Biography By Donna Lengel

2004 – ESCAPE THROUGH THE PAST – Writing his Journal of Rome Series, Curse of Athena, a biographer Ted Gesing, heard about a podiatrist who wrote five novels about ancient Rome and Greece.  He asked if he could do a story about him called, “Gary and The Romans”, and he consented.  Ted taped his trips to Maryland where Gary was scheduled to meet with Roman Re-enactors and the bodybuilder actress “Monica Marteen” who he recruited to be in a movie trailer to promote his Curse of Athena screenplay.    Ted also met Gary in Newark, New Jersey and filmed him on Parkhurst Street where he was born.   They convinced the owners of his old house to let them in to continue recording.  Astonished, Gary found his mother’s copper colored refrigerator, stove and oven operating in the kitchen.  Gary was invited by Roman Reactors to be part of the first ever march of Roman Legionaries in Rome, Italy in April 2004 commemorating the birthday of Rome.   His good friend David Feuer and his cinematographer Curtis Graham and Gary joined Roman Re-enactors from all over Europe.  They meet in the European quarter where the Europeans stay when they go to Rome.   A cab took them from the airport to Rome and dropped them off at the hotel, which was an inner city five story building having no signs or identification as a hotel.   The driver asked for payment, and Gary refused thinking he was a conman since the hotel did not look like any hotel he had ever seen.   “Go, up, it is on the third floor!” the cabbie said in a heavy Italian accent. Gary did not pay him but went into the building and ascended the building’s inner stairway that was wrapped around a two-person black metal open-air elevator.  On the third floor there was a reception desk where Gary confirmed their reservation.  I went back down and paid the driver.     The weather was rainy and damp.  They wore hooded rain jackets he had made for them that displayed, “Film Crew” on the back of the jackets.  They meet with the English re-enactors, one of whom was the charismatic Keith Perryman, who stated that Americans and Englishmen are the same people separated by a vast pond.  Two days later they meet 700 other Roman Re- enactors who assembled in the ruins of Circus Maximus, the ancient Chariot Race Theater of ancient Rome.  Everyone was dressed as ancient Roman soldiers, complete with toro armor, helmets, shields, spears and swords.  This was the first time a military parade with weapons was permitted in Rome since brandishing weapons of any kind was banned from the time of Mussolini in 1944. Dressed as a Roman legionnaire Gary met the leader of the gladiator school in Rome.  It took them four years to get the Italian government’s consent for this parade.   He looked at himself and asked, “What the hell am I doing?”  If he marched, he would not be available to direct his cinematographer who was carrying a camera with super 16 film, and there would be no-one to help carry the heavy equipment and tripod.   They did not have anything analog or digital in 2004.  This was the old-fashioned reel to reel camera, the latest technology of the time.  Gary took the armor off and put on his street clothes. They walked with the 700-man army from Circus Maximus, around the Colosseum to the Museum of the Liberation of Rome, and them back again filming clips of the ancient army walking past the iconic scenery of Rome.  Gary used this footage in his Curse of Athena movie trailer.   Click To Watch 1 Minute Trailer After some mock fighting between Roman legionaries and barbarians in a park, all 700 participants were fed at the same time, in a makeshift multi-tented dining hall. 2004 – ESCAPE THROUGH THE PAST – PART 2   From the billboard company’s cash flow and a second billboard company co-owned with his partner Vincent Stona, Sr., Gary dabbled in classic cars.   He had enough credit to purchase cars, but there were few billboards to add to his business.  He loved the cars and thought he could make some extra cash by restoring and selling them.  Afterall, automotive was in his family for three generations. 1971 Ford Mustang Convertible – purchased 7/20/2004, sold 4/30/2012 – red with a white interior and back top, black out hood, 302, automatic with air. 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 – clone – purchased 7/20/2004, sold 7/10/2010 – orange with black interior, 351, automatic, and power brakes, no AC. 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 – original - purchased 7/20/2004, sold 9/25/2007- jade green, black interior, 351, automatic, power brakes, no AC. 1970 Ford Mustang Convertible – original – purchased 7/20/2004, sold 10/18/2007 -orange with a white interior, white top, 302, automatic with air.  For all the time and effort taken with the purchase and sale of these seven classic cars, two of which are not listed, Gary made a total of $ 10,029.  When you do it right and spare no expense when perfecting classic cars, there is no money to be made.   Another waste of time, but a valuable lesson in business. In hindsight, it would have been better to just have kept them, but Gary had no space to store them indoors. Today, they would each be worth twice as much as he sold them for. Since he was at a standstill in billboard building and development, due to the unavailability of reasonable credit terms, he sought other revenue generating opportunities.  2004 -October- Gary formed Champion 1 Productions, Inc.,  (www.champion1productions.com) and rented all of  Centennial Park in downtown Nashville for the production of his movie trailer to promote his screenplay, Curse of Athena.   There he directed and produced the movie trailer. 2006 – His 6’ 3” daughter played basketball as a point guard and graduated.   She would go on to the University of North Florida, a division one school, on a basketball scholarship.   