Randy Barbato

Director & actor

Writer, director, and producer Randy Barbato has a soft spot for making films about public figures ostracized or misunderstood by the media and, by extension, society at large. Along with his life and creative partner, Fenton Bailey, Barbato has created some of the more groundbreaking and sometimes controversial documentaries and made-for-TV specials. A native of New Jersey, Barbato attended graduate film school at New York University, where he met Fenton Bailey, originally from Great Britain. Both dropped out after a year to form a pop band, The Pop Tarts. In 1990, the duo created their own company, World of Wonder Productions, with the intention of recording Pop Tarts music, but only after established companies rejected them.

Where to start: Party Monster (2003).