Many Thanks to Kim!

Kim, the funniest hot MILF from Ohio I know was kind enough to post a YouTube video of my commercial. So naturally I owe her some big thanks.

Of course, bigger thanks are for her saying that I always make her think dirty thoughts. WOOF!

Back from Indiana

Had to head out of town to be the Best man at the wedding of my very good friends, Kurt and Colette.

Being asked to do such a thing is something of a problem for me as I detest weddings and all that they stand for. The ridiculous traditions, the ever present BRIDEZILLA, the inconvenience of making everyone you know leave their lives to watch you kiss in public and then receive envelopes filled with checks - it is all bad.

Besides, I'm not the "best man" for my wife so how could I even be considered for such a task?

All told, a great time was had by all. The wedding was fun and unique in many ways and I did what i could to be as "Best Manly" as possible. Perhaps down the road there will be YouTube footage of the various speeches and ceremonies or something for you to enjoy.

Here's hoping the couple lives a happy life together and that I don't get asked to stand up at a wedding again. ;)

Out of Town for the Weekend

Gotta go to a wedding. Won't be posting for awhile. Of course, I haven't been posting for awhile so you're more than used to that already.

Until then, I found another posting of my commercial on YouTube. This one features MUCH more lively discussion about the FDA, big tobacco, and plenty of useless political drivel. So read all the comments and enjoy.

Forgot to Mention...

The 2008 Andy Martello Collector Cards are here!

OK, they've been here for awhile. I just forgot to tell you. Not even sure why I ordered these since it is apparent that I'm probably going to be permanently out of the business soon. Ah well...they're here.

If you e-mail me a request for one I'll send one out right away.

More Press Coverage

The TV station that first aired the plate-spinning commercial (coincidentally, the same home town where my mother, brother, nieces, and some in-laws live) did a little news spot about the ad and the bill that Reynolds opposes. You can watch the story by clicking here.

Somehow I can't help but think the station is missing the local angle of the story. Seriously, what are the odds that a regional political commercial would start airing in the home town of half of my family? The fact that so many are watching the thing out there just to watch someone they personally know makes it a good local story in my humble opinion.

Of course, I can't imagine what counts for news anymore. I tried sending out some press releases to my past home town newspapers about the spot. Some of the places where I lived were more than "small" enough to find a regional/national commercial featuring one of their own somewhat newsworthy, right?

Take my last residence of Carol Stream, IL. Not a whole lot of national attention to any of the residents there, past or present . The micro burst got our town on CNN & The Weather Channel, but there's not a lot else bringing attention to the place. Since the micro burst is what brought me to Vegas and Vegas was where I filmed the commercial that is airing in places across the country, including Illinois...you get the picture.

Well, allow me to share an e-mail response to the press release from one of the papers. I'm certain I wasn't supposed to get this as it was forwarded to one editor (with the heading, "Do we give a damn?") and subsequently responded to WITHOUT realizing that if you hit "reply all" or anything like that, you send the e-mail to everyone (in this case...ME).

Re: Do we give a Damn? - PRESS RELEASE - Former Carol Stream Resident Featured in National TV Commercial

Randy:

In the famous words of Mr. Butler, "frankly, me dear, I do not give a damn".

Bruce

I resisted the urge to point out to the guy that he mistakenly sent me his rather classy reply. It took even MORE restraint to not point out that he somehow misquoted the single most famous line in movie history.

I'll be kind and not mention exactly which Carol Stream paper had no need for a story about a former local who moved on to bigger things as a result of a tragedy in their town. Heck, it seems they can't even afford a fact-checker (how exactly do you get that quote wrong?). I ill mention that it is in the smallest and least-read of the papers serving the town and leave it at that. No wonder, huh?

In other news...

According to MICHAEL MANNING, the commercial was briefly discussed on NPR's "All Things Considered" the other day when mentioning the proposed and opposed bill. Very nice.

My niece was also kind enough to post the YouTube version of the ad on her blog. Many thanks, Emily!

Let's Take a "Commercial" Break...

...and hear a word from our sponsor.

Within this post are the proofs (shouldn't it be "prooves"?) from my very first Yellow Book Yellow Pages ads.

In the past I have stayed away from advertising in the Yellow Pages. For most folks in my business the ads seem to generate only the low-paying, family birthday parties and not the higher-paying corporate & theatre market shows that I strive to get. Therefore the relatively high cost for such an ad (and they CAN be quite expensive) hasn't been worth the expenditure. Sure, the occasional birthday party does pay the bills to some extent and I do offer a very affordable show for exactly these shows, but if you have the loftier goals you shouldn't put all your eggs into the wrong basket.

Why the change this time around?


Being a new member of the North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce has its privileges . Specifically, a $1000 voucher for an ad in the Greater Las Vegas edition of the Yellow Book. Now it becomes well worth trying. Since I am still quite new here and clearly NOT working full-time as an entertainer (yet!), any work is appreciated. Plus, with a fairly LOW-COST upgrade I made to the existing voucher I could better place the ad within the book AND get a second ad in another section. So I not only spend considerably less than I would have for a much smaller ad, but I get it out to more people and increase the potential of being hired by the better-paying clients. Essentially I am spending less than I would have for one tiny ad, when I am actually getting two big ones in the bigger book, and two different categories. Sometimes it it worth moving from "FREE" to "NOT FREE".

