For Immediate Release
Press contact: DJ Martin at Keith
Sherman & Associates, (212) 764-7900, dj@ksa-pr.com
Quattica Pictures and
Blue Print Film Group/American Carny
LLC.
present
DVD Released in Stores and Online
Jan. 8th, 2008
Feature film documentary takes you
beyond the banners into the history of the American
Sideshow.
Step right up and enter the world of
Americano Bizarro...
“American
Carny: True Tales From The Circus Show,” (www.americancarny.com)
a new documentary by Nick Basile featuring Carnival
Maestro Todd Robbins and a world of circus freaks,
fire-eaters, human blockheads, magicians and
contortionists will be released in stores and online
nationwide January 8th. Produced
by David Boulton and Nick Basile with co-producers
Todd Robbins and Brian Reali, “American Carny” will
be distributed by Koch Entertainment and Cinema
Epoch with opening narrations by Penn Jillete of
“Penn & Teller”
Taking the audience beyond the banners of Carny-culture, “American
Carny” explores the personal lives of the
purveyors of a dying entertainment like Todd Robbins
who eats an entire light bulb, hammers nails into
his nose and swallows florescent-lit swords. “American
Carny” journeys through the history of the
American Sideshow reintroducing a new generation to
the circus tents, American Dime Museums and the last
“ten-in-one sideshow” that exists today on
Brooklyn’s infamous Coney Island.
“The history of the sideshow is extremely important
and integral to this documentary, but I also wanted
to highlight the performers who are still left
today,” said director and producer, Nick Basile.
“This film exposes new audiences to the wonders of
the sideshow.”
The DVD, with a running time of 96 minutes, has a
retail price of $19.99 and can be pre-ordered at
amazon.com. For more information, please visit www.americancarny.com.
PHOTO EDITORS:
Hi-res (300
dpi) images are now available online at
www.americancarny.com/press.htm
THE CAST
Opening Narration: Penn
Jillette, of “Penn & Teller”
Featured Performers:
Todd Robbins
Jennifer Miller, The Woman with a Beard
Ula, The Pain Proof Rubber Girl
Simon Lovell, British Comedic Magician
David Oliver, Magician
Chris McDaniel, Buffalo Bill
The Great Nippulini
Danielle DeMoux
William Darke
Twistina
Harley Newman, Professional Lunatic
Ses Carny
Natasha Veruschka
Aye Jaye
Proprietors:
James Taylor “Shocked and Amazed” magazine
Dick Zigun “Sideshows by the Seashore”
Richard Horne – “American Dime Museum”
Ken Harck “Brothers Grim Sideshow”
Ward Hall & Poobah
Col.Hunsley “Freaks & Oddities”
Dan Meyer – “Sword Swallowers Assoc. International”
CREATIVE BIOS
TODD ROBBINS (Performer/Co-Producer).
Though he grew up in southern California, spent time
training as an actor at the American Conservatory in
San Francisco and now lives in midtown Manhattan, in
his heart, Todd will always call Coney Island his
home. Out there he performs with Sideshows by
the Seashore, the last old style ten-in-one left
in the world. Todd is the Chairman of the Board of
Coney Island USA, the not-for-profit organization
that runs the sideshow, the Coney Island Museum and
the Mermaid Parade. With his one-man show of
classic sideshow skills, Todd has brought a bit of
Coney Island to the stages of the Kennedy Center and
the Carnegie Recital Hall, as well as countless
colleges and universities. Todd has made over a
hundred television appearances both here in America
and around the world, including the shows of
Letterman, Leno, Conan O’Brien, Howard Stern and
Penn & Teller, NBC Today, CBS Early Show and ABC
Good Morning America. Todd’s talents have even
astounded major corporations such as Fujifilm,
Amtrak, Salomon Smith Barney and G.E. Todd is one
of the producers and a featured MC and performer of
Monday Night Magic. Monday Night Magic is NY’s
longest running off-Broadway magic show. Todd has
been seen on the NBC special, Extreme Variety, and
in Sideshow Saturday Night at the Soho Playhouse.
