Biography

Brian was raised in Tacoma, Washington and attended Foss High School where he played on the 1975 "AAA" State Championship football team and was an All-State and All-American heavyweight wrestler.  In 1976, Brian finished 8^th in the nation at the U.S.W.F. Freestyle Nationals held at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa earning him All-American honors.  After graduating from Foss in 1976, Brian worked for the next two years for the Los Angeles based Contemporary Security as a bodyguard/security worker for major rock acts that included Aerosmith, AC/DC, Cheap Trick, Mahogany Rush, and Ted Nugent.

Brian attended Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington (1978-1980) on a wrestling scholarship.  It was at Columbia Basin College where Brian broke the single season and career pin records at the school.  He finished his career at CBC with a 37-6 record (24 pins) wrestling in both the 190 pound and heavyweight divisions.  He wrestled in the NJCAA nationals in 1978. From Pasco, Brian went to Havre, Montana on a wrestling scholarship to the NAIA power house Montana State University Northern where he wrestled and majored in Physical Education.  Halquist's wrestling career was cut short due to injuries, but that didn't stop his "music" career. 

 In the summer of 1980, Brian worked as a bodyguard for the late country western "outlaw" Johnny Paycheck.  He worked on Paycheck's 1980 summer tour of the U.S. and Canada.  Brian taught health and physical education for a year in Montana.  Realizing this was not his passion, he got into radio sales and sports commentary at KQDI radio in Great Falls, Montana.  Brian moved back to the Pacific Northwest in 1984 and started Halquist & Associates.  Teaming with famed northwest broadcaster Dan Bartolovic he furthered his radio career by obtaining the radio broadcast rights to the University of Puget Sound football and basketball games, Seattle Pacific University basketball and several local high school sports including many state tournaments.  Halquist & Associates had the radio broadcast rights to the 1987 NCAA Division I AA national championship football game (The Diamond Bowl) broadcast live around the country from the Tacoma Dome.

In 1989, Halquist decided to try his hand in TV.  Out of the blue and with no experience, he started on the "Reflections of Violence" documentary project.  Teamed up with the Tacoma local PBS affiliate KBTC and a handful of students from Bates Vocational School, Brian produced the award winning documentary "Reflections of Violence" with co-producer, Bart Smith, a student at Bates.  The documentary aired locally and then nationally on PBS to great reviews and ratings around the nation. 

Directly after completing this documentary Brian was hired as a field producer for the cutting edge tabloid show "A Current Affair".  He worked as a field producer interviewing such criminals as Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez, Kenneth Bianchi, Charles Campbell and Wesley Allen Dodd.  After seeing the darker side of crime, Brian created and produced the award winning radio program Cop Talk on Tacoma radio stations KKMO, KTAC and Seattle's KVI.  Brian was hired as a field producer for the "Montel Williams" show in its infancy working out of L.A., and freelanced for the shows "Dateline NBC" and "Hard Copy". 

Brian Halquist started Brian Halquist Productions, Inc. in 1989 when he promoted up and coming heavyweight boxing contender Joe "The Boss" Hipp.  In 1992, Brian teamed with director Michael Leinau and produced the award winning documentary "Portrait of a Serial Arsonist:  The Paul Keller Story".  The show aired on Seattle's NBC affiliate, KING TV and interview footage was used by Dateline NBC when they came to town to do a segment on the Keller family.  Brian obtained the story rights and co-produced the CBS movie "Not Our Son" starring Gerald McRaney (Simon & Simon, Major Dad) and Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser).

For the next six years, Brian continued radio broadcasts, boxing promotions and added promoting the largest charity football game in the nation, the Bacon Bowl, featuring police officers from the Seattle and Tacoma police departments.  In 1995, Brian brought three time world boxing champion Greg Haugen out of retirement and promoted Greg to his 4^th world title.  In 1997, Brian started working with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and the Emerald Queen Casino promoting boxing.  Brian promoted the first world title fight at any casino in Washington State.  In November of 2001 the Emerald Queen Casino and Brian Halquist Productions started the popular NW boxing series, "The Battle of the Boat" bringing boxing back to the Pacific NW.  In 2002, Halquist signed boxer Kenny Ellis after working with Kenny for two years.  In four short months, Ellis won the NABO Middleweight title and received his first ever world ranking by the WBO.

In 1999, Brian decided to venture back into the music business to add some excitement to his busy schedule.  Brian promoted Eric Burdon & The Animals and started a working relationship that has ended up in a great friendship with rock & roll hall of famer Eric Burdon.  In 2002, Brian promoted the concert at the Experience Music Project which Eric later used to produce his "Live in Seattle" CD.  Halquist promoted Eric in the Pacific Northwest and in December of 2002, promoted the famous, or should we say infamous Eric Burdon and the New Animals private showcase at the Johnny Depp owned Viper Room on Sunset Strip in Hollywood.  Brian was instrumental in putting together the "On The Road with Eric" DVD which chronicles Eric's first tour of the UK in ten years.  The DVD includes two sold out shows in Eric's hometown of Newcastle, England.  The DVD is due to be released in 2003.

Brian Halquist Productions, Inc. has promoted rock acts such as Alice Cooper, Eric Burdon and the Animals, The Guess Who, Christopher Cross, Steppenwolf, America, Grand Funk Railroad, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Otis Day and the Knights to name a few.  Brian will continue to "grow" his company in the boxing and entertainment field.  Looking to sign new boxing talent and field a world boxing champion, Brian, who could never sing, dance or box remains in the fields he truly loves.  Entertainment, Brian sums it up best by saying, "If I was a song and dance man, I would be singing and dancing.  If I were a boxer I would be boxing.  I'll just promote it.  It's all a frustrated jock and singer can do at my age!".

TV/Radio Awards: 

• TV:  1991 Best of the West:  Documentary - "Reflections of Violence" 
• TV:  1991 Washington State Bar Association Excellence in Legal Journalism Award- "Reflections of Violence" 
• TV:  1993 Emerald City Excellence in TV awards - "Portrait of s Serial Arsonist: The Paul Keller Story" 
• Radio:  1992 Washington State Bar Association Excellence in Legal Journalism Award -"Cop Talk"

Professional Boxing TV Credits:

BHP has promoted professional boxing  for: