David Ira "Davy" Rothbart (born April 11, 1975) is a bestselling author, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, contributor to ''
This American Life
''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internatio ...
'', and the editor/publisher of ''
Found Magazine
''Found Magazine'', created by Davy Rothbart and Jason Bitner and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, collected and cataloged found notes, photos, and other ephemera, publishing them in an irregularly issued magazine, in books, and on its website ...
''.
Found Magazine
Davy Rothbart's magazine ''Found'' is dedicated to discarded notes, letters, flyers, photos, lists, and drawings found and sent in by readers. The magazine spawned a best-selling book, ''Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World'', published in April 2004. A second collection was published in May 2006, a third in May 2009. The magazine is published annually and co-edited by Rothbart's friend Sarah Locke.
Rothbart, a former
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...
ticket scalper,
often tours the country to share finds and invite others to share their finds with him. His brother, musician Peter Rothbart, often accompanies him on these tours. In 2004, as he was on a nationwide tour to promote the ''Found'' book, he appeared twice on the television program the ''
Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production c ...
'' on
CBS. He has since been featured on ''
20/20'',
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politic ...
, and ''
Last Call with Carson Daly'', among other national TV and radio shows, and been profiled in ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...
'' and ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''.
Rothbart has toured the U.S. relentlessly with his live spoken-word show, reading from ''
Found Magazine
''Found Magazine'', created by Davy Rothbart and Jason Bitner and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, collected and cataloged found notes, photos, and other ephemera, publishing them in an irregularly issued magazine, in books, and on its website ...
'' and his own books of stories and essays, appearing in all 50 states and over 200 cities; ''The Los Angeles Times'' calls him "an utterly engaging performer."
In the fall of 2014, ''Found The Musical'' opened off-Broadway at
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...
and
William H. Macy's
Atlantic Theater Company in New York City for a 12-week run. The play, written by Lee Overtree and
Hunter Bell, with songs by Eli Bolin and additional materials by the
Story Pirates, starred Broadway vet Nick Blaemire as Davy, with Betsy Morgan, Barrett Wilbert Weed, ''Community's''
Danny Pudi
Daniel Mark Pudi (born March 10, 1979) is an American actor. His roles include Abed Nadir on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), for which he received three nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor ...
, and Daniel Everidge, and received overwhelmingly positive reviews, including a "Critic's Pick" from Christopher Isherwood of ''The New York Times''. A new production is planned for Fall of 2016, according to producers Victoria Lang, Eva Price, and Jamie Salka.
Writing and journalism
''The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas,'' a collection of Rothbart's short stories, was published in August 2005 by Simon & Schuster. A shorter version of the same book was previously self-published by Rothbart's own production company, 21 Balloons Productions (named after Rothbart's favorite book, ''The 21 Balloons'', by
William Pène du Bois). An Italian edition, ''Il Surfista Solitario del Montana'', was published in 2007 by Coniglio Editore. Actor
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...
optioned three stories from the book for film adaption, to be developed by Olive Productions; Buscemi has written the screenplay and plans to direct.
In September 2012, Rothbart's book of personal essays, ''My Heart Is An Idiot'', was released by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...
. The book, which details Rothbart's lost loves and longtime life on the road, quickly garnered widespread praise, including positive reviews from ''The Los Angeles Times'', ''The Washington Post'', ''The New Yorker'', and ''The New York Times Book Review'', among many others. Upon the book's publication, Rothbart began a massive 79-city North American tour. ''My Heart Is An Idiot'' was named one of the Best Books of 2012 by NPR's ''Morning Edition'', Amazon.com, ''Vanity Fair'', and ''The Huffington Post''. The paperback version was released by
Picador
A ''picador'' (; pl. ''picadores'') is one of the pair of horse-mounted bullfighters in a Spanish-style bullfight that jab the bull with a lance. They perform in the ''tercio de varas'', which is the first of the three stages in a stylized bullf ...
in September 2013. In Italy, the book was published by Baldini & Castoldi in 2014 as ''Il Cuore è Idiota''.
