is formed
[1]The acquisition of Ascendent Pictures leads to the creation of a broader theatrical and home-entertainment distribution division.
- 2009
Hui Lu receives a Chinese theatrical release
[1]Bigfoot Films distributes Hui Lu in more than 700 theaters in China.
- 2008
Mactan studio expansion
[1]A 25-year lease supports expansion of Bigfoot Studios, including sound stages and specialized production facilities.
- 2004
Bigfoot Studios is initially constructed
[1]The company develops its principal production facility on Mactan Island in Cebu, Philippines.
- 2004
Foundation receives Cebu City recognition
[1]The Bigfoot Asia Pacific Foundation is selected as a Mayor’s Special Awardee for its work with local schools.
- 2002
Bigfoot Entertainment is founded
[1]Michael Gleissner establishes the company to finance and develop feature films, documentaries, and reality television.
Products and positioning
An independent, internationally oriented media group combining film and television development, production, financing, distribution, specialist studio services, media education, and community programs.
Film and television production facility · 2004
Bigfoot Studios
Bigfoot Studios was the group’s principal production complex on Mactan Island in Cebu, Philippines. The facility was built in 2004 and expanded after a long-term lease in 2008. Its reported capabilities included six sound stages, editing suites, sound mixing, Foley production, an underwater tank, and specialist underwater filming equipment. It served Bigfoot productions and production-service work.
Fashion television network · 2010
Fashion One
Fashion One was a Hong Kong-based 24-hour fashion television network launched by Bigfoot Entertainment in 2010. It extended the group’s earlier involvement with Fashion TV franchises in Singapore and the Philippines and supported programming focused on fashion, models, design, and lifestyle.
Film education
International Academy of Film and Television
The International Academy of Film and Television was founded by Bigfoot as an international film school. Based in Mactan with offices in Los Angeles, it emphasized practical filmmaking education and mentorship by industry professionals, linking the school to the group’s production environment.
Language-learning media · 2006
Cleverlearn and Movielearn
Cleverlearn was Bigfoot’s educational division for web-based English instruction and test preparation. Its Movielearn offering used licensed television content, including material associated with The Apprentice and Baywatch, to teach conversational and colloquial English through audiovisual lessons.
Film and television distribution · 2010
Bigfoot Ascendant Distribution
Created after Bigfoot acquired Ascendent Pictures in 2010, Bigfoot Ascendant Distribution was intended to handle theatrical releases, home entertainment, video on demand, foreign-sales representation, and domestic television-sales representation for independent content.
Brand decisions
2010
Launch Fashion OneProduct launchBackground
Bigfoot had existing interests in fashion television through Fashion TV franchises in Singapore and the Philippines.
Action taken
It launched Fashion One, a Hong Kong-based 24-hour fashion network.
Aftermath
The launch broadened Bigfoot’s television portfolio beyond film production into a dedicated international fashion channel.
2010
Build a dedicated distribution divisionM&ABackground
Bigfoot sought greater control over the release and monetization of independent screen content.
Action taken
It acquired Ascendent Pictures and formed Bigfoot Ascendant Distribution.
Aftermath
The new division was positioned to provide theatrical, home-video, video-on-demand, foreign-sales, and domestic television distribution services.
2010
Enter independent-film exhibitionM&ABackground
Bigfoot wanted a venue for independent releases and presentations of its own films.
Action taken
The group purchased the Majestic Crest Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles.
Aftermath
The theater became part of Bigfoot’s planned exhibition and distribution ecosystem.
2008
Expand the Cebu production baseStrategyBackground
Bigfoot sought a larger permanent infrastructure for international film and television work.
Action taken
The company negotiated a 25-year lease and expanded Bigfoot Studios on Mactan Island.
Aftermath
The facility was described as having six sound stages and specialist post-production and underwater-production capabilities.
Recent events
- 2010
Bigfoot launches Fashion One[1]
Product launch
Bigfoot Entertainment launched the Hong Kong-based Fashion One network as a round-the-clock fashion television service.
- 2010
Bigfoot acquires the Majestic Crest Theatre[1]
M&A
The group purchased the historic Westwood, Los Angeles venue for independent-film exhibition and presentation of its own productions.
- 2010
Bigfoot forms Bigfoot Ascendant Distribution[1]
M&A
Following the acquisition of Ascendent Pictures, Bigfoot created a distribution operation covering theatrical, home entertainment, video-on-demand, foreign sales, and domestic television sales.
- 2009
Bigfoot Films releases Hui Lu in China[1]
Product launch
The company made its first reported offering to Chinese theatrical audiences with Hui Lu, which was released in more than 700 Chinese theaters after filming in Hong Kong and post-production in Cebu.
- 2008
Bigfoot Studios expands its Mactan production complex[1]
Other
Bigfoot negotiated a long-term lease and expanded its Philippine studio facilities, adding or consolidating sound stages and specialist production infrastructure.
Sources1 sources
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