You can't place an ad in the Vegas Yellow Pages under the heading "Entertainers". Why? Because a nice comedian juggler like myself would be completely lost in the seemingly hundreds of pages worth of strippers and escorts. Seriously...check it out next time you're out here. I also wasn't going to place an ad in the "Magicians" category since I am not primarily a magician and that ad might attract some really cheap shows.

After careful consideration I chose two very specific listings. The first was the"Party Planning Service" category. The ads that were in there already reflected more of the types of clients I not only market to and work for, but seemed to be the place where an ad for a juggling comedian would stand out and attract some attention from potential clients. Good chance for more corporate shows and the like with this, the more artistic and certainly more visible ad.

Next, I chose the "Entertainment - Family" category. Knowing there would be rather a lot of the family shows asking anyway I chose to put a less aggressive, but equally informative ad there. That way some of the folks in the wealthier neighborhoods like Anthem or Summerlin can find me as well as the even more local places. If a show doesn't pay well (and everyone knows I am not all that expensive to begin with) I have some great people I can refer and keep my name in good graces with the community.

I'll be keeping track of just how effective these ads are and hopeful that I'll see a need to renew for next year. I don't believe I'll be in the online version of the Yellow Book, but I already have a killer website that gets a lot of attention and, of course, this blog manages to get the word out. ;)

Commercial Still Running...Still Making Waves

Let's hope someone, or really, "the right someone" will see the ad and get me on some more TV programs or something. Here are some new links

Tzvee's Blog not only posted a link to the commercial on YouTube (the second mention of the ad in a few days), but also added a link back here. As per years worth of precedence I thank him for the link and I am always happy to return the favor. Here's a response to the final comment that features the link, "And here is the web site of the actor Andy Martello who was somehow roped into the awfulness of this gig."

Again, thanks for the blog plug (though my actual website is found elsewhere.).

As for being roped into the awfulness of this gig, nobody was "roped" into doing anything. Everyone involved in the shoot, smoker or non-smoker, had a great time. We all got to do what we love in a tough business to make a living within. You can't always pick your clients when you are in entertainment. Sometimes you get the folks who ruffle feathers, sometimes you get the fuzzy puppy people. If the non-smoking folks wanted to do a similar advertisement with me where I eat fire to simulate the effects of smoking on the lungs or make other gross comparisons (thanks, Golfwidow for the idea) I'd have taken that job as well. However, those folks weren't hiring me and probably would have asked I do it for free.

Roastfrog had a great mention of the spot, if not some excellent commentary regarding the subject. Though I do resent being tagged as, "a clumsy circus style plate-spinner". Dude...I was taking direction well. I am a ROCKIN' PLATE-SPINNER!

PRWatch also had a mention, along with a posting of the video as it appears on YouTube.

I enjoyed reading Mark Binker's blog entry about the subject, found at news-record.com.

Josh (of Podcrapular Lite fame) has been more than kind enough to claim that I am famous!

Other noteworthy news sources featuring articles and screen captures of the ad are...

North Carolina's The News & Observer. DON'T ever try to call them and actually speak to someone who knows anything about the paper...like whether or not they actually ran the story and photo in the print version of the paper. It is much faster to just buy a back issue and hope for the best.

The Wilson Times. DO call them if you'd like to speak to someone who knows anything about the paper...like whether or not they actually ran the story and photo in the print version of the paper. I e-mailed the author of the piece, Matt Shaw, and he was not only able to confirm it was in the paper, but he sent me a tear sheet of the article free of charge, along with information that the ad is still running in his neck of the woods. THANKS, Matt!

Thanks to all for the links and the re posting of the commercial. More importantly, thanks much for not taking out your aggressions on the performer in the spot, namely...ME. I've got no problems with you hating the message. Just don't hate the messenger. A gig is a gig and one's personal politics rarely factor into the decisions made to further one's career. Besides, even though there are a few ads running now with plate-spinners in them it is not like there are LOADS of commercial opportunities like this one.

Spinning Plates, Spinning Tales, Spinning Wheel Keeps On Turning

More and more folks are taking notice of the FDAConcerns.org commercial. As always, I'll keep my own politics and opinions regarding the content (other than my own performance) to myself. Maybe when this is all over I'll add my two cents. For now, I am enjoying the exposure and hope for more work. I sent some e-mails to The Daily Show and The Colbert Report last night. Maybe you should do the same (Click the links). Lots of comedy potential with this story.

Among the blogger friends of mine who have made mention of the commercial, specifically to too a horn on my behalf and not to spout too much "big tobacco sucks" rhetoric are...

Julie & Golfwidow.

In fact, Golfwidow made two posts in her blog about the advertisement, the more amazing of which was made on Thursday. Check it out and see for yourself.

MANY THANKS to those who've been doin' some big pimpin' on my behalf. It is appreciated.

