Welcome to Steelers Takeaways! – Page 130 – More than 1,000 interviews of Steelers players, coaches, front office staff, media and more with those that played in the 50’s through today’s current roster.

Tony Tanti, Pittsburgh Penguins Left Winger, 1990-1991

Tony Tanti:

First, can you let readers know about your post-NHL career and about Tanti Interiors?

Tanti Interiors is a flooring company that supplies and install’s flooring to developer’s and individuals. Concentrating mainly on big developments.

How difficult has it been for you to transition from the NHL to a second career – and how were you able to do so?

It was a difficult transition mainly because as a player you were told where to be and what to do all the time. Once you retire you don’t have that, you’re pretty much on your own to find a living.

I adjusted because I had too.I find that if you are modest and honest everything will work out.

You read today about the struggles many NFL players face in transitioning from football to a post-sports career. How does the NHL help players do so – if at all?

I’m not sure as once I retired it was up to me to find a new way to make a living. I’m sure that today’s NHL is different.

You were traded in 89′ to the Penguins after seven years in Vancouver – how difficult was that for you and what was your biggest adjustment?

It was difficult but I knew a lot of the players and everyone treated me very well while I was in Pittsburgh. The biggest adjustment was that you weren’t on all the talk shows 24 hours a day and that you could actually go out and not be recognized all the time.

How would you describe yourself as a player and how did you mesh with that Penguins roster?

As a Penguin I tried to be a hard worker and score a few goals. They had a lot of talent with Mario, Kevin Stevins, Mark Recchi and so forth. I could have meshed better but it was difficult as the quality ice time (e.g. power play ) was not there as Pittsburgh was a much more offensive talented team than Vancouver.

You were traded from the Penguins in ’91 before the Stanley Cup run. How frustrating was that for and did you sense the team was a Stanley Cup caliber team?

Very. They had a great roster and everything came together at the right time.

There’s a great deal of movement between leagues and cities for hockey players. How does that affect you – both on and off the ice – as a player?

You live with, it as once you get to the NHL you quickly realize that it is a job.

What is the biggest misperception you think fans have about hockey players and the sport itself?

Hockey players are very friendly but once the puck drops a switch goes on.

What are your favorite memories of your time in Pittsburgh?

I’d say being able to play and practice with Mario. He was the best talent that I have ever played with or watched. Loved watching him in practice too. He made the goalies look bad

Any last thoughts for readers?

I think hockey is in good hands and I think that Pittsburgh is in good hands. Thanks for the memories.

Earl Holmes, Steelers Linebacker, 1996-2001

First, can you let readers know about your post-NFL coaching career and how you got started?

After I retired in 2005, I went home to Orlando Florida. I coached my son’s flag football team – my neighbor was former Bronco John Mobley – his son Tyson was on that team, as was Thurman Thomas’s. It was a YMCA team….

One of the parents said that a coach asked about me – he was the coach at Lake Mary High School. I ended up coaching there for a year then ended up at my alma mater – Florida A&M – as their linebacker coach, then as their defensive coordinator.

Continue reading “Earl Holmes, Steelers Linebacker, 1996-2001”

Jim O’Brien: Teamwork important in health care and basketball for Jennifer

Teamwork important in health care and basketball for Jennifer

By Jim O’Brien From Pittsburgh Business Times

Jennifer Bruce Scott is proud to say she was always a good team player. This attribute served her well as one of the outstanding basketball players in the history of the University of Pittsburgh. It has served her well as a nurse the past 26 years at Allegheny General Hospital. She is the primary nurse for gastroenterologists Dr. Kofi Clark and Dr. Elie Aoun at the Allegheny Center for Digestive Health on Federal Street, just down East North Avenue from Allegheny General Hospital. She is responsible for scheduling tests and procedures and serves as a liaison between physician and patient. Her co-workers give her high marks for her competence and caring manner. There’s a positive glow about her attractive face, like the bright lights in those popular Thomas Kinkade paintings. She reflected on her dual careers in a third floor office at Federal North Medical Offices. “I’m proud of what I have accomplished, as a nurse in the health care field in Pittsburgh, and as a basketball player at Pitt,” she said. “And I still enjoy both.” There was no Women’s National Basketball Association during her student days at Pitt, so even though she gained Kodak All-America honors and set a school record by averaging 24.3 points during the 1984-85 season, she knew she was in school primarily to become a nurse.

