When entertainers are not entertaining others, they want to be entertaining others. That may sound a bit wacky to a non-entertainer, a 9-5 guy who works in an office can not exactly relate to the “itch” or “bug” that bites us before we go on stage.

And the second the curtain closes, we want to get back up there instantaneously. It's a blessing and a curse, it's often disruptive to our personal life especially if our close ones don't particularly share our passion for the spotlight. God bless my wife for not divorcing me with all the auditions and film shoots and other stuff I dragged her into.

Would I like to just be an actor and forget all the food stuff? I have been asked that before. Sure, it would be a dream to have a sitcom but even more of a dream to have a traveling food show like Guy Fieri. You have to understand, the streets are my stage when I am at an event, I promote a street fair like I'm in a Broadway play...Many of my fellow vendors also share my techniques—but let's face it—nobody promotes better than me. I am not trying to be cocky but this is why I am the Meatball King and stand out from everyone else am an always #1. That does not mean I am rich and super famous, this is a living and yes it comes with some notoriety but a street hustler is like a traveling stand-up comedian, we live from gig-to-gig. It's part of the thrill and the butterflies are the same along with many other things that this lifestyle brings like financial insecurity—yes we can make thousands of dollars in one day but then may go weeks without making a dime as opposed to your banker who brings home a set paycheck every single week. It's an emotional rollercoaster and not everyone is fit for it because there's also a lot of outside issues and people who want to keep you down and may not understand the details in the styles in which you do what you do.

I know a sell meatballs, but I am a ham, no pun intended. I admit it. And I always ham it up when I am in front of the camera. But there’s a fine line between being a ham and being a pig. Or a gavone as we say. It’s something I always made sure I kept in mind whenever the red light goes on. When you go on a TV show or do an interview whether it’s for the local or national news, or even if you do a show or video on the internet that’s professionally produced – it’s a whole other ballgame then when you shoot yourself with a flipcam. While you can attempt to retain some amount of “control” over the finished product—especially if you have a good working relationship with the filmmaker—overall, in the final editing room, your “story” becomes one that is ultimately shaped and created just like any other film or program.

So when people ask if reality shows are “real,” the only answer I can say is that “real” constitutes more than 50 percent of it being “unscripted,” with the rest being at least partially scripted (with participants “coached” by producers) and again, a scene becomes whatever looks best in the editing room—it may at times take a shape and form very unlike what you originally thought. You have to know all of this going in when you agree to any kind of public media appearance. I have done so many, by now, I know how the process works and I have been very fortunate for the most part to never feel that I was manipulated or that my words or actions were taken out of context in a light that would reflect poorly on me. I like to say that that reason is mainly connected to the fact that I don’t cross that line from ham to pig.

After several years now in the spotlight, I know how to play the “game.” I am not a “trained professional” in this industry, but really who is? Of course many “crew” workers behind the camera are indeed trained but the majority of performers or entertainers do what they do in front of the camera because it is an inherent talent and practice hones the craft. Look, I am not saying I am DeNiro in any way, but reporters are amazed at how easy I make their job and how I am familiar with so many of he routines of film production like it's second nature to me. Whether it’s knowing exactly how to hook on my pocket microphone or grabbing a white piece of paper so they can get “white balance.” Or, some other industry lingo like “O.T.F.” (a quick sidebar of a few words spoken by the actor directly to the camera about something that just took place) or “green screen” (an extensive interview in a formal setting done on a separate day from when you filmed an event which refers back to that particular event and is spliced into the scene later on for dramatic setup purposes). Often green screens are done all in one day where you change clothes multiple times for variety and you are sitting for several hours discussing multiple days and events.

I don’t think I am revealing any industry secrets here, this is just stuff I learned from filming for nearly a year with 495 Productions back in my Vh1 days and it’s been pretty clear to me that the process is the same with every appearance I have done since then. The reason I am getting into this takes me back to my opening statement. Yes I cook and serve meatballs as my primary profession but I am an entertainer at heart. “Johnny Meatballs” is a character I created not unlike “Buddy the Cake Boss” or anyone else you watch. The reason I bring him up for example is because when Buddy is off camera, there is just a more “toned down,” more reserved demeanor that he (or anyone) would display outwardly within a non-filmed “natural” environment. I am not saying that the on-screen Buddy or the on-screen Johnny Meatballs is not real, but a viewer needs to understand that when I say “ham it up,” one has to be “on” when the red light goes on. Meaning however you normally speak or convey yourself, you have to amp it up about 10 notches. It may seem a bit extreme or overly exaggerated when you first do this but you understand in the end why this is the case.

See, amping it up 10 notches when filming translates to about an increase in no more than about 5 percent of yourself when you watch it back on the screen. When music and screen text and graphics and cutting between screen shots and frames is occurring, there’s a lot going on there...so if you don’t increase your energy level and vernacular, your message will be lost or just hard to get through. And if you want to be a star, you really have to test yourself and go to the next level. Now this doesn’t really apply to dramatic movies, it would certainly resonate as phony or over the top in that scenario, what I am referring to is documentaries, docu-dramas, reality shows, any sort of comedic styled series, news magazine or really any general mainstream news program where you are appearing to promote yourself or your product or service. That's why celebrity chefs are the norm now. The celebrity word comes before the chef, not because they are fakes and can't cook (well, some can't but that's a topic for another day), but because they are selling themselves.