Some time today, the commercial was uploaded to YouTube. I did not do this myself. I was planning on putting it on my main page when I had a better, clearer copy to share. Nonetheless, it is there for you to see in a somewhat larger form. As with all things online such as blogs and YouTube videos, I enjoy reading the comments.

I Also found out that the commercial was mentioned at some length on Air America Radio on April 2nd's Rachael Maddow Show. I like Rachael and I like Air America a lot. Most of you know I'm primarily one of those damned liberal types that wants to save the world by not blowing it up every time somebody threatens our dad. That being said, I'm all but certain the ad was not spoken of in a positive light. I mean, if RJR paid for it, it must be somehow evil, right? All I hope is that people trash the cause or the message and not the performer or the messenger (namely - ME!).

I'd play the segment for you and go out of my way to urge you to subscribe to Air America Radio, get their podcasts and programs, and do the right thing by them...but I can't get their website to accept my ordering information and allow my order for a two-week free trial, even though all the credit card info I have provided is 100% accurate. So if any of you are currently subscribers, or have better luck navigating their website, feel free to download the show and send me the clip where she talks about the commercial. I'd even settle for a transcript. Even though I'm certain she had nothing but bad things to say about the proposed bill, I'd like to hear what was said about the spot. Any publicity is good publicity, right?

Since the ad has been uploaded to YouTube, more bloggers and websites have posted the spot and added their thoughts. Without any preference nor any consideration to their opinions on the subject matter, here are some links for you to check out.

• The Center for Media and Democracy at PRWatch.org
• BlueNC (At least he liked the ad)
• The Pop Tort's "With Friends Like These" ( A lot of original content and opinion here)
• The Lay Scientist chimes in with "Big Tobacco's Propoganda Enterprise...Still Kicking". Another good commentary, though he missed the boat by not saying "Still Spinning". Political spin...spinning plates...seems logical to me.

Feel free to read, comment, and discuss as it is your Constitutional right to do so. If you agree with any of the bloggers...that's great! If you disagree...equally great! Just be civil and polite and not the average, under-informed trash-talker that is far too prevalent online. Moreover, please don't go to their houses and pee in their pools...unless they say that I suck. ;)

Andy Martello In the New York Times! (PSST! Letterman! Over Here!)

(Click Images to Enlarge)

When I said yesterday I was in the New York Times I had no idea I was in THE New York Times!

When I stumbled upon the internet publication from the Times yesterday, they had not yet uploaded a screen capture from the commercial. Well, folks as it happens...

There's a picture of me in the

online version of the New York Times!

That got me thinking. They wouldn't just publish something on their Internet only, would they? Probably not. It would follow that at least the story would be in the actual paper. So I went out and found a copy of the paper at a local store here in Vegas and sure enough, on the front page of the business section...

The same story they have online. Nice!

If you notice, the story is continued on page seven. A quick flip or two over to page seven and you'll find...

I'M IN THE FREAKING
NEW YORK TIMES!

I know that the politics of it all can come back to haunt me, but this is pretty damn cool, right? Seriously, now! I can't believe this.

In the long run I believe this ad will do me and my performing career more good than harm. Most people know that actors and performers take the work that is offered to them and one's personal politics or beliefs don't usually come into play when doing these sorts of things. At least that's my hope.

It is rare that any sort of political ad makes even a ripple in the water. While this isn't quite "the red phone commercial" it is getting a ton of airplay in the targeted markets and generating some blogger buzz other than my own (good or bad...there's no such thing as bad publicity, right?). It will be interesting to see just how far this thing goes.

At the absolute least it may generate some additional (positive) press for me. Really, the folks at the Late Show with David Letterman might see the spot and decide, "Hey...that guy looks pretty good on TV. I wonder if he'd be willing to teach Stallone how to spin plates."

THIS JUST IN!

Check out the write-up in the
latest edition of Advertising Age
(Click the link for story)

It seems the Committee whipped this one through. Now we'll see how the House votes on this one. Good lord!

More About the Commercial

It all started around March 26th with a widely-published press release and subsequent release of my commercial. I am spinning plates all on RJR's dime. Yeah, yeah, big tobacco, blah, blah, blah. Politics and anti-smoking Nazis not withstanding, this is a big deal for me. The commercial is airing in several markets, most notably, in the Congressional Districts that are home to members of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce, most likely, the House Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations.

Since then it has been popping up all around the country and has been talked about at some rather cool places.

Cigar Weekly, a magazine for cigar smokers with a vibrant readership and online community (I used to be a big participant on their bulletin boards) picked up the press release and was very excited to hear that a long-time CW member was the plate-spinner in the ad. Since finding out all about my little opus, they've released a subsequent article about the story, which is way cool if you ask me.

Also, the New York Times (that's THE NEW YORK TIMES) just ran a story about the commercial and RJR's objection to the proposed bill that would give the FDA jurisdiction over tobacco products. They even mentioned the commercial early on in the piece.

Kinda cool, right?

To watch the commercial (assuming you don't live in a town currently running it) just visit FDAConcerns.org. Keep your politics out of my blog, but feel free to act upon the plea and contact your Congressman if you agree with the ad's message.