Frank D'Angelo
Frank D'Angelo | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 23, 1959 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, filmmaker, actor, television presenter |
| Known for | Founder of D'Angelo Brands; former CEO of Steelback Brewery; host of The Being Frank Show |
Frank D'Angelo (born April 23, 1959) is a multifaceted Canadian entrepreneur, known for his roles as a singer-songwriter, filmmaker, actor, and television presenter. He is primarily recognized for establishing D'Angelo Brands and previously operating the now-closed Steelback Brewery.
In the entertainment sector, D'Angelo gained prominence through his music career, releasing 18 studio albums, and as the host of The Being Frank Show, a late-night talk show he produced himself. This program ran for 13 seasons on Hamilton's Super Station CHCH-TV and was accessible nationwide via Bell Satellite TV and most cable providers. Additionally, he has been involved in producing several feature films under the banner of In Your Ear Productions.
Early life
Born in Toronto to Italian immigrant parents Giuseppe and Carmela D'Angelo, Frank was introduced early to business through his father's ownership of Napoli Foods. Demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit at the age of nine by subcontracting his newspaper delivery route, he later juggled several sales jobs concurrently and had acquired his first home by age 20. His initial experience in the food sector came from working within his family business until Napoli was acquired by Saputo.
D'Angelo Brands
D'Angelo is the founder and current president of D'Angelo Brands, Inc., a Canadian company specializing in beverage and canned food production and distribution. The enterprise began in 1986 with door-to-door apple juice sales and expanded rapidly with financial support from Canadian politician Al Palladini. Although the company sought creditor protection in late 2007, it was repurchased on February 16, 2008, by a family-owned numbered corporation. One of its notable products includes the energy drink Cheetah Power Surge. A distinctive marketing effort featured Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson in a commercial formatted like a talk show titled 'Being Frank', which eventually inspired D'Angelo's own talk show.
Steelback
D'Angelo launched Steelback Brewery in September 2002, serving as its CEO. Between 2002 and 2007, he was prominently featured in Steelback's advertising campaigns, which reportedly cost approximately $15 million annually. These advertisements frequently aired during prime times on Hockey Night In Canada, showcasing hockey personalities such as Shayne Corson, Darcy Tucker, and Phil Esposito. Following financial difficulties in late 2007, D'Angelo was removed from leadership, and by 2010 Steelback Brewery had ceased operations.
The company faced criticism for amassing debts exceeding $120 million, largely due to expensive promotional activities involving D'Angelo and sports figures. Steelback filed for bankruptcy protection with over 400 creditors, including Bernard Sherman's Apotex, marketing agencies led by Mike Cecere, the Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa 67's hockey team, along with various sports organizations and charitable groups. Despite annual revenues near $3 million, advertising expenditures continued at about $15 million per year. Outstanding debts surpassed $100 million, with more than $20 million owed to Barry Sherman's Wasanda Enterprises.
Canadian Business magazine described Steelback as "a mistake from start to finish," highlighting issues such as ineffective marketing strategies, subpar packaging decisions, and inconsistent beer quality.
Restaurateur
For 17 years, D'Angelo was the proprietor of the Forget About It Supper Club located on King Street in Toronto. He produced and hosted his talk program, The Being Frank Show with Frank D'Angelo, initially filming it in the restaurant's basement studio for five seasons before relocating production to his InYourEar Studios in Mississauga for an additional eight seasons. The establishment has since ceased operations.
Sports
In 2006, D'Angelo's enterprise acquired the naming rights to the Steelback Centre in Sault Ste. Marie—the home arena for the Ontario Hockey League's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds—for $1.35 million over a decade, although a significant portion of the payment remained unsettled.
He showed intentions to resurrect the Canadian Football League's Ottawa Renegades under the name "Ottawa Steelbacks," but the league declined his ownership proposal due to concerns regarding his public reputation.
On December 18, 2006, D'Angelo, along with business partner Barry Sherman, announced their interest in acquiring the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins franchise.
In 2011, he appeared in a scripted confrontation with MMA fighter Francis Carmont, which was broadcast on Being Frank.
March 2012 marked the launch of Next Sport Star, a sports media platform featuring a weekly show hosted by Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Esposito and former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager Bill Watters. The venture received financial support from Canadian pharmaceutical magnate Bernard Sherman, who also invested in D'Angelo's Steelback Brewery project.
Politics
After Toronto Mayor John Tory resigned in February 2023, D'Angelo declared his candidacy for the 2023 Toronto mayoral by-election. His campaign emphasized six principal areas: upgrading municipal infrastructure, enhancing public transit systems, tackling climate change challenges, alleviating homelessness, expanding affordable housing options, and improving urban safety.
He finished 26th among 102 contenders with a total of 343 votes (0.05%) in the June 26 election. That night, he expressed gratitude to his supporters and extended congratulations to winner Olivia Chow through social media channels.
Live performances
Motivated by his musical influence Gino Vannelli, D'Angelo toured across Canada in 1978 with his band. Presently, he leads a 24-member ensemble bearing his name, previously affiliated with his Steelback brewery brand and including Mike Reno from Loverboy.
In 2007, he took the stage at Casino Sault Ste. Marie following a charity hockey event sponsored by Steelback Brewery. Additionally, he performed the national anthem at Toronto Argonauts CFL games backed by Steelback. Despite these appearances, audience reactions were varied; notably, during a 2007 game against the Montreal Alouettes, he was met with boos and subsequently issued an apology for an off-key performance described as resembling a "Vegas lounge act."
November 2009 saw D'Angelo release an RnB-style rendition of "Silent Night," with all proceeds directed to homeless charities in Toronto. He has also actively volunteered to support homelessness causes.