Gary and his family went on their first cruise with fifteen couples who had children in his daughter’s graduating class. He flew up to New Jersey to a 50 th  party for one of his best friends from grade school, Mr. Allen “Skip” Nemeth, and as always when up in Jersey, he visited his father and his second wife in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania, which is across the metal bridge over the Delaware River from Frenchtown, New Jersey.  Each time he thinks of that bridge it reminds him of the scene from Rambo 1, when Stallone is left off north of the bridge by Brian Denny, the cop, when he turns back and walks across the metal bridge back toward town. Obsessed with classical architecture, Gary designed three notable real estate projects in Tarpon Springs, Florida, which is a Greek community.  Unfortunately, not one of these projects was built. Turning 50 himself, Gary held a party at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa in ancient Roman attire.  They had a gladiator fight on the dance floor, that luckily did not break any of the mirrors.  They showed his movie trailer which was intended to promote his screenplay to Hollywood. 2007 – CARS IN THE BLOOD.  Gary purchased two more cars and kept trying to profit. 1968 Mustang Fastback – purchased 10/2/2007, sold 10/6/2009 – Yellow with black hood and “C” stripes, 289, three speed manual with air.  Profit - $16 dollars 1978 Bandit Trans Am – clone – purchased 7/1/2007, sold 6/17/2015.  Black with T-tops, 400, 4 speed manual, power brakes and AC.   Profit - $ 1,897 dollars Gary opened a body shop in November 2007 and partnered with Richard Aikman.  Richard did the bodywork and ran the shop, Gary managed the business, did the advertising and brought in the customers.  Richard was never passionate about doing the work, and Gary found out that Richard’s goal was to go out on disability on a previous back injury.   They closed the shop in February of 2011, and Gary lost approximately $30,000. 2008 - After meeting Keith Smith at a car show and learning how he built the most elaborate and expensive Eleanor  ever built, Gary dreamt of a more radical design for his own version of the 1968 Mustang Fastback called Wolverine.   1968 Mustang Fastback Shell – Wolverine Project – purchased 2/2/2008.  Not for Sale. (www.wolverinecar.com) 2010 - 2011 – Every November Gary would attend the Burn Out Party. One year the hostess chose his Wolverine car as the vehicle to showcase in front of their barn.  Everyone would bring canned food for the less fortunate and make donations.   Rhonda Harn and her husband Terry would open their barn where they stored their classic car collection and feed everyone who attended.  At the end of the day, any willing car owners could compete to see who could do the best burn-out and fly down the street in between the parked spectator cars.  Bill Harn brother-in-law to Ronda, would fly in some of his helicopters that came in low over the lake and under the power lines.   WWII vehicles would also contribute to the show.  This was the most notable car gathering and show of the entire year, which continued until one car doing a burn out, side swiped some parked cars.   That was the end of the best show in Tampa Bay. 2012 – Reality Shows – With the dominance of reality shows on television, Gary wrote, created, directed and produced the following concepts for which he produced “Sizzle Reels” to promote those shows to the networks.   1: America's # 1 Mom and America's Most Fit Mom -  “Beaten down by life's hardships, women resurrect  themselves with health and fitness instead of drugs and alcohol."  These shows are equal parts inspiration and perspiration, as Moms work to better themselves and compete in intellectual, spiritual and physical challenges.    Gary first produced America’s Most Fit Mom in Los Angeles, California, where he had access for a week to the house owned by the rapper Ludacris, who starred in the Fast and Furious movies.   This house was in Hollywood Hills and was four levels overlooking Los Angeles.  Watch the Sizzle Reels: America's #1 Mom (3:40 Min)     https://vimeo.com/77098591 America's Most Fit Mom - Short (3:22 Min)   https://vimeo.com/70691535  America's Most Fit Mom - Long Version (10:09 Min) https://vimeo.com/66006992                              Meeting a character at the gym, Gary also filmed, directed and produced the reality show sizzle reel for Weekend Warrior. Weekend Warrior (3:35 Min) Click on this link:  https://vimeo.com/107637588  Gary also wrote three screenplays: 1: Curse of Athena one sheet – derived from the 5 novels of the same name, click title to see the one sheet. 2: Maternal Justice – click title to see the one sheet 3: Johnny Be Good – click the title to see the one sheet     Johnny Be Good Montage Music Clips – click to play Over the years and after attending the screenwriter’s group monthly, Gary was cast as the lead actor in a movie trailer to promote Death Breath.   He played a military veteran turned detective, who was haunted by the death breath of someone he killed in war.  2013 - 1984 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz – purchased 11/19/2013 – White with red carpet and dash, white leather seats and headliner.  This car was owned by Evie Watson, the opening singer for the Rat Pack in Las Vegas. She was in her 90’s at the time of the purchase.  She stated that an admirer (“lover”) brought the car for her new.   It had rare gold spoke wheels from the dealership, which could not be replaced when Gary reworked the car once it was delivered.   It was painted and every engine and transmission seal had to be replaced on the car, since Evie was the proverbial little old lady from California, and she rarely drove it. This car was Gary’s mother’s favorite car when she moved down to Florida and was the only vehicle his mother could get in and out of comfortably.   He picked her up and took her home every Sunday.  That car will stay with him for life, as a remembrance of his mother, Bonita Lucille Barbosa. 2014 – Gary attended his 40 th  high school Reunion at Cranford High School.   