Official Site of Mark Whitney - Fool For A Client: An Award-Winning Saga Of Litigation

PRESS/MEDIA CENTER
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
Mark Whitney To Once Again Tour "FOOL FOR A CLIENT"ť
His Award-Winning, Five-Star, One-Man Political Dramedy
[Image Gallery]

SAN DIEGO, CA - Thoreau writes "Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it."

   Caught in a lie because the people he lies to are caught in a lie and facing 225 years in Federal prison, Mark Whitney, the world's greatest vacuum cleaner salesman represents himself at trial, where he learns everyone's selling a vacuum cleaner.
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   A story as powerful and relevant as it is true, Fool For A Client, Whitney's high-energy, award-winning, five-star, one-man political dramedy, deftly and hilariously explores the inherent tension between the Golden Rule and the Rule of Law, tolerance and zero tolerance, fear and freedom.
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   This story of individualism and risk versus bureaucracy and control centers around the epic ten year battle between a lousy student who makes $50,000 his first year out of high school selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door and the United States Government, represented by a seemingly endless array of insidious bankers, lawyers, tax collectors, FBI agents, politicians, judges, prosecutors, prison guards and probation officers.
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   Freedom to Mark means no rules and a lot of money! He comes of age in the seventies. The American Dream is alive and well. "Our parents are geniuses. They know that fear and anxiety burns calories!" he recalls.
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   Mark wonders how his sons will find their way in America 2.0. "You agree to work on commission, there's a chance you won't get paid. Today nobody wants to take a chance. It's not about the American Dream anymore. It's about safety, security, resource officers and extended warranties. Our new national slogan oughtta' be, 'Better Safe Than Sorry,'" he laments.
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   A self-made millionaire at 28, the entrepreneurial Whitney gives $60,000 to Ben and Jerry for the franchise rights to New Hampshire, then immediately borrows $2 million from a small, rogue bank that's up for sale even as the Feds investigate it for predatory lending. That's the bank's secret.
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   Mark's secret is he lies to get the money by documenting his personal income with unfiled tax returns.
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   Everybody's lying. Everybody's making money. Things couldn't be better. But when the Feds squeeze the bank, the bank squeezes Mark with a court order to close his stores even though his $25,000 monthly payments are current. The next day, Mark secures a court order of his own and the stores re-open. But now he's in litigation. "Litigation's a machine you enter as a pig and come out as a sausage!" Mark says.
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   When the money runs out the lawyers declare victory. Mark loses everything and is bankrupt.
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   Worried about a pending indictment for tax fraud, he takes the advice of a lawyer-friend who tells him he can defeat any potential prosecution by confessing to IRS. Mark amends his returns, incurs a million dollar debt to IRS and unwittingly triggers a two year FBI investigation that culminates in his indictment, arrest and prosecution for bank fraud.
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   Turns out his Electrolux training - dump a lot of dirt, answer questions with questions, control the debate, give a detailed presentation, change a word or two here and there, finesse the situation, cheat along the edges - is precisely the same training the pit-bull Federal prosecutors received at Harvard Law.
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   Through thousands of hours of self-directed study behind prison walls, Mark masters The Rules and learns to "lie truthfully" - just like the real lawyers. Mark's such a good student he stands the legal system on its head, in what Senior United States District Court Judge Shane Devine calls a "saga of litigation."
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REVIEWS
   "Mark Whitney went from selling vacuum cleaners to opening Ben & Jerry's franchises to 700 days in the federal penitentiary for fraud. Now he's turning his travails into comedy. With a keen eye for shadiness and an involuntary reflex to cut right through it in humorous, politically incorrect fashion. Whitney takes aim at several deserving targets. Among them are Government agencies that have long since departed ways with common sense, a justice system sometimes at odds with the truth, and child-coddling baby boomers, including himself. (In a funny bit that makes a point about 'back in the day,' Whitney pulls out a pair of JARTS in retrospect, the wildly dangerous lawn dart toy from the 1970s). At its best, ['Fool For A Client'] is subversive. It may even make some squirm from all the honesty."ť ~Mark Collins, Theatre Critic, Boulder Daily Camera, 8/24/2007