She never considered going overseas to play pro basketball. “I went to Tennessee Tech for one year before I transferred to Pitt,” she recalled. “I got homesick. So I don’t think I would have fared well playing ball in, say, Turkey, if I got homesick in Tennessee.” She grew up in the best of homes, a supportive home, with parents and an older brother who looked after her and supported her efforts in school and on the basketball court. Her mother, Marguerite Bruce, was a physical education teacher in the Pittsburgh Public School system, at Gladstone High School, Taylor Allderdice High, Fifth Avenue High and Brashear High. Her father, Clarence, now deceased, was a clerical worker for U.S. Post Office for 40 years. He was a second baseman and teammate of “Cool Papa” Bell for the legendary Homestead Grays in 1947 and 1948, and both are depicted on a plaque at the Homestead Grays Bridge. “As a child, I’d go out in the backyard and play catch with my dad,” she recalled. “I was into swimming, basketball and softball. Swimming was actually my first love. “I went down to the park near my home and played basketball with the guys. My brother Kirk would go with me to make sure someone had my back. The guys weren’t thrilled to have me playing, at first, but after awhile I started getting picked ahead of some of the guys. That’s when you know you’ve made the grade.” A graduate of Carrick High School, she played at Pitt from 1981-1985. She scored a career total of 2,995 points (that total is in her cell phone number), grabbed 998 rebounds and blocked 203 shots. Only Lorri Johnson (1987-1991) of New Castle scored more points (2,312) in women’s basketball at Pitt. Both liked to boast that they scored more points than two All-America players in Pitt men’s basketball history, Don Hennon and Billy Knight. Pitt has retired the jerseys of Hennon and Knight, among others, but no jerseys have been retired for women’s basketball. That oversight needs to be corrected. As Jennifer Bruce, she is a

member of the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and a Varsity Letter-winner of Distinction at Pitt in recognition of her sports and nursing career successes. Her brother Kirk is an assistant athletic director for Olympic sports at Pitt, where he played for a fine basketball team in the mid- 70s, and coached the women’s basketball team for 13 years (1985- 1998). Her daughter Shayla was a starting guard and forward for four years at Pitt and is now an assistant basketball coach for the women’s team at LaSalle in Philadelphia. Her son Tyler is a freshman getting his academics in order to perform for the basketball team at Kent State. Jennifer is an assistant basketball coach for the girls’ team at Plum High School, and previously was the head coach at Gateway High School and Penn Hills High School. She has coached AAU teams through the years, currently the Pittsburgh Bruins. “Being a player is easier,” she says of her two experiences in basketball. “It’s tougher coaching, and I think part of it, for me, is that many players don’t have the same work ethic I did. But I can’t get away from the game. It allowed me to go to college for free.”

Pittsburgh sports author Jim O’Brien has a book out called “Immaculate Reflections,” the latest in his Pittsburgh Proud collection. His website is www.jimobriensportsauthor.com

Dick Capp, Steelers Linebacker, 1968

First, can you let readers know what you have been doing with yourself since your NFL days – and how you got involved in your later non-football work?

I worked for the Butcher Singer brokerage firm in Pittsburgh after being released /cut. It was a great firm with many talented brokers. I learned a lot.

The stock market dropped more than during the Depression. I took a position with Procter and Gamble’s commercial division. We sold quality commercial products to major cleaning and laundry Companies in PA and Nationally. I was successful selling major products in large quantities for many of the best institutional and commercial cleaning contractors in Pa , Ohio and WVA. It was a great Company and great consumers.

Continue reading “Dick Capp, Steelers Linebacker, 1968”

Etta Cox, Pittsburgh Musician

Etta Cox:

First, can you tell readers how you got started as a musician and how you’d describe your music?

