This week's AOTS co-host candidate is one Anthony Carboni. Who the heck is he? Here's a Q&A:
Where are you from?
Brooklyn. I’m reppin’ 718. Yeah, that’s right. Big ups.
What’s your occupation?
I don’t want to get heat on the forums, but I am an actor. But that basically means barista at Starbucks.
How long have you been pursuing acting?
I’ve been doing it about three years now. I do lot of student film stuff. I have a website called evilprimate.com, which has an improv movie short every week. But as we’ve all gotten busier, it’s more like once a month.
How did you hear about the co-hosting gig?
I saw it on the website, and on Craigslist, then about 15 people emailed it to me, and then relatives called. And I was like, “Okay. I get it. I’m coming out to the auditions.”
Why did everyone think you would make a good candidate for the job?
I’ve always been really “techie.” I had my first BBS at 9 years old. I’ve been an MCSE for about five years. I went to school for digital media, video, and animation. I love games—my first job was as assistant manager of a video games store. So I’m into everything that’s on the show. And I watch the show and the network a lot, so I guess people just that it would be a fit.
What are some of the geekiest things you’ve done?
Just the usual stuff: LAN parties, comic book conventions, I collect toys, I collect comic books. I still have 15 video game consoles, ranging from my original Atari to my Virtual Boy. This is pretty geeky: I have every American release ever for the Virtual Boy. I have the complete collection.
Do you actually play them?
I play them until my eyes bleed. And then I have to stop.
Rumor has it you brought a Link costume with you. Care to explain?
Well, okay—this was not a pre-existing Link costume, just so everybody knows, all right? It’s not like I had this Link costume that I’ve been waiting to use. I had a sketch idea and my plan was to shoot some of it so I could show it up here at the pitch, and just get the idea across. I had somebody make me a Link costume for that, so that’s why it’s here.
So you don’t actually…
No cosplay, all right? No bunny ears. All right, you furries, there’s none of that nonsense. I don’t go anthropomorphic, so you can just keep your hands off.
What kind of gaming allegiances do you have?
I’m a Nintendo fan, I’m a huge Sega fan. But I’ve always been platform agnostic; I’ve always owned everything from every generation. When I was 16-bit, I had my Super Nintendo, and my Genesis, and my 32x. In the 32-bit stuff, I had a PlayStation, a Saturn, a 3DO. But I lean more toward Nintendo and Sega stuff—I like things to be a little bit more classic, more arcade-y.
Are you more of a gamer or more of a tech geek?
More towards gamer these days because I haven’t been working in tech for a while, so I’ve kind of backed away from it a little bit. Plus, tech’s more expansive, man. If you don’t have a good job, you can’t keep up with the tech. That’s why I need this gig, Gavin Purcell.
Why do you think you’re the best candidate for this unique position?
I heard the other dudes hate everyone who watches the show. I heard they called everyone on the forum “losers” and “virgins.” I don’t want to spread a lot of rumors or anything, but I heard them talking and they were like, “What’s a Nintendo?” “What’s a BitTorrent?” “I don’t understand any of this stuff.” I just don’t think they can hack this, man. Also, I’m better looking.
AOTS fans are very particular. How do you plan to win them over?
I don’t know, man. I was reading that New York audition thread, and tensions are high. I just want to say first of all that I did NOT have an agent—I waited in line with everyone else. But I’m a fan of G4. I always have been. I’ve watched everything. I know my stuff. It’s not like I’m an outsider coming in. You don’t have to worry: I’m definitely 100 percent geek.