"FIVE STARS! Five times funnier than Lewis Black and Tim Allen combined! Mark should have his own HBO special within the year! Unfortunately, he'll never sign the contract." ~Chris Critic, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Boulder International Theatre Festival

"Mark Whitney gave an invigorating one-man performance about a regular guy who fails to pay his income tax for a measly 1 million dollars. It was a fascinating piece. The audience is faced with a guy who could be the all American next door hero who commits asocial acts. There was lots of warm comedy that got fine audience responses." ~Robert Anthony, AllArtsReview4u.com-"The Best of The Best", July 29, 2007

"Holy shit, was I ever in the audience for this show. He starts out with a few enjoyable rifts on government-speak, including 'tolerance'ť and 'zero-tolerance,'ť and I find myself thinking that I enjoyed it, and agreed with the basic point, but wished there was more of a spirit of anger informing it. Wow, did I speak too soon! Bleak, bitter, and funny as hell, this show works precisely because it recognizes that there's nothing funny about the ideas it's ridiculing. It tells the story of a man trapped between banks, law firms, the IRS, the Supreme Court, and the weight of the US government and his frenzied attempts to beat the legal system at its own game, to win back his liberty and his family. It doesn't shy away from just how totally, unapologetically fucked all of us are, and that it's not just a minor inconvenience, it's not just some silly, bureaucratic hassle that we're all trapped as part of a system that ruthlessly destroys people's lives. I want people to see this show, not just because I'm in passionate agreement with its message, but because it's good satire, dark, mean, smart, and hilarious. Mark wrestles with ideas that almost nobody else is onstage right now, so please, please, please make an effort to see this show."ť ~Phillip Low, Theatre Critic, Iowa & Minnesota Theatre Festivals, July 23, 2007

"FIVE STARS! On Saturday evening at 9:30, I had one ticket left. I couldn't decide whether to catch another show or just go home. I was in the mood for something light and funny. I got 'funny,' but it was hardly light. Mark Whitney is an irreverent, Libertarian comedian who will offend both liberals and conservatives or anyone who still believes that our cherished rights are not being compromised daily by oligarchs who manipulate the rules to suit their agendas. He has one show left. If you like Lewis Black's outrageous comedy, you'll like Mark Whitney as he takes you on his personal journey from successful entrepreneur to convicted felon to successful entrepreneur and now comedian." ~Richard, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Iowa Theatre Festival

"FIVE STARS! Edge of my seat, wide awake, never knew what was coming next, brilliant script and energetic performance. Great.+" ~Ina Robbins, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! By far, the BEST theatre performance I've seen in years! A funny, scary, alarming and touching one man show about his true life-altering experience with the U.S. Justice System. You must see this show if you see any!" ~Mary Belochi, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! Excellent! He told a fascinating story with some spot-on social commentary as well. There were several hilarious moments that had our group near tears. We saw the last show here in Minneapolis. We will watch for this guy next year." ~Kristi Lawless, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! Fantastic! A super talent. We were kept laughing until the tears flowed. You don't know what you missed!" ~by James Holmen, Patron Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! I laughed out loud throughout and left feeling good. The story is a classic American struggle of individualism and risk versus bureaucracy and control. I loved the free-wheeling spirit." ~Alan Davis, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! Not what I expected and that is what made it so interesting in addition to being funny. The piece provided great insight with a lovable quirkiness. The performer was brilliant and has a great niche. I am an attorney and loved his spearing of my profession. Don't miss it!" ~Scott R., Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! Stand Up Truth! Mark does a wonderful job of telling his own strange history and relating it to our own lives in this country. I found him funny and sincere. While skewering our twisted economic, judicial and criminal systems, Mark helps us empathize with his experience and sympathize with those who do not have the 'skills' he has who are caught in the system. Loved it!" ~Mark Long, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! Captivating Storyteller! This was a great 'rags to riches to prison to riches' story." ~Michael Heise, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! Funny funny funny man!" ~Lee McLaughlin, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! Mark Twain meets Lewis Black! Run, don't walk, to this show!" ~Chris Davis, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! Amazing story-inspiring. I assume his story is true-if so he is one survivor." Allegra, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! Leaves you laughing and very sad at the same time since his story is true and a sad commentary on our country's political and legal system. A must see! Excellent!" ~Barbara K., Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! It was devastating! The story had to be told. It would have been too difficult if it had not been done with humor. It was definitely also a suspense drama. I was clutching my bag nearly the whole time." ~Michelle Hastings, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS for the spangled, at times tangled banner that breezes behind the heroic tales that is Mark Whitney! Whitney may not realize what a great comic he is. He is partially blinded by his storyteller gift. His jokes, the condensed material, sit like hovering 'T' balls and every time he's up to bat we're screaming in the bleechers, 'HOME RUN!' I have ZERO TOLERANCE for ZERO TOLERANCE and I'm not going to take it anymore!!!" ~Snap Shot Sneak Peek, Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