On April 29, 2010, he organized the Frank D'Angelo Benefit Concert at Hugh's Room in Toronto to raise funds for Haitian earthquake relief efforts; the event featured a keynote speech by Phil Esposito.
D'Angelo and his band have performed at numerous venues including an HMV store in Woodbridge (2011), his own Forget About It Supper Club in Toronto (2014), and at the Taste of the Danforth food festival (2014). On April 16, 2016, they played at Seneca Queen Theatre in Niagara Falls to promote screenings of his film Sicilian Vampire.
Albums and videos
Frank D'Angelo and the Steelback 2-4's launched their first album, You Gotta Believe to Believe (2007), with proceeds benefiting Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, the Breast Cancer Society, and Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. Their follow-up album, Full Circle, arrived in May 2009, containing nine original compositions alongside four cover tracks. To date, D'Angelo has produced 18 studio albums featuring over 150 original songs, which have been distributed internationally through Sony Orchard and are accessible on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and other digital services. His YouTube channel, frankdangelomusic, serves as the repository for all his music videos and film trailers.
Television
In November 2010, D'Angelo debuted The Being Frank Show by acquiring airtime on Canadian television stations, with its initial broadcast on CHCH TV in Hamilton, Ontario. This Friday night program integrates commercial breaks that advertise D'Angelo Brands products. Additionally, he hosts NSS Live, a live webcast on nextsportstar.com airing Tuesdays and Thursdays, featuring guests including Phil Esposito and Bill Watters.
Radio
D'Angelo presents a one-hour radio program on Sundays via the Jewel Radio network across Canada; however, the show is presently on a temporary break.
Movies
Operating through his company In Your Ear Productions, D'Angelo has written, produced, directed, composed music for, and starred in nine feature films distributed through iTunes, Amazon, video-on-demand services, and cable channels in both Canada and the United States. His cinematic career began with Real Gangsters (2013), followed by works such as The Big Fat Stone, No Deposit, and the horror drama Sicilian Vampire (2015). Later projects include The Red Maple Leaf (2016), The Neighborhood (2017), which premiered at Toronto's Italian Contemporary Film Festival, The Joke Thief (2018) co-starring Steven Kerzner, as well as The Last Big Save and Making a Deal with the Devil. In 2019, he took a supporting role in Kire Paputts' film The Last Porno Show. His most recent production has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Style and approach
As a self-taught filmmaker, D'Angelo typically operates under tight shooting timelines and frequently employs multiple cameras to simultaneously capture close-up and wide-angle footage. He often casts familiar actors such as Tony Nardi, Daniel Baldwin, Jason Blicker, John Ashton, Alyson Court, and Art Hindle. His films also include prominent guest appearances from actors like Margot Kidder, James Caan, Paul Sorvino, and Martin Landau.
Criticism
D'Angelo utilizes four wall distribution combined with limited regional theater releases by funding production costs himself and renting screens in major markets alongside co-investors such as business partner Barry Sherman. Several former Hollywood actors received cash payments to appear with him in what some have termed "the world's most expensive celebrity selfie." He submits his films to various independent festivals of uncertain credibility, earning multiple awards at events like the Action on Film Festival. This methodology has attracted criticism, branding him as a notably controversial figure within the film industry.
His movie Sicilian Vampire was met with severe critical disapproval, underscoring the difficulties inherent in his self-financed, vanity-driven filmmaking approach.
James Caan
Following his role in D'Angelo's Sicilian Vampire, James Caan was notably absent from the film's premiere and later revealed that financial difficulties stemming from divorce-related legal matters compelled him to work with the "questionably skilled" director. Caan characterized his part as degrading and showed hesitation about participating in any future projects by D'Angelo. Despite this, he returned to collaborate with D'Angelo in the 2017 film The Red Maple Leaf.
Sexual assault allegations
On June 9, 2007, D'Angelo was taken into custody on accusations of sexually assaulting the 21-year-old daughter of a business associate. While he acknowledged engaging in sexual activity, he maintained it was consensual and was ultimately acquitted on April 21, 2009. Justice John Hamilton found both individuals credible but indicated that D'Angelo "may be" or is "probably" culpable despite the not guilty verdict.
Obstruction of Justice allegations
Soon after his acquittal, D'Angelo hosted an event at his Forget About It Supper Club attended by Ontario Provincial Police sergeant Michael Rutigliano and crown prosecutors Richard Bennett and Domenic Basile. On May 14, Rutigliano faced charges for attempting to influence the judicial process and conspiring with D'Angelo to obstruct prosecution. The next day, D'Angelo was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice. His initial court hearing in Brampton, set for June 8, 2009, was postponed until May 31, 2010. On September 2, 2010, the obstruction charges against D'Angelo were permanently dropped.
Libel suit
In June 2007, D'Angelo initiated a $2 million defamation lawsuit against blogger Neate Sager regarding an unrelated post. The case was dismissed after Sager issued a formal apology.
Mike Zigomanis lawsuit
Following the demotion of former Toronto Maple Leafs player Mike Zigomanis to a minor league team and the emergence of nude photographs he had sent to a former girlfriend online, D'Angelo terminated Zigomanis’s role as a "brand ambassador" for Cheetah energy drinks, citing the morals clause in his agreement. Zigomanis pursued legal action for breach of contract and secured a $262,500 settlement in November 2016.
Death of Barry Sherman
D'Angelo has been identified as a possible suspect in the unresolved homicide of his longtime business partner Barry Sherman. In an October 2018 Bloomberg News report, D'Angelo expressed sorrow over Sherman’s passing, describing it as "the worst thing that could have happened" and regretting his inability to protect his close associate.