Social Study
Greensburg native Todd Gallagher finds success in social experiments .
By Jennifer Brozak
To say that Todd Gallagher has lived an unconventional life is an understatement .
He once returned to high school at the age of 33 — as a student . He ’ s had tennis great Andy Roddick beat him with a frying pan , and even challenged Michael Phelps to a $ 50,000 bet that he could beat him in any sport ... outside of swimming , that is .
Gallagher , a native of the Greensburg area , has built a career out of conducting what he calls “ social experiments ,” in which he places himself in unknown , uncomfortable or outright awkward situations — and then turns his experiences into books or documentaries . His first book , “ Andy Roddick Beat Me with a Frying Pan : Taking the Field with Pro Athletes and Olympic Legends to Answer Sports Fans ’ Burning Questions ,” was published in 2007 . In it , Gallagher conducts a series of experimental athletic tests with some of sports ’ most notable athletes . As the title suggests , he wonders what would happen if a regular guy like himself challenged Roddick to a tennis match , with the tennis pro using a frying pan for a racket ( Roddick still won ). He takes on PGA golfer Rocco Mediate in a game of miniature golf ( Mediate also won ), and puts a hockey goalie in a fat suit to see if filling up the net with girth would make him more effective ( it didn ’ t ). The book became an Amazon best seller .
In 2009 , Gallagher enrolled as a student at Trinity Christian School in Forest Hills to film a documentary . The goal of the experience was to help students survive their teen years . The film , entitled “ God Only Knows ,” is currently in test screenings and is slated for release this year .
“ The social experiments really are mostly a form of therapy . I pick things I would either find miserable , am scared by or want to experience and then do them under the premise of ‘ art ,’” Gallagher explains . “ This goes for saying offensive things as well . That all falls under the category of ‘ social experiment .’ I ’ d highly recommend it to anyone .”
Gallagher lived in Jeannette before moving to Greensburg at the age of 10 . He attended the Valley School of Ligonier and then transferred to Greensburg Central Catholic . After high school , he says he “ tried college at Pitt and a couple of other places ,” but decided that formal education “ wasn ’ t for me after a certain point .”
After leaving college , he moved to Los Angeles and found work as a TV producer and writer for ESPN , a job that he acquired through unusual means .
“ There was no real exposure to this kind of life , so it made it harder to figure out how to go about it ,” he explains . “ And not having gone to college and with this being preinternet , it was pretty much guesswork . I spent a lot of time making cold calls , trying to get people to talk to me and give me a chance . My job at ESPN came about by calling in and pretending to be my own agent , after about a year of not being able to find work . For most jobs , you needed a referral and , because I didn ’ t know anyone would refer me anywhere , this was the route I chose . Right or wrong , it was my thought process at the time .”
While growing up in Westmoreland County may have hindered his ability to network , he appreciates the insight the area provided .
“ There ’ s a perspective that comes from being from this area where you get an understanding of a lot of different kinds of people and lifestyles ,” he says . “ I guess that ’ s true of anywhere , but it seems western PA has a lot of the mix that is presented at the center of media discussions .”
While he ’ s typically considered a comedic writer , he says he ’ s more interested in pointing out “ inconsistencies of thought ” that naturally veer into comedy .
“ For me it ’ s mostly a matter of putting small twists of tone or phrasing on my actual thoughts to make things comedic or more palatable ,” he explains .
No longer based solely in Los Angeles , Gallagher says he is “ traveling around ” and is working on the post-production of “ Popular ,” a documentary starring actor James Franco that explores the role popular culture plays in modern society . Also on deck for this year is the re-release of “ Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan .”
While his successes in the entertainment field are much appreciated , he also notes the sacrifices and frustrations they entail .
“ If you really want to make it , you will . It just depends on the path you choose . The question anyone needs to ask themselves is , ‘ Why am I doing this ?’ If it ’ s to make a living , that ’ s fine , but there are a lot of ways to do that which don ’ t involve writing or being a part of the entertainment business ,” he says .
“ I ’ d like to think that I ’ ve passed along decent ideas to people that could improve their thought process and logic , but at the same time , what do I know ?” he adds . “ My hunch from experience and observation is that there ’ s no chance at happiness and fulfillment from pursuing any kind of material or status goals . Working on the spiritual sickness inside of us and helping others who have problems on the basic human front — food , shelter , sickness — that ’ s the best we can do .” n
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