Owner Gaiam (2005) Introduced 1979 | Country United States | |
Previous owners Meridian Films (1986)
GoodTimes (2001) | ||
The Firm (stylized as The FIRM) is a brand of exercise videos and equipment owned by Gaiam. It is best known for popularizing a hybrid of aerobic exercise and weight training.
History
In 1979, Anna Benson founded the exercise studio The Body Firm (later The FIRM Studios) in Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina. She recruited her sister Cynthia Benson and husband Mark Henriksen under the Meridian Films label to co-produce a series of exercise videos filmed there between 1986 and 1994. It quickly established itself as a competitor to personalities like Jane Fonda.
A lawsuit brought against Meridian Films in 2001 over royalties forced The FIRM to be sold to GoodTimes Entertainment. Gaiam purchased GoodTimes in 2005 and subsequently expanded The FIRM, focusing on women's fitness.
Anna Benson started Fitness Favorites, which became the official online store for the original videos after her death in 2009. The FIRM Studios was renamed The Flex Body in 2015.