Every year in the winter he would do another home project perfecting his house, either doing carpentry, painting, wallpaper, plumbing, electrical, tile and granite work.   The Skies in Tampa Bay can be striking, especially at sundown.  (see video here) 2016 – Gary acquired a 1970 Ford Mustang Convertible Shelby clone – purchased 4/11/2016, jade green, black interior and top, 351 automatic, cold air induction 5 scoop hood. In June, Gary’s mother, Bonita Lucille Barbosa, moved to Florida and insisted on living independently.  In November Gary had his 60 th  birthday party joined by Skip Nemeth, Joe Rowe, John Orrico and Edward Doogan.   Prior to 2016, the IRS reclassified billboards as commercial real property making them no different from a commercial building.  This was due to both OutFront Media and Lamar Outdoor, two of the biggest outdoor advertising companies in the United States, wanting to convert their companies to real estate investment trusts (“REIT”).  With a good credit score Gary was able to refinance his high interest company loan of $ 1.2 M for reasonable terms and a ten-year maturity.  For the first time, he had a normal commercial loan on his billboards, one that was not front loaded with interest and impossible to pay down. 2017 – With normal financing available, in September he purchased a land lease for a digital sign on Interstate 4 in Florida, and sub-leased the location to Clear Channel on a ten-year agreement, for the greater of a guaranteed revenue stream or 60 percent of collected revenue.  He built the sign after he had the contract with Clear Channel, which guaranteed the revenue stream before funds were borrowed to build the sign.  He purchased a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle – original – purchased 2/6/2017 – Orange with white stripes, with interior, 454, air, power steering and power brakes.  This was the last of the four classic cars that remain in his collection.   2018 – Gary purchased a billboard and the property on SR 54 in Pasco County and built a double tri-vision sign in March, known as 22331 US 54.   This build necessitated a large crane to lift the billboard and vibrate it into the swamp 60 feet to the side of the crane.   July – Gary and his family took a Baltic Cruise with friends that began in Stockholm, Sweden, going to Lithuania, Estonia, Lativa, Germany, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Copenhagen Denmark.   The Vasa in Stockholm and the Hermitage Museum in Russia were the most memorable moments.  A few months after they returned his mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, never having smoked, but exposed to secondhand smoke as a child.  His mother started treatment, for which Gary was the principal care giver and transporter. 2019 – Gary purchased another land lease on Interstate 4 and built a double digital sign in Polk County.  Unable to get a management agreement with another national billboard company, he did the sales himself as he does on all his other signs. His mother began significant chemotherapy for her cancer, and he was her primary care giver.  This was one of the most difficult times of his life.  His business was growing, but his heart was breaking. 2020 – The COVID pandemic hit, and he could not see his mother at her Assisted Living Facility.  In March, he was supposed to go to a wedding in Philadelphia, which is where he went to medical school at the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine.  This school was located at the corner of 8 th  and Race Streets.   He had then planned to see his father in Upper Black Eddy, PA, but had to delay that trip. The major outdoor advertising companies pulled back in their real estate development and an opportunity in Oakland, California and Buffalo, New York landed in his lap.   Gary signed three leases with the East Bay Water Management District, but they would have to get both the state permits and local permit from the City of Oakland.   They joined forces with another independently owned billboard company who would later leave Gary in the street while they made a deal with OutFront Media. Gary lost his father, Joseph P. Barbosa in August 2020, from non-COVID illnesses.    The lockdown robbed him of his last chance to see his father. In September 2020, one of Gary’s partners, B.B., thought of placing digital displays on the top of cars, such as Uber, Lyft, etc.   “If we are going to go into business we need a competitive advantage.   I do not want to compete with the existing two-sided digital displays being deployed in the big cities. We need a three-sided display seen 360 degrees rather than the two-sided display that is seen only side to side,” Gary said. A week later B.B. came back, “I found a place in China that makes these three-sided displays and if we can deploy as many as possible, they will let us patent their design here in the United States while they patent the design in China.” “B. China usually steals our intellectual property,” Gary was surprised.  “Are you telling me that this company will let us patent their intellectual property for a three-sided digital car top? “Yes,” B.B. replied.   “They told me to send them the paperwork from our patent attorney and they will send me their drawings.” Gary and B.B. had the patent attorney review the drawings and create a form for the Chinese to sign.   They signed and notarized the document which was filed with the U.S. patent office.   Three digital car tops were imported on 11/10/2020.  One franchisee purchased two car tops, but they could not sell advertising space on the car tops since they were not experienced in out of home sales.  The website www.cartopdisplays.com was secured and the website built.   The patent was filed, and an engineer was recruited with company equity to create custom software where customers can upload their own ads themselves and pay by credit card.  The engineer will write the software for the car tops which will also be filed with the US Patent Office.