I started singing at the age of three. At seven I began piano lessons and voices lessons at twelve. I graduated from college with a degree in Music Education and Voice. In my mid twenties I gravitated towards Jazz.

How did you settle into this style of music for yourself – what made it “right” for you?

I found that there was a freedom in Jazz music that I had never experienced before. And I felt it was a good mix.

What local musicians/artists have you looked up to -and have any helped you over the years in any way?

The first local Pittsburgh band that I performed with was the Al Dowe Band. I truly knew nothing about Jazz and Al Dowe became a mentor to me. I provided me with recordings to listen to and let me sing with his band on a regular basis as I grew into the music.

How has the city been as a venue for your music? There seem to be a number of local talented artists yet there’s not been that one big breakout act yet -is there something more the city can do to “get the word out”?

The City of Pittsburgh is a great venue for Jazz and there are loads of Jazz lovers here. When you say that “breakout” act I guess you are referring to someone or some band that hits it nationally and internationally and makes loads of money. Well if you are working steady gigs and making a living doing it as a jazz musician that is quite an accomplishment.

At the present time there are some “young guns” that are doing great things in the field of jazz. To name a few: Brett Williams (pianist) going to the Monterey Jazz Festival, George Heid II, (drummer), Craig Davis (pianist), Benny Benack III (trumpet). Give them some time. They are really going to “break out”!

Are you a sports fan – if so, what teams/athletes do you follow?

Yes I am definitely a sports fan. STEELERS of course! But on any given Sunday during football season I watch all the games even if the Steelers are not playing; just to see what the Steelers will be up against.

Was a big Chiefs fan before moving to Pittsburgh (I am from St. Joseph, Missouri). I always had dreams of going to the Olympics in gymnastics (that was another life). Love Tiger Woods but I can’t bear to watch him lose. Baseball – Wellllll it’s way too long! Love Michael Vick, MIke Wallace, and the younger Peyton (so gutsy)!

Have you had the opportunity to perform in front of any local sports venues/players? If so, how were those experiences?

I have sung the National Anthem for the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium (years ago), the anthem for the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins. Great experiences because the crowd goes wild after you sing; not for you but for the fact that the game is finally starting.

I also appeared with Hines Ward for one of his favorite charities at the Vangura plant.

What have been some of the more memorable performances for you -and what made them so?

Opening for Mr. Ray Charles at Heinz Hall, performing at Wolf Trap twice, appearing in my first Broadway Show “I Love My Wife” then “The 1940’s Radio Hour”, “The Me Nobody Knows”, and appearing with Danny Glover and Ossie Davis at NYU.

I was one of the Rod McKuen girls at Lincoln Center an opened and appeared at my first casino Trump Plaza!

Many see the music business as “all glamour” -but the constant travelling, especially as you are trying to establish yourself, can be very difficult. How do you deal with the travel and rigors of the business?

Aside from being a jazz performer I also teach at CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts High School). Teaching is more rewarding for me than you can ever imagine. I keep my travelling down to the summer months; unless something comes up that I just cannot refuse. The glamour for me is in the clothes. After that it’s just a job that you love.

Where can fans (and future fans) find and purchase your music?

I have a website that needs to be updated but you can order cds there. Ettacox.com

Any last thoughts for readers?

I feel very blessed to be doing what I love most. And having the opportunity to share my talent with others. Check out my website for my new cd coming out this winter.

Scott Brown, Steelers Reporter and Author, Heaven Sent: The Heather Miller Story

Scott Brown, Author and Staff Writer, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

First, can you let readers know about your new book, “Heaven Sent: The Heather Miller Story,”. What prompted you to write the story and how difficult of a story was it to tell?

The book evolved from a newspaper story I wrote in late June of 2010 about the unique relationship that Heather Miller formed with a handful of people in the Steelers’ organization during her 16-month battle with cancer. There was so much I wasn’t able to get in the story because of space limitations and I later approached Wendy Miller, Heather’s mother, about turning the story into a book.

