MEETING DANNY AIELLOMeeting Danny Aiello
About a year or so ago, I was introduced to a really funny stand-up comic named Mike Marino. Mike is originally from New Jersey but is now based in Los Angeles. I had been doing stand-up for a while and a booker thought it would be a good idea for Mike and I to work together, not only in stand-up, but also to try to put a TV project together. When I was working regularly in Hollywood, the studios and networks used to send me to see comics they had development deals with. They were always trying to hook writer/producers up with comics to see if they could get a show out of it. The problem with that strategy was that most of the comics they had deals with had approximately five minutes of good material. To be the focus of a series, a stand-up needs to have a unique comedic voice and a distinct point of view. Most of them didn’t. And, while I sold two pilots, neither of them was based around a comic – and neither of them made it, either. I went to see Mike’s act and I was really impressed. You could see the TV show. It was clear to me where the show was. So I wrote a pilot inspired by Mike’s comedy. It’s about an Italian-American family and it’s set on Washington Street, the main street that runs through Hoboken, New Jersey. In the next several months, I sent the script to a bunch of my contacts, but the new reality-dominated TV environment was not hospitable, to say the least. Certainly, no one wanted to back a show built around a comic who was not already famous. But, every pendulum swings back at some point, so I remain optimistic that someone with get behind it at some point. Flash forward to a couple weeks ago. I was on Washington Street in Hoboken and I saw a sign in the window of a restaurant called Tutta Pasta. Danny Aiello can frequently be found there – and I have heard he is a part owner as well. The restaurant was opening a comedy room and they were looking for comics to audition. I went in and was told to come back Wednesday afternoon. When I got there Wednesday, Danny Aiello was going to audition the comics. There were seven or eight other comics and me. They were all guys. Here’s the thing when you audition: less is more. Why do a so-so eight minutes and let them know you don’t even have ten strong minutes? Instead, do five tight minutes and make them think you can do forty. (I can, by the way, natch.) Danny Aiello seems like a really nice guy. He was polite to all the comics, friendly, and he laughed. Usually, at auditions, no one laughs. The other comics don’t want to laugh at your act because they feel like they’re in competition with you so they don’t want to like you. I always laugh to be supportive because I don’t feel like I’m in competition. I mean, you can always use another comic. Anyway, I had a really strong set and when I was done, Danny looked over at me, clapping. When the whole thing was over, he told us we’d hear from them in a week or two. Then, everyone swarmed him. Here’s my card. I have a DVD. Check out my website. You can imagine. I went to the ladies room. When I came out, everyone was gone and Danny Aiello was sitting by himself at a table by the window, waiting for his lunch. As I was walking out, I thanked him and he told me I was very good. Then I asked him if he had a couple of seconds. Danny invited me to sit down at his table. What a nice guy. I told him that I produced a regular comedy show at Rascals, a well-known local comedy club that had recently closed. He said, “So you can host. Because I’m thinking of you to host.” I assured him that I can host, I can feature, I can headline. I work clean, I work dirty. I do corporate events. Then I told him that what I really am is a TV writer/producer. I told him about my background, my credits, and about Mike. I described the show and made sure to mention that it’s about an Italian-American family and set right there on Washington Street in Hoboken. And here’s the beauty part: I was prepared. Before I left for the audition, I put together a packet that included one of Mike’s DVDs, a copy of the script, and one of my résumés. Just in case. You know what? Danny Aiello agreed to look over the materials. He told me he would not appear in a show in which he was not the star (which is completely understandable), but said he would look at it anyway. I asked him to just let me know if the project had merit, and potentially to put it in front of his agent. When I got up to leave, I reached out to shake his hand and he gave me a kiss instead. I’m smitten.
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