When
Fred Rogers
Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...
of the
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...
television program
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' debu ...
died in February 2003, ''The New York Times'' ran an
Op-Ed
An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. ...
by Rothbart about his childhood encounters with Rogers similar to his story on ''This American Life''. Rothbart's other work on ''This American Life'' includes stories about his deaf mother, Barbara Brodsky, a channeler and meditation teacher; a longtime friend seeking advice about an unplanned pregnancy; and his Chicago ticket scalping career. Rothbart also writes for ''
GQ'', ''
The Believer
Believer(s) or The Believer(s) may refer to:
Religion
* Believer, a person who holds a particular belief
** Believer, a person who holds a particular religious belief
*** Believers, Christians with a religious faith in the divine Christ
*** Beli ...
'', ''
New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
'', ''
Grantland
''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed ...
'', ''
Dwell'', ''
SLAM Magazine
''Slam'' is an American basketball magazine in circulation since 1994.
History
''Slam'' was launched in 1994 as a basketball magazine that combined the sport with hip hop culture at a time when the genre was becoming increasingly popular. It w ...
'', ''Maxim'', and ''The Sun'', and has a recurring column in ''
Los Angeles Magazine
''Los Angeles'' magazine is a monthly publication dedicated to covering Los Angeles. Founded in the spring of 1961 by David Brown, the magazine is currently owned and published by Hour Media Group, LLC. Los Angeles magazine's combination of feat ...
''.
In February 2013, TED released Rothbart's e-book ''How Did You End Up Here?: The Surprising Ways Our Questions Connect Us'', which provides useful conversation-starters and reflections on the value of talking to strangers. Rothbart has spoken at numerous TEDx events, the PopTech Conference, CUSP, AIGA San Francisco, Nike, EA Sports, Amazon, and ad agency
Wieden+Kennedy
Wieden+Kennedy (W+K; earlier styled ''Wieden & Kennedy'') is an American independent global advertising agency best known for its work for Nike. Founded by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy, and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, it is one of th ...
, and hosted TEDxIndianapolis in October, 2013.
At the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, Rothbart won the Arthur Miller Award, the Lawrence Kasdan Scholarship, and nine Hopwood Awards, making him the most decorated writer in the school's 205-year history.
Film
In December 2006,
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and ...
released Rothbart's documentary film ''How We Survive'' about the punk rock band
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rooted in ha ...
on a DVD called ''
Generation Lost''. His second Rise Against documentary, ''
Another Station: Another Mile'', which follows the band as they write songs for a new album and perform shows around the world, was released in October 2010, and was among the year's bestselling music DVDs in the U.S. and Germany. In May 2011, Rothbart directed a behind-the-scenes featurette for ItGetsBetter.org about the making of Rise Against's "Make It Stop" video, which was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award. Rothbart and Rise Against lead singer
Tim McIlrath are former roommates.
In the spring of 2008, ''
Easier with Practice'', a film based on an article Rothbart wrote for ''GQ'' about his life on tour, was shot in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The movie, written and directed by
Kyle Patrick Alvarez, stars
Brian Geraghty
Brian Timothy Geraghty (born May 13, 1975) is an American actor, known for his roles in the 2005 film '' Jarhead'', the 2008 film '' The Hurt Locker'', and in the 2012 film ''Flight'', along with his recurring role in the HBO drama series ''Boar ...
(''The Hurt Locker; Boardwalk Empire'') as Davy and Kel O'Neill as Davy's brother; it premiered June 12, 2009 at the
CineVegas Film Festival CineVegas was a film festival held annually at the Palms Casino Resort in Paradise, Nevada that ran from 1999 to 2009, typically in early June. CineVegas was originally held at Bally's. The first Festival featured “The Best of the Fests”, showc ...
and was awarded the Grand Jury Prize by actor and festival chairman
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in '' Giant'' (1956). In the next ten year ...
. ''Easier With Practice'' premiered internationally at the Edinburgh Film Festival, where it won the prize for Best Feature. In December 2009, ''Easier With Practice'' was nominated for two
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass ...
. The film was released in theaters in February 2010, and met with great critical success: ''The Los Angeles Times'' called ''Easier With Practice'' "fresh, flawless, and totally captivating," and ''The Village Voice'' praised the film as "emotionally honest and achingly true."
