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TDR Q&A: Matt D'Avella of 'Produce Paradise' Fame
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Last week, after coming across Mark and Matt D'Avella's YouTube video "Produce Paradise" (a rap spoof from their group "Fresh Beets"), the A&P supermarket chain fired the brothers and slapped them with a libel suit over the video seeking at least $1 million in compensation, charging that Produce Paradise "contains numerous false and defamatory statements that are injurious to the reputation and livelihood of A&P." The video includes footage of the brothers licking produce, hitting each other in the crotch with beets, and standing with bananas hanging out of their pants. We caught up with Matt D'Avella yesterday to hear his end of the story.
The Daily Reel: Why did you make the video in the first place? Was it just for fun? Did you have an ax to grind with the A&P? Was it all true? Is this all about "fighting the power"; i.e., do you have a sort of political agenda?
Matt D'Avella: The whole concept of making a gangsta rap about fruits and veggies came about when we were bored at work one day. The video came along later because it went well with a school project. I wanted to get a head start on the school year so we produced the video during the summer. The video in no way represents the A&P or its parent company. We made this video to mock gangsta rap through produce. The scenes in "Produce Paradise" DO NOT represent true statements.
TDR: You mention in your blog that you've got family members who have worked at A&P; how have they reacted? What kind of reaction have you got from people generally? How much have you raised in donations for the legal stuff?
MD: We have had three generations work at this particular grocery store alone and they are all very supportive of us. The reaction from the public has been overwhelming. More than 1500 people have sent in complaints to the corporate headquarters. Most of them have pledged that they will boycott the store if this lawsuit does not go away. The support of the public really makes the whole situation a lot easier to deal with. We recently added a link on our site for people to help out by donating. In two days we have already raised over $200.
TDR: Are you trying to use this as a vehicle to do more videos, or get some kind of production deal? If a rival supermarket owned by a big corporation (say, Whole Foods) offered you a chance to produce a commercial along the lines of "produce paradise" (though obviously a little more positive), would you do it?
MD: I love producing and editing videos. I have been doing it for more than four years and I plan on making a career out of it. If this publicity somehow jump-starts my career I'm going to roll with it. If a rival supermarket were to offer a chance to produce a commercial, that would be the greatest. I would do it in a heartbeat.
TDR: What's the next step? Have you gotten new jobs yet?
I currently work for both my schools TV and radio station. In addition I work for the Mass Communications department. I made the Dean's list all last year with a cumultive GPA of 3.93. I have been working at the A&P for about four years to raise money to pay for my education. Now, with this lawsuit, they are trying to take all that money away from me.
To find out more about Fresh Beets, go to FakeLaugh.com.
