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https://www.latimes.com/sports/boxin...outputType=amp
Ryan Garcia’s new YouTube series maintains the boxer’s high exposure
MAR 04, 2019 | 9:10 AM
Ryan Garcia’s new YouTube series maintains the boxer’s high exposure
Ryan Garcia, center, and the cast of YouTube's "On the Ropes." (Rory Clark / Brat Inc.)
Ryan Garcia continues to develop his skills in the ring, but when it comes to keeping himself in the public consciousness, there may be no better boxer.
Garcia, 20, who has more than 2 million Instagram followers, last week debuted in “On the Ropes,” a new YouTube series produced by digital video studio Brat Inc.
“That’s why we did the show,” Brat co-founder Rob Fishman said. “He’s a star.”
Garcia plays Sonny Mendoza, a highly studious high school student intensely committed to earning a scholarship into a respected college when he crosses paths with a classmate, Jackie, played by Bella Shepard.
In the first episode, which has already generated nearly 500,000 views, Garcia’s character — who knows boxing only as a way to complement his typically intense workouts — needs Jackie’s help on a school project. He shadows her to the underground boxing world and when her boyfriend gets knocked down, Garcia’s character steps in and has his first fight.
“It’s the story of someone who has dreams and ambitions on two fronts: as an academic achiever and an athlete, trying to reconcile those two passions when suddenly they both come into focus,” Fishman said.
As The Times reported recently, Brat received $30 million in new financing, helping the new company accelerate its production of after-school shows aimed at “Gen-Z” viewers — mostly girls — who’ve defected from television.
“We’re always on the hunt for marquee talent who can do a show, and Ryan was always on our radar based on his traction on Instagram and elsewhere, so we developed this show around him,” Fishman said.
The second episode of the eight-episode series arrives at 3 p.m. Monday on YouTube.
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