In addition to all this, Todd has also starred in
the Big Apple Circus and plays piano with Woody
Allen’s Jazz Band at the Café Carlyle. Todd is also
the star and creator of off-Broadway’s long-running
sideshow spectacular Carnival Knowledge. He
is currently developing a new show called Dark
Deceptions: A Séance Experience. For more
information on Todd, please visit www.ToddRobbins.com
NICK BASILE (Director/Producer)
possesses a BFA in film from the School of Visual
Arts, NYC, as an editor and director. He is also an
actor and has a background in theatre and film.
Short films produced and directed by Basile include
“The Adventures of Captain Steel,” a science fantasy
adventure reminiscent of the golden age of sci-fi
serials; “Baby Bambino;” “The Crypt of Terror;” “Rendez-vous,”
an all-out sex comedy and winner of a 1997 Film
Festival Award; “Slasher Flick,” a fast-paced
macabre horror/comedy (closer at the NYC Horror Film
Festival and available on “Killer Shorts,” a
compilation DVD Home Video); the futuristic
thriller Beyond Dreams, a cautionary sci-fi
tale about corporate control and the loss of
individuality; and the modern-day western/suspense
drama, “The Man Who Knew Belle Starr,” based on the
short story by award-winning author, Richard Bausch.
“The Man Who Knew Belle Starr” played the festival
circuit in Los Angeles, New York, and Las Vegas; and
for this film, Basile was awarded Best Director for
a short subject by the 2001 Atlantic City Film
Festival. Basile has produced and directed two
television commercials for the Fox News Channel, and
has worked in production on such motion pictures as
“Scout’s Honor,” “Just The Ticket,” “15 Minutes,”
CBS’s “The Education of Max Bickford” and “Across
the Universe” and in post-production on “Analyze
That” with director Harold Ramis. Basile’s other
film and TV credits include working with Hallmark
Entertainment, A&E promos, “Man on the Street”
promos for Fox News, and as associate
producer/post-production supervisor on the
award-winning documentary, “We Got Us.” He has also
served as an editing and film production instructor
in the summer program at the School of Visual Arts.
His considerable theatrical experience includes, as
a performer appearing in Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding,
which is currently running off-Broadway. Basile’s
behind the scenes experience at the longest running
off-Broadway magic show, Monday Night Magic,
led him to develop relationships with people of the
magic and circus world. This has been his
inspiration to tell the story of the world of the
sideshow in his new full-length documentary
“American Carny: True Tales From The Circus
Sideshow,” which premiered at the Coney Island Film
Festival in October 2006.
DAVID BOULTON (Producer) was
honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1982. He
performed the duty of Electronic Technician in the
Aircraft Maintenance Department at the Naval Air
Station, Key West, Florida. He was awarded various
commendations for his expertise and leadership
skills. David joined Sound One in 1984, New York’s
leading post-production film and television house.
He performed a variety of jobs in the film business
before settling in as New York’s No. 1 Additional
Dialogue Recording Engineer. David has lent his
talents to hundreds of films and television shows.
His clients include Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Mike
Nichols, the Coen Brothers, Jonathan Demme, and
Frank Oz, to name a few. He also has the distinction
of enjoying close working relationships with most of
the renowned New York City actors, among them Al
Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, John Turturro,
Susan Sarandon, and Willem Dafoe. In 1997 David
produced a short film entitled “Pishadoo” (Italian
slang for a bad haircut), directed by Mike Canzonero
and Marco Ricci. The film won various awards on the
film festival circuit, including the Princess Grace
Award given by the Royal Family of Morocco. Pishadoo was
seen on United Airlines as part of Sundance Presents
Short Film Series. It is available on DVD as part of
the Film Festival Collection Shorts Vol. I. In 2000,
David, Mike, and Marco created the Italian-American
Film Festival with support by Peter Vallone and
received a proclamation from the New York City
Council. “Hyper A.K.A. Ace Bivone’s Time-Saving
Tips” was David’s next project. The film premiered
at the New York Film Festival as part of Center
Piece Night. “Hyper” played in most of the top film
festivals around the world. It won numerous honors
and enthusiastic audience response. It has the
distinction of being awarded Best Film at the Aspen
Short Film Festival. Apollo Cinema is distributing Hyper.
Future projects include a feature film called “The
Marconi Brothers,” which David is producing
along with Executive Producer Robert Greenhut
(“Annie Hall”, “A League of their Own”, “Regarding
Henry” etc). David recently completed the feature
documentary “American Carny: True Tales from the
Circus Sideshow” with filmmaker Nick Basile
