#054 - Vinny Raffa & Mario Pignard Jr. // Balloon Techs

Yeah.

Well, it pretty much started off-

[laughs] Yeah, no.

Tell, tell, tell us how you guys got into this-

I had a-

... 'cause it's, it's a very unique-

... a, a skateboard company called Deadhead, and I used to print T-shirts at this shop on Oaktree Road in Palisades, New York.

So, [smacks lips] um, I stopped printing T-shirts, I moved out, and I went back to visit, and next thing I know, I see all these Paramount Picture boxes outside, and I go, "Paramount Pictures? That's in California." And the guy goes, "No, you should meet this guy, Peter Giralmi.

He, he's, he has these balloons." And then, so I started working with Peter Giralmi, um, as an electrician, making boxes for the balloons.

Supposed to give me $50 an hour.

He ended up, "I can pay you 15." And I go, "I can't do it for 15."

[laughs]

And then he goes, "Okay, who, do you know someone that can?" And I go, "I got this, my friend, Mario, that went to film school in, in Florida that he would be perfect." So he goes, "Oh, tell Mario to give me a call." And the rest is history with Mario.

You, you short-sold him right from the beginning?

[laughs]

Like [laughs] ...

Yeah, hon- honestly, man, I didn't think I was gonna be, even be in the business.

Uh, I was trying to be a director.

I came out of film school, and then, uh, Vinnie's like, "Man," he go, "I know this guy, uh, who's got Paramount boxes at the old warehouse," um, he had.

[smacks lips] So, uh, when I spoke to Vinnie, he was like, "Man, this guy's not paying me." [laughs]

[laughs]

[laughs] Welcome to the film industry.

Oh, I, um-

Damn

...