Los Angeles-based online TV network Rockefellas TV will open its first European studio in Birmingham later this month, marking a significant investment in the city's music scene.
New Studio in Jewellery Quarter
The new B-1 Studios, located in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, will serve as the European hub for the music and entertainment-focused network. Rockefellas TV broadcasts original chat shows, artist interviews, live performances, documentaries, and rock 'n' roll-themed content globally.
Founder Alex Garcia, who has long aspired to run his own rock TV station, has appointed Birmingham-born singer Brad Henshaw to launch his new show, 'Brad's Basement,' at the studio. Henshaw, a celebrated soul, blues, and Americana artist, expressed excitement about the venture.
Local Talent and Legacy
“We’re excited to be opening the new Rockefellas TV studio here in the city where I was born,” Henshaw said. “Alex grew up as a boy listening to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, so Birmingham has always been an important place for him. Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page is still Alex’s favourite ever guitarist, and he just loves the music that Birmingham gave to the world.”
Henshaw's first guest on 'Brad's Basement' will be Jim Simpson, Black Sabbath's first manager, who still runs multiple live jazz and blues shows weekly in Birmingham. Simpson will discuss how he discovered a group called Earth, managed them as they became Black Sabbath, and launched their first two heavy metal albums.
Birmingham as Rock Capital
Simpson, who launches his 42nd Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival later this week, said: “The launch of Rockefellas TV studio is yet more evidence that Birmingham is the UK capital of rock ’n’ roll. From Black Sabbath to Judas Priest, from Duran Duran to the Electric Light Orchestra, and from The Moody Blues to Led Zeppelin, this city has created so much for the global world of rock. And so for anyone asking ‘Why Birmingham?’ for this new, music-based TV studio, I would respond by saying: ‘Where else?’”
Expanding Global Reach
Alex Garcia, founder of Rockefellas TV, added: “Brad has the kind of voice, presence and credibility you cannot fake. Brad’s Basement gives us a show with real personality and real musical depth, and it fits perfectly with where Rockefellas TV is headed. This programme, created in our new Birmingham studio, will help us to expand the network’s original programming for audiences in the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond.”
