MMM-Was there any one particular event or experience that made you decide that you wanted to go into the entertainment field? What was that event/experience?
 
 
Batt-When I was 4 years old, I remember listening to the DeFranco Family on one of those record players that would spit up vinyl like sawdust when it would play. Their song was called heartbeat (It's a Love Beat). On about my 50th play through, I decided that I needed to be a TV star. I wanted to tell my parents about my plans, but I never had the guts. I kept it in for awhile, but that desire bursts out at some real strange moments and in very strange ways in my life.
 
 

MMM-You've been involved with music and promotion, having earned a masters degree in festival management. Now, through your Hoopman persona and your amazing stunt of running and hula hooping at the same time, you are gaining much attention, such as being featured on the David Letterman Show. With your upcoming directorial debut, "20 Questions", what do you hope to achieve?
 
 
Batt-Freedom. Pure freedom of expression when I need it. I don't think an artist of any kind can always be "on", so when I'm not inspired, I don't even try. An artist needs experiences to reflect from and create with.
 
 

MMM-When did you begin and end filming of "20 Questions?"
 
 
Batt-It began in late March of last year and ended with my Letterman appearance. Though now that I'm editing, I'm seeing that most of the creative process is in the editing phase.
 
 

MMM-Can you tell us your primary filming technique? (example one, two or three cameras? Digital/Other format?)
 
 
Batt-One camera all the way!!!! I used a Canon GL1, a digital cam which has a very sharp picture and great colors. I didn't really know what the hell I was doing with it when I started out, but I got so many coverage shots, that folks probably will not believe it was a 1-camera shoot. I was everything, sound guy, lighting, etc. We moved quickly, too, so it was a real challenge. It wasn't a trip to make a movie, it was primarily three people on a trip. The people we were travelling with wouldn't have been themselves with a full crew around, and we never would have had the experiences we did without the intimate feeling of just a few folks having fun on the road.. What I'm going to show with this is that real life is 10 times more interesting than anything staged, if you have interesting people around you, that is. But this technology is amazing. I remember packing everything into my backpack and taking bike rides in the country, ready to grab shots. It was a dream.
 
 

MMM-What were a couple of 'on the road' moments that you would like to share with us?
 
 
Batt-I remember when the police pulled us off the road in NY for not having working lights. He was kind of a military guy, and really wanted to nail us for other stuff. We had all kinds of stuff written on the trailer, and a pirate flag flying from the vehicle. In my opinion we looked far to crazy to actually be doing what they suspected of us. The policeman asked Joe why he didn't have a horn, and Joe quickly grabbed two loose wires which made such a loud horn sound that the policeman's head hit the top of Joe's door. It was hilarious. Also in upstate NY we were in a town where I swear that there wasn't a single policeman over 5 foot tall. It was the strangest thing.
 
 

MMM-What did you do to keep your endurance up during the long road trips?
 
 
Batt-You get in a mode. Endurance wasn't the issue, it was acceptance.
 
 

MMM-Do you have any advice for any of our readers who may just be starting into the film or entertainment business in general?
 
 
Batt-Don't do it like I did.
 
 

MMM-When can we expect "20 Questions" to be released?
 
 
Batt-As Joe would say, "Sooner than you think!"