With me, I am always promoting all three branches of my tree. I am a brand / character / persona, who has a food product and serves it in a way that creates an “experience” to the customer in what I like to call a “dinner-theatre” setting. That’s what my upcoming movie, “The Johnny Meatballs Experience” is all about. As much as I share on facebook and in pictures and on this blog, there is so much that has not been shared, my filmmakers at Moy Motions Productions captured everything in my life over the past four months leading up to Super Bowl Sunday and there was never a moment that I was not “in the zone.” I go to another place when there are cameras around, honesty this is what I was born to do.

Nothing in the world makes me more comfortable than being in front of the camera. To a reporter who may be meeting me for the first time, they usually thank me for how smooth and easy things go. Like I said, you just do enough of this stuff, you learn a lot. Answering questions by rephrasing the question in your answer is a big one because the majority of the time, the interviewer and his/her words are not seen or heard in the final video. A few more tips include never wearing any clothing with company logos (unless they are your own) or making any references either visually in a scene or verbally to trademarked or protected entities. That’s why I have my own merchandise and t-shirts so I don’t have to worry about Nike suing me for endorsing one of their hats without a contract. I endorse my own Johnny Meatballs gear.

This may sound strange or complicated but it’s really very simple. If you’re getting interviewed and are drinking a water bottle, the Poland Spring label gets peeled off. And if you’re a singer, don’t think footage of you busting out the most recent Katy Perry tune will make it past the editing room unless it’s been pre-arranged, approved and a royalty agreement is in place. The only music that you will hear is “public domain” which is free and accessible when a certain number of years have been reached upon its original release date. That’s why I chose the classic “Tarantella” as the background track for “The Meatball Song” and why I can sing it anywhere anytime without worrying about copyright infringement.

With the clothing and catchphrases and music and everything else I do with regards to marketing, along with of course a somewhat theatrical way of speaking with positivity, high energy, hand gestures and embracing an overall transformation into Johnny Meatballs, that is my business blueprint. I don't deviate from that when I am in the public eye, even if I am feeling low for whatever reason. Such is the age old showbiz theory of the sad clown. But don't misunderstand, I am a happy person at heart, personally and professionally. Most of the time. We all have our bad days but generally, you will not see me sweat. All of this obviously goes way beyond scooping out meatballs onto a roll with some ricotta. I have said it many times, you have to sell the sizzle even more than the steak and I never would have been able to serve thousands and thousands of meatballs over the past five years if nobody knew who I was. A person can have the best product or service in the world but unless you stand out, you can’t compete—especially nowadays with corporate giants who can throw millions of dollars at creative ad campaigns or have a big time celebrity endorser.

I don’t mean to bore any of you with these details or crush anyone’s dreams about your favorite reality show stars. All I am saying is we are all actors and nobody has a gun to our heads when we go in the spotlight. Yes many times there is a level of unfair scrutiny when certain final cuts are edited less than favorably. But that goes with the territory. However, spewing arrows of hatred is not exactly the fairest thing to do either, and one should always reserve judgment in those instances and give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe now that I have indulged some of this, you will get a better picture of this process. But I still encourage you to suspend your disbelief and sit back and enjoy. Because at the end of the day, TV and movies are meant for entertainment purposes.

In addition to my documentary, I have been on an absolutely maddening media tour over the past few months, the most since “My Big Friggin’ Wedding.” Fox5, My9, yesterday all day with i-Italy NY TV and in a few weeks I will begin work on another network TV show. Due to confidentially agreements, I cannot reveal specifics, but it will be food related and I am sure it will contain drama and all the usual shock value moments but it’s not anything like “Friggin’” at all. And neither will my documentary.

The Johnny Meatballs Experience was made to change the perception about the New Jersey Italian-American. I did this to become a figurehead within this nationality and bridge the gap between the young, crazy party goers we’ve seen at the Jersey Shore and the older, “holier than thou” activists who protest everything as being “negatively stereotypical” in stuffy, formal forums. In many blogs, I explained how I am in the middle. The everyman. Not this wild frat boy but not some sophisticated scholar either. My movie will not have any sex or violence or drugs, it will have food and family and truly tell a story that everyone can relate to. Most specifically the real Italian-Americans from New Jersey who have been lost somewhere in all the extreme depictions we’ve seen over the past decade or so. The Garden State is my home, and I am eager to showcase it through my eyes to you all.

I personally guarantee you are going to love it. Just like I personally guarantee you will love my meatballs and I have never gotten a complaint. In the very near future, prepare for a lot more news and big developments coming via social media and on all other forms of media. The past few months in my life many significant occurrences took place and you will see them all in crystal clear detail. You will finally see the good, the bad and the ugly. But nothing that would embarrass me as a father and a husband. Every story has its arcs and every good story (when its about a good person) has redemption in the end. I like to consider myself a good person. I live for my family. And they were with me on this wild ride which all concluded yesterday. It was a very emotional day.

I already miss being in front of the camera...that itch never goes away for guys like me. For today though, things will be a little quiet and I will be more Johnny DeCarlo as opposed to Johnny Meatballs as domestic life is now at the forefront after an extremely hectic professional period. We made lots of meatballs, made a movie and made history. That was only chapter one though. I am making a major comeback that's going to blow everyone away and truly place me where I belong in the world of food and entertainment. It all started on Super Bowl Sunday and now stay tuned for an epic sequel.