Charles was recently featured on Orlando In The Morning on 1230 WFAS AM. They discussed everything from the Super Bowl to the causes Charles supports. Listen to the radio spot or read the full transcript below.
Charles Fazzino on WFAS Transcript
Brian WFAS: So it’s stated that you are the official Super Bowl Artist. Now you don’t sound like Madonna to me..?
Charles: haha, no I’m definitely not Madonna, but they do call me the Madonna of the art world.
Brian WFAS: Okay, so I’m assuming that you are the designer for all this Super Bowl pictures and programs and posters and stuff. Correct?
Charles: Yes, I’ve been doing the artwork for Super Bowl for the past 13 years. What I do is sort of the background artwork, I do official posters and I do a lot of product and so forth that surrounds the Super Bowl. Also for the upcoming host committee for whatever city that is, I do a lot of the artwork that you might see on pins, a lot of background design, I even do invitations for the NFL. So all sorts of different applications that have to do with art – every year it’s different.
Brian WFAS: It had to be an easy decision to take that job, the NFL calls like “Hey man, you wanna work for us?”
Charles: Yeah, well I don’t work for them directly, like I said, I also do my own artwork. I love our teams, the Jets and the Giants here in New York. So many years ago I connected with them because I wanted to license NFL artwork to use with my artwork. And my artwork is very New York based, it’s sort of like pop out children’s books, they are cut and glued. That’s the easiest way to describe them to viewers who have never seen them.
Brian WFAS: Well I was looking online and the stuff is absolutely fascinating. And you’re involved in an amazing event for an amazing organization you’re fighting back against muscle disease at the MDA muscle team kickoff event. Now Matt and I, big sports fans are salivating at this. We’re like Oh My God, this is awesome.
Charles: yes, I’ve been working with the muscular dystrophy association here in the New York area. I’ve been a national vice president for many years and working very closely with them. This year the event is going to be a really big fundraiser… it’s like the 17th time they’re doing this. They usually raise over 1 million dollars, the big gala this year is going to be at Chelsea Piers Lighthouse, on January 7th, tickets are still available. What they do every year is get different Jets and Giants players, they put together what they call a “muscle team” which is all the different players from different New York area teams to come together to raise money at this big event. It’s one of those events when you get there and you’re just amazed at how many celebrities and players there are from different teams.
Brian WFAS: The list is astonishing, from the Giants you have, Chris Snee, Prince Amukamara, Jerrel Jernigan, Terrell Thomas, Steve Weatherford, Antrelle Rolle, Mathias Kiwanuka, Kevin Booth and Michael Cox. We’re not just talking about any member of the Giants, or any guy on the bench and asking “ Yo dude come here, want to be a part of a charity event?” We’re talking about some serious names.
Charles: It’s really amazing, you could probably put together a fantasy game from it. With the Jets and the Giants, guys from the bulls and racing – it’s amazing. It’s one of those places where you can just walk up to them, everyone is there. The auction that we’re doing is what really comes together and raises a lot of money. I’m creating a piece of artwork based on that night’s event and then 100% of the proceeds of that original painting, goes directly to the MDA.
Brian WFAS: Now how much did you know about the MDA muscle team kick off before you got involved? Or the Muscular Dystrophy Association and how much do you know about it now? Are you learning as we’re learning?
Charles: Sort of yes, I mean I’ve been involved for so many years, I’ve been reading up on it and I’ve been around the kids who have it. I usually do the summer camp every year in the New York area, where I’ll bring my staff from New Rochelle. We go over to the summer camps and we create artwork together and then the artwork is put up for sale and the proceeds go to charity. If people out there don’t know enough about the muscular dystrophy diseases, it’s a whole host of diseases, there’s about 40 different types. It goes from chronic conditions that people live with, all the way to Lou Gherig’s disease which is a deadly form of muscular dystrophy. So this is a great cause, it raises money for people who really need it. Now I don’t personally know anyone who has it, no one in my family or anything, but over the years working with the MDA, has been really great. They are great people to work with and as an artist it helps me get my artwork out to people who wouldn’t normally be out at an art gallery to see it. It’s been a great, well I call it a marriage.
Brian WFAS: Well it’s a no brainer for athletes to get involved. These are men who rely on their bodies to make a living and with MS, ALS and all these degenerative diseases that attack your body it takes away their ability to work, to work physically.
Charles: Definitely, and this is the sad thing about this disease because it does do that, it affects you physically in so many different ways. Jerry Lewis has been doing such a great job over the years to promote it and has brought a lot of it to light. They have made a lot of strides because things like this event that raises a million dollars in a day, really helps.
Brian WFAS: That’s fascinating to me, I mean we struggle constantly for money in this economy and the economy is suffering but in one day when you get people rallied together for a cause as great as this one, boom, a million dollars appears.
Charles: Definitely, and besides the guys that are players on the different teams. I can’t even tell you how many celebrities are at these events. It’s amazing, there are people from Hollywood and New York actors or whoever is in town for the night. It’s really an amazing event if anyone get a chance to do it, tickets are still available and it’s at Chelsea Piers and its January 7th.
Brian WFAS: January 7th 2014, that’s the gala, I’m also reading that there’s going to be an official kick off November 19th.
Charles: Yes, November 19th is the official kickoff and they usually have it in New York City, which will also be at Pier 61 as well. So people can participate in that and also meet many of the players that will be in town November 19th there. But the huge gala is where we are raising money with different auction items will be that night.
Brian WFAS: I’m also looking, I only mentioned the Giants. From the Jets you have Quinton Coples and Ryan Quigley. Soccer fans have mid-fielder Eric Alexander, I know nothing about soccer so I don’t know what a mid-fielder is but, if you’re into soccer from the red bulls.
Charles: Yes, also ….. there’s quite a few and from racing there is…Ramon Dominguez.
Brian WFAS: So you’re really into this, this is your baby isn’t it?
Charles: Well yeah like I said I’ve been working with them and participating as the official artist. I think what they are going to do again this year is use my artwork for the program cover. I’ll make an official poster for the event that some of the players can sign, so people can actually walk around and get signatures from different people. It’s really a fun event.
Brian WFAS: That what I was going to ask, are these athletes available for photo ops and autographs?
Charles: They are, they’re just standing and walking around. That’s what makes this event so cool, it’s different than other events, that’s what they’re donating their time to do.
Brian WFAS: Charles, before I go to traffic, I want to get your word out there. Your website, your twitter, where can we find out more about you?
Charles: You can just go to my website, it’s probably easier, it’s Fazzino.com. Like I said, for viewers who have never seen my artwork before, they probably have, it looks like a pop-out children’s book. They’re 3D, I do a lot of sports teams for the New York area and of course my regular artwork that’s like Broadway stuff. You can find it through @Fazzino on twitter. I think the best place is really my website.
Brian WFAS: Charles Fazzino, you’re doing an amazing thing, with your amazing talent! Thank you so much for joining us brother!