We met close to ten times in 2011 but the book never really got traction for several reasons, and then I got busy covering the Steelers again and we pretty much lost contact. We set up a meeting in late January of 2012 to see if we could revive the project, and I don’t think either one of us had much optimism in anything happening. But something clicked that day and from there we met regularly and everything started falling into place, and it came out in early December.

It was a difficult book to write and I’d be lying if it wasn’t emotionally draining at times. But, as I’ve told Wendy and others countless times, I had the easy part. She is the one who had to re-live something no parent should ever have to go through. Without her collaboration there is no book. That and the fact that we incorporated some of her writing from when Heather was sick and after she passed is the reason why I insisted that her name also go on the cover of the book.

What surprised you most as you spoke to the Miller family and wrote the book?

The thing that surprised me most is how open Wendy was throughout the interview process. She said from the start that she wanted to give an honest, unflinching look at dealing with cancer as well as the grief after Heather passed away. She held herself to that standard no matter how tough it was at times. I’ve had many people ask me how did I not cry the whole time while writing the book? Part of the reason for that is, again, I had the easy part.

Clearly, the Steelers organization was supportive of the Miller family throughout Heather’s battles. Can you give readers a glimpse of how the players and front office helped show support to Heath and his family?

The Steelers were, simply put, awesome in supporting Heather and the Millers. Probably what Heather cherished most was spending time with the players and not talking about football but simply hanging out and doing things that 10-year-olds love to do, and I think they really appreciated how she treated them as regular people and not just football players.

One story I do write about in the book is what Troy did before Heather’s first major surgery. He left the jersey he wore in the 2008 AFC Championship Game as a surprise for Heather at Children’s Hospital on a Friday, and she was scheduled to have surgery on Monday. Heather was so excited — and kept guessing what the surprise might be — that it took her mind off the surgery that weekend. Then, after receiving the jersey, it allowed her to take an air of confidence into the surgery, and that is one example of what the Steelers did to pick her up when she needed it.

Book proceeds go to several cancer-focused causes. How did you choose which to support and was the Miller family involved in those decisions?

The book benefits a handful of causes from Western Pennsylvania Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Brian Morden Foundation, an Altoona-based charity that supported Heather and the Millers, to Penn State’s Dance Marathon. Also, proceeds are going to the oncology department at Children’s Hospital in Troy’s name. Since he was so gracious in doing interviews and allowing us to use a picture of him and Heather for the book cover we wanted to make sure some of the proceeds went to a cause of his choosing.

Where can readers purchase the book?

The book is available at a variety of stores in the Bedford/Altoona area and some in Pittsburgh. It is probably best for people to buy from the website www.milsonpublishing.com. Orders are shipped the day after they are received and there is a lot of other cool stuff on the site, including videos featuring Heather and the Steelers.

As a journalist, how difficult is it for you when you become close to the players in your daily coverage of them, especially with the added process of book-writing, and still remain impartial and sometimes critical of them in your reporting?

It wasn’t difficult doing the book and covering the team because before I even doubled back and talked to players like Troy Polamalu, Heath Miller and Casey Hampton, I had accepted a move to cover the newly created Penn State/golf beat. The good thing is I still had access to players and coaches since I covered the Steelers through the end of OTAs in June, but I have not covered them at all since then.

What have been some of the most interesting stories and people you’ve reported on so far in your career, and what made them so?

Wow, there have been so many great stories and people I’ve met since I got into the business. And a lot of the best stories are ones that never saw print because they came in off the record sessions with players or coaches/managers in a small group of reporters they trusted and allowed them to put their guard down.

I covered spring training when I worked for Florida Today, and covered Frank Robinson, who managed the Expos/Nationals for a couple of years and was as old school as they come. He would often chat off the record after his morning meeting with the reporters who covered the team every day and keep in mind spring training is relaxed by nature because of the gorgeous March weather and the fact that every team is still undefeated. Those sessions were so memorable because it was a living legend Frank Robinson telling stories and giving his opinions (and he often had strong ones) about the game.

