We recently connected with Evan Ginzburg and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Evan, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I was an Associate Producer and acted with Mickey Rourke in his Golden Globe Award Winning and Oscar Nominated role as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in Darren Aronofsky’s critically acclaimed The Wrestler. We worked on it off and on for seven years, and I am honored to be part of what many people are calling one of the greatest sports films of all time.
Evan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a pro wrestling journalist and agent booking legendary wrestlers for autograph signings, indie wrestling matches, and other appearances. Through that, I became the Associate Producer on The Wrestler as well as the critically acclaimed wrestling documentary 350 Days and other films, whose title refers to some of the wrestling champions being on the road and wrestling almost every day of the year. I have chronicled many of these experiences in my recent books- Wrestling Rings, Blackboards, and Movie Sets, as well as Grindhouse, Arthouse, and Wrestling Flicks, which takes a deep dive into wrestlers in film and wrestling films. I have simultaneously juggled a nearly 40-year teaching career, working with adult English-as-a-second-language students and helping them assimilate. My critically acclaimed book Wrestling Rings, Blackboards, and Movie Sets discusses working with legendary figures in wrestling and film while still teaching in immigrant communities. I am proud of all these roles- celebrity agent, author, film producer, TV, radio, and podcast host, and educator, and being able to juggle them all for so many years.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I know that when you create Art, as we did on Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, it will be there forever on film after we are all gone. Mickey Rourke’s performance is forever. When he says, “I’m just a broken down piece of meat, and I don’t want you to hate me…” to his daughter in the film, that’s an iconic line much like Marlon Brando’s “I could have been a contender” in On the Waterfront. 100 years from now, people will still be watching and enjoying something I helped create. I was the “wrestling guy” as Associate Producer, bringing in his trainer, stunt double, the ring, most of the wrestlers seen in the film, going over various drafts of the screenplay for wrestling authenticity, etc. And, as I said, I acted with him in it, and what we did I can proudly say was total improv. Someone will watch that film long after we’re all gone, shed a tear, and be moved by it. That means a lot to me.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I want to continue to create Art that moves and inspires people- not just pump out content for a profit. I want to inspire Creatives to write their own books, make their own low-budget and no-budget indie films, etc. I want to continue to work with talented, passionate folk who turn ideas into Art. I am in the middle of multiple book and film projects, which we hope to nurture to fruition. In short, I want to keep creating until I am no longer able to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://evanginzburg.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evanginzburg/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evan.ginzburg
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-ginzburg-08b67813
- Twitter: @evanginzburg
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@evanginzburg2415
- Other: Wrestling and Everything: Coast to Coast YouTube Channel
www. prowrestlingstories.com (I am Senior Editor)
https://www.facebook.com/EvanGinzburgsOldSchoolWrestlingMemories
Image Credits
I have the rights to these images