In January 2009, Rothbart filmed his first full-length narrative feature, ''Overhaul'', which stars rapper Daniel "D Shot" Garvatt as a pizza driver in desperate circumstances on New Year's Eve. Rothbart himself delivered for Bell's Pizza in Ann Arbor, Michigan for six years. ''Overhaul'' was scheduled to be released in 2015.
From late 2010 to spring of 2012, Rothbart filmed a documentary called ''
Medora'', which follows a resilient high-school basketball team in the small, struggling town of Medora, Indiana. The film, co-directed by Rothbart and Andrew Cohn, premiered at
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...
in 2013
and was released in theaters in fall 2013, receiving widespread praise from ''The New York Times'', ''The Village Voice'', ''NPR,'' ''The Los Angeles Times'', and ''The Washington Post'', which named it one of the Best Films of 2013. Currently, ''Medora'' holds a 92% "Fresh" rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
. The film aired in April, 2014 on the acclaimed PBS series
Independent Lens, earning an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
. The documentary was produced by Beachside Films and Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, and Wren Arthur of Olive Productions, among others.
Rothbart is the subject of a documentary, directed by David Meiklejohn, called ''My Heart Is An Idiot'', which premiered in April 2011, and screened in twenty U.S. cities that spring. He has also made token appearances as an actor, including a role as Miami night club manager Jake Sylvano in the film ''The Strongest Man'', directed by Kenny Riches, which premiered in January, 2015 at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
.
In 2021, Rothbart's documentary ''
17 Blocks
''17 Blocks'' is a 2019 American documentary film, directed by Davy Rothbart, written by Rothbart and Jennifer Tiexiera
Jennifer Tiexiera is an American documentary filmmaker. She is known for directing the films '' P.S. Burn This Letter Ple ...
'', which tracks the Sanford Family in Southeast Washington, D.C. over the course of 20 years, was released by MTV Documentary Films, executive produced by
Sheila Nevins, with impact partners Black Lives Matter, D.C., and
Everytown for Gun Safety. The film earned rapturous praise, including rave reviews in ''Variety'', which called it "a singular achievement in documentary filmmaking," ''The New York Times'' ("unshakable!"), and ''Screen International'': "Boyhood N' The Hood... packed with gritty realism. We marvel at the hidden powers of the powerless; how, when nearly broken, some people grow back stronger... And we're invited to celebrate the possibilities of change." ''17 Blocks'' holds a 100% "Fresh" rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, with 27 reviews. For his work directing and producing ''17 Blocks'', Rothbart was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. The film also received two Cinema Eye Honors Award nominations. ''17 Blocks'' won top festival awards at the Tribeca Film Festival, Woodstock, Telluride Mountainfilm, São Paulo, Melbourne, Karlovy Vary, San Francisco, Zurich, and 25 other festivals, and was also released widely across France in June, 2021, and in Japan in November, 2021, under the title ''Landscape of Family''.
Washington To Washington
Rothbart is the founder of ''Washington To Washington'', an annual hiking adventure which brings inner-city kids from Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and Southeast Michigan to New Hampshire for a climb to the top of Mt. Washington. He directs the ''Found Magazine'' Prison Pen-Pal Program, connecting ''Found'' readers on the outside with those behind bars, and is also active with the youth writing programs
826 National,
826michigan, and
826LA.
Personal life
A graduate of the alternative
Community High School and the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, Rothbart lives in
Ann Arbor
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
and Los Angeles, California. His brother is photojournalist
Michael Forster Rothbart.
Radio
Davy Rothbart's stories were featured on the following episodes of
This American Life
''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internatio ...
:
184 – Neighbors212 – The Other Man224 – Middlemen239 – Lost in America262 – Miracle Cures306 – Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time327 – By Proxy
References
External links
17 BlocksFound MagazineMy Heart Is An IdiotMedora21 Balloons ProductionsWashington To WashingtonDavy Rothbart on Late Show with David Letterman (Oct. 2004)Davy Rothbart on Late Show with David Letterman (April 2004)PopGurls Interview: Davy Rothbart20 Questions with Davy RothbartDavy Rothbart, My Heart is an Idiot blog on AOL Life & StyleDavy Rothbart – MIPtalk.com InterviewSong about Davy Rothbartby
Papa Razzi and the Photogs.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothbart, Davy
1975 births
Writers from Ann Arbor, Michigan
Living people
This American Life people
University of Michigan alumni