The one I can relay with some editing is this. Someone asked Frank one day about a player who had been a borderline candidate for the Hall of Fame gain entrance one year. Sparing that player’s name Frank said, “(So and so) is in the Hall of Fame, but I am a Hall of Famer.” It was classic Frank, who I think is one of the most underrated all-time greats in any sport. Another side that people didn’t always see to regarding the person who had a reputation for being gruff and at times surly: Robinson sitting on a golf cart after a spring training practice or game and signing for everything that had waited for him. The only thing he wouldn’t sign were bats because he knew people would try to sell them. Good for him.

You’ve written five books – what do you enjoy about that process versus the daily reporting you do?

The thing that I enjoy about books is the process is so different from the daily grind of newspapers. There is time to actually report and write, and you sure as heck better do your reporting if you are writing a non-fiction book or you are not going to have a very long or substantive book. Plus, there aren’t the space limitations that are reality when working for newspapers, especially now when editors are as convinced as ever that shorter is the way to go given everything else that is competing for readers’ attention.

Which has been your favorite book to write so far – and do you have plans for another book soon?

I’m not sure I have a favorite book but “Heaven Sent: The Heather Miller Story” is the most meaningful thing I have ever done professionally and maybe in my life. It has had such a profound effect on my on several levels, and I have become so close with Wendy and her family that they really have become a second family to me. The most gratifying thing is some of the reviews we have gotten from readers who said reading the book helped put something they were dealing with into perspective and how they drew inspiration from the story even though Heather passed away from cancer. That tells you what kind of impact she had on people.

Mel Holmes, Steelers Offensive Lineman, 1971-1973

First, can you let readers know what you’ve been doing with yourself since your time in the NFL?

First, after reading certain excerpts of your site, I find it to be a good -long overdue. It interviews real players, and get real facts about life in the NFL, and not second-hand opinion from someone that’s never played the game!

Right now life could not be sweeter! Since leaving pro football, I like many present and former players, ventured out into a few private business ventures of my own, most notably as a Burger King Restaurant franchisee/owner.

Continue reading “Mel Holmes, Steelers Offensive Lineman, 1971-1973”

Al Young, Steelers Wide Receiver, 1971-1972

First, can you let readers know what you’ve been doing with yourself since your time in the NFL?

I bumped around a lot and played in the World Football League for it’s two years of existence. Then I got started in teaching and coaching and have been doing that for the last thirty-six years. Football, basketball and track…. Now I just coach basketball – I gave football up five or six years ago.

What lessons from your playing days do you find yourself applying to your coaching career?

The biggest thing is just the organization of things. I didn’t know how to organize practices when I started, for example. Remembering how the Steelers organized their practices and how we learned – I followed those examples.

Continue reading “Al Young, Steelers Wide Receiver, 1971-1972”

Jim O’Brien: Joe David directs all-star physical therapy program

Jim O’Brien for Pittsburgh Business Times

A familiar sports figure was seated across the desk from Joe David in his corner office at David Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Center in Mt. Lebanon.

Dave Giusti, the National League’s relief pitcher of the year in 1971 when the Pirates won the World Series, was going over his personal rehabilitation program with Joe David.

David, at age 48, looked terrific, bright dark eyes shining, handsome in a blue and white checkered shirt under his white lab coat. He looked professional.

Giusti is one of about twenty or so Pittsburgh sports and media personalities on the Wall of Fame at the entry of David’s complex on Castle Shannon Boulevard. Sportscaster Myron Cope, former Steelers’ lineman Jim Sweeney, and broadcaster/comedian Jimmy Krenn all pay tribute over their signed photos to David for his rehabilitation efforts on their behalf.

“I suffered a stroke and had problems with my left side,” said the 73-year-old Giusti, “and my doctor prescribed physical therapy. I have known Joe David since he was a kid and lived near us in Upper St. Clair. He has a great office and staff and he’s a good coach. I told him that. He’s a good guy and I like good guys.”

