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Marked Man
Rapping to the masses: Matthew Lesko with Darryl Wheeler, left, and Matthew Talley, trying a new infomercial jingle that promises to "getcha money."
(By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)
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"It's always free money and information," says Mary Ann Martello, his researcher for the past 20 years. "Matthew comes up with a title and I find things to put in the book."
"They're all basically the same," Lesko admits. "All that changes is the title."
And even the titles don't change very much -- "Free Stuff for Seniors" and "Free Stuff for Busy Moms" and "Free Money to Quit Your Job" and his personal favorite title, "Free Money to Change Your Life."
About a decade ago, Lesko started wearing his question-mark suits, not just in infomercials but everywhere. At first his wife and their two sons -- Morgan, now 25, and Max, 22 -- were a little taken aback, but now they're used to it. "It's fun," Wendy says, "particularly in this town where everybody dresses like a penguin."
To create his first infomercials, Lesko spent a lot of money hiring Hollywood professionals. Now, he hires eager young kids who shoot cheap and edit on laptops. "They're terrific," he says. "They work for dirt and they're excited and they have good ideas."
Lesko found Fleg, his latest director, by putting an ad on Craigslist. Fleg answered it and agreed to produce ads for $1,500 apiece. At that price, Lesko can afford to shoot an ad, then test it on cheap rural cable stations, and toss it out if it doesn't sell.
"I remember his ads from when I was a little kid," says Fleg, "so it's nice to be actually directing him."
On Location . . . in Laurel
Holding a boombox in one hand and his script in the other, Lesko dances across the handicapped parking spaces of a bowling alley in Laurel, bouncing from one leg to the other, trying to learn the lines of his rap before Fleg starts shooting the new commercial.
You say you spend big money
And you buyin' all that bling
But I got more money
And I'm riding limousines
