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Posted by on Jul 25, 2013 in Blog, General Poker, Personal, World Series of Poker | 0 comments

A New Challenge and a Different Direction

 

poker-night-in-america

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nolan Dalla to Join Rush Street Productions as Creative Director for New Television Show Called “Poker Night in America”

 

This summer marks twenty years since I started working in the poker business.

How time flies.

My first column was published in Card Player magazine in September of 1993.  Since then, I’ve written about 500 poker articles for various publications and poker websites.  I created Card Player magazine’s “Player of the Year” system.  I served proudly as PokerStars’ Director of Communications for three very successful years.  I wrote a best-selling book.  And, I’ve been the Media Director for the World Series of Poker since 2002, during which time the world’s premier poker event increased ten-fold in size.  Much of this success was due to hard work.  Some were due to the luck of simply being in the right place at the right time.  Through it all, I’ve enjoyed a lot more hits than misses.

During these past two decades, I’ve had a front-row seat watching poker grow from the shadows into the spotlight.  I’ve seen poker players become household names.  I’ve also been blessed to have been a part of some of the greatest moments in the game’s history.

I’m also convinced that poker’s best days are still ahead.  We’re on the cutting edge of a new era.  I expect the game will experience massive changes over the next few years as online poker inevitably spreads throughout the United States and into other worldwide markets.  We’ll see live poker continue to grow and flourish overseas.  And perhaps most intriguing to me personally, I expect poker and its most interesting personalities will be featured on television in ways that we’ve never seen before.

This brings me to what could be poker’s next “big thing.”

Todd Anderson is perhaps best known for creating (and running) the Heartland Poker Tour.  He’s the kind of person who makes business deals based on the trust of a handshake.  Todd is already proven to be a winner.  Once before, he came up with a bold idea and then followed through.  In fact, Todd not only created a new national poker tour, but he launched an accompanying television show that ran for several years.  He also managed to successfully turn a profit, despite being at a competitive disadvantage to other poker programming.

Recently, Todd approached me with the idea for a brand new television show.  The way he described my role in the process was clear and to the point:  “Nolan, do what you do.  You have a blank canvass.  Let’s make it work.”

Being given an opportunity to create a new concept from scratch, write scripts, and to do something that I’ve never done before sounded intriguing.  Too good to pass up, in fact.  Backed by Rush Street Gaming out of Chicago which owns Rush Street Productions, a first-rate production team has been assembled.  I’m officially on board as of August 1st.

We begin filming our first show at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY on August 8th.

This is just the beginning.  We plan to shoot several television shows during the remainder of 2013.  “Poker Night in America” will eventually air sometime in 2014.  Additional details will be forthcoming.

Right now, my priority is to create a television show like nothing that’s been done before.  This is the first hand of a new poker game.  And I’m moving all in.

I’ll create and post Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) soon, which gives more details about the new television show.

ADDED NOTE:  I’m leaving the World Series of Poker Circuits after nine full seasons.  However, I will continue to serve as Media Director for the World Series of Poker and WSOP-Europe for what I hope will be many more years to come.  Moreover, this website will continue to be updated frequently.

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