I urged Pitt’s basketball coach Roy Chipman to offer David a scholarship in 1982 when he was “a good kid.” Chipman wasn’t convinced David would be up to Big East competition. I went to work at Pitt shortly afterward as assistant athletic director for public relations and was there when David was a two-year starting guard for the Panthers and when he was accorded Academic All-America honors. David lettered for four seasons (1983-1986). I got to know his father, Rev. Sam David.

Sam David was a scoring star at Bridgeville High and for Doc Carlson’s Pitt basketball teams in the ‘40s. He and his son both applied for admission to Pitt’s School of Medicine but were not accepted. The father went on to become a chemistry teacher and basketball coach at Chartiers Valley High and later an arch priest with the St. George Orthodox Church in Oakland, and Joe went into the highly-competitive physical therapy program at Pitt.

He couldn’t be prouder of his present role as family man, head of his own physical therapy and sports medicine complex and the boys’ basketball coach at Mt. Lebanon. He has succeeded in all respects.

“We both helped to heal people,” Joe said of his late father, “and we were doing something worthwhile with our lives.”

There’s a large framed photograph of one of David’s two WPIAL Quad A championship basketball teams at Mt. Lebanon High School. His Lebos won WPIAL titles in 2006 and 2010 in his 12 years as coach. His 2010-2011 team made it to the PIAA finals.

David has a sports medicine staff of 15. He’s been a physical therapist since 1988 and has had his own facility since 1994. He obtained a doctorate in physical therapy in 2005.

His father told him that things happen for a good reason – that God has a plan for us – and that he would do well as a physical therapist. “I think I would have been a dang good doctor, too,” said Joe David. Yes, he said “dang.”

One of his early mentors was Dr. Freddie Fu, the director of UPMC Sports Medicine. Dr. Fu was the physician for Pitt’s athletic programs during David’s student days and allowed David to observe him performing surgery.

There is a framed photo in David’s office showing him with legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. Joe traveled to Los Angeles three times for sit-down sessions with Coach Wooden and came away wiser for the experience.

“I’m blessed,” said Joe David. “I think I enjoy the best of all worlds: directing this facility, being able to coach the boys’ basketball team and having time with my family.”

David moved from Upper St. Clair to Mt. Lebanon in 2010. Two of his sons, Justin, a senior, and Jonny, a sophomore, are starters on the varsity. His oldest son, Jeremy, is a sophomore at Virginia Tech. His daughter, Samantha, is in seventh grade. Their mother, Sandi, was an attractive cheerleader at Pitt during David’s playing days. Yes, Joe David has led a charmed life.

Pittsburgh author Jim O’Brien has a new book “Immaculate Reflections.” His website is //www.jimobriensportsauthor.com/ and his e-mail address is jimmyo64@gmail.com

Benstonium Viral Videos

First, can you give readers a quick overview of Benstonium. What you do and how readers can find your material?

Benstonium creates Pittsburgh-themed viral videos, which mostly combine sports and comedy. All of these jagoff-produced creations can be found on our website Benstonium.com and our YouTube page (//yt.Benstonium.com)

How did you get started – who inspired both the idea for Benstonium and the direction/success you’ve had?

The name Benstonium was originally a drunken nickname based on m last name Benson, so it was appropriate that Benstonium found its roots with videos inspired by the consumption of beer. In 2008, Benstonium videos, which were mainly intended for a limited audience, went viral with the release of our yinzer-laced Mike Tomlin / Iron City press conference parodies and our path towards Pittsburgh-themed videos was serendipitously established.

Your work has spread pretty quickly and can be seen in various local media. What got the ball rolling for you – how did you get noticed so quickly?

An important factor in spreading our videos is the connections we’ve made with big names in many different local media outlets and the help they’ve offered in promoting our work. We strive to maintain a great reputation by consistently releasing viral videos of the highest-quality, and this has gained us a lot of respect among local media.

You come up with a lot of new material – how do you decide what to parody next and how? What’s the creative process?

One of our goals is to please our fans by appealing to Pittsburgh’s attitudes regarding timely topics. A key to creating videos with viral appeal is being timely, so we are always brainstorming video concepts related to Pittsburgh’s current hot topic. There are ton of great ideas that get thrown out because production would take too long for a timely release. Even if it’s the best video or most creative concept we’ve ever had, if it’s a day late, then it won’t go viral.

What are some of what you would consider your most inspired/best works to date, and what makes them so, from your perspective?

The viral video world is interesting in the fact that sometimes videos that require very little effort have the most viral impact and vice versa. When the amount of effort coincides with the viral impact, I consider it very rewarding.

One video that made a huge impact and also required a lot of effort was a sports / movie trailer I created in August 2011 which combined The Dark Knight Rises with the Steelers, and more specifically Ben Roethlisberger. The video took about three weeks to complete and quickly went viral upon release, being championed by national media outlets. When I received word that the video was also approved by Big Ben himself, I knew I had done something right!

Most of what yo do is parody/humor-based. Have you considered/done more serious/dramatic work as well? What, if so….If not, why?

We try to do about 70% parody/humor and about 30% dramatic/inspiring. I feel parody/humor can usually be done effectively in a more straightforward, simplistic way with considerably less production time. When I create dramatic/inspiring videos, I see them more as a work of art and effectively evoking those desired emotions from the viewer takes a lot more thought and effort than in comedic productions.

I love it when I’m watching my own dramatic/inspiring videos and they even give me chills.

Have you gotten any feedback/collaboration from teams and players – if so, what was that feedback and from whom?

Most of the feedback that we’ve received has been positive. When we’ve heard that our creations have actually reached the players/teams that they were about, it is very rewarding. It was really cool to get props from Big Ben about The Dark Knight Rises movie/sports trailer that focused on him. The latest Benstonium Penguins tribute, which parodied an ad from Google, was saluted by the Penguins video team and organization.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, with our first viral videos, which posited Mike Tomlin in a press conference full of drunken yinzers inquiring about his fictional trip to a local strip club, the response was less than accepting. The Steelers’ organization was [allegedly] looking into bringing a lawsuit against us and continued to monitor our videos for some time after that.

As most of the members of Benstonium were still in college and had very little to lose financially, we saw this this [alleged] response from a billion dollar company to something we created as a win. It’s still pretty cool to be able to say I was almost sued by the Steelers [allegedly].

What makes Pittsburgh sports/sports fans such an easy target for you?

All of us at Benstonium have lived our entire lives in the Pittsburgh area and surrounded by its amazing sports culture. It is easy to relate and appeal to Pittsburgh sports fans because we are born and bred Pittsburgh sports fans. Because the attitude and topics surrounding Pittsburgh sports is always evolving, there will always be content for new and different Benstonium viral videos.

From a Pittsburgher’s perspective, does the city and it’s people rely too much on sports to define the culture of the city in your opinion?

Pittsburgh sports and sports in general is like being immersed in a never-ending film. When you go to a movie theater, you spend two hours living in the fictional world provided by the movie screen. You become the ideal, you become the hero, you become the person you strive to be.

The athletes that we often hold up like movie heroes, leave us striving to be more than we are in our mundane lives. I don’t think there is anything that could bring an entire city like Pittsburgh together with an unbreakable bond that supersedes all of our petty differences like our sports teams. They are our never-ending blockbuster movies that always keeps us striving to better ourselves…as individuals and as a city.

What is success for you – and what’s next for Benstonium?

I hope to one day turn Benstonium into a career, where I can not only continue to entertain the city of Pittsburgh but do that for a living. I think as we continue to grow and gain followers, this goal will gradually become easier to achieve.

What would surprise readers most about Benstonium and the work you do?

In order to meet our self-imposed deadlines in order to keep our videos as timely as possible, many of the Benstonium videos are completed at 3a.m. or later…and we still make it to our day jobs a few hours later. Benstonium takes priority over sleep.

Any last thoughts for readers?

We are trying to get back to our roots (a la our Mike Tomlin /Iron City Press Conference parodies) and do more live-action comedy videos. We have a series of football themed videos coming up this season, which we hope will take the Benstonium brand to the next level and “Turn Pittsburgh Upside Down”.

Thanks!