"FIVE STARS! This was a total knockout and hysterically funny. Mark is truly irrepressable in every sense of the word. One of the best of a great festival!" ~Cary M., Patron/Reviewer, 2007 Tour

Critic, Boulder Daily Camera, 8/24/2007
BIO
   Mark Whitney is a performer, writer, producer and entrepreneur. He has studied with the San Francisco Comedy College and New York's American Comedy Institute. Mark tours his award-winning, one-man, political dramedy to sold-out venues internationally.
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   He is the Winner of the 2005 San Francisco Comedy Convention. At the 2007 IOWA THEATRE FESTIVAL, Mark decisively won BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE when readers of the Des Moines Register gave him 20% of the vote in a 50 show field. At the 2007 D.C. THEATRE FESTIVAL in Washington, based on audience ballots, Mark won the coveted BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE in this 100 show festival. At the 2007 BOULDER INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL Mark's show received the highest rating of the five most reviewed shows in a 75 show field. (31 reviews, averaging 4.75 stars out of 5.00).

   In 2006 Mark founded the San Diego Comedy Co-op; a comedy theatre and workout room for Southern California comedians. Mark's favorite thing to do is perform his 90 minute one-man theatre show. However, he performs stand-up at New York's Broadway and Gotham Comedy Clubs; London's Comedy Cafe; Boston's Comedy Connection; Hollywood's Comedy Store, Improv and Laugh Factory, as well as other lesser known venues.)

   Mark is the only high school educated pro-se defendant in history to defeat the United States Department of Justice on three separate occasions in the United States Court of Appeals. Significantly, one of Mark's appeals made so-called "new law" when, on April 13, 1993, then-Chief Judge Stephen Breyer of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (now on the U.S. Supreme Court) granted Mark's novel argument that the 1984 Federal Bail Reform Act compelled Federal courts to immediately release non-violent Federal criminal defendants from prison pending resentencing. Mark reversed the sentencing and detention related orders of Senior Federal District Judge Shane Devine on three occasions, prompting the court to note Mark's "considerable ingenuity and resourcefulness." In legal papers, the United States Attorney calls Mark "master litigator."

   From 1994-1996, Mark collaborated with noted defense attorney F. Lee Bailey in United States v. Roger Lussier. Among other things, Mark originated the legal argument that resulted in the reversal of a $426,000 restitution order against Lussier (a former bank president with an eighth grade education) when he discovered that the order entered at the Government's behest by Senior Federal District Judge Franklin S. Billings related to conduct for which Lussier was never charged or convicted. In Lyndonville Savings Bank v. Lussier, Mark also played a significant behind the scenes role in the reversal, by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, of an $8 million civil judgment entered against Lussier in favor of his former bank employer. On the losing end of that appeal is the infamous Boston firm, Hale & Dorr, of A Civil Action fame.

   In 1995, Mark sought an injunction against Federal Probation when it refused to allow him to have contact with convicted felons as a post-conviction consultant under the supervision of defense attorneys in Federal cases. United States District Judge William Sessions, refused to issue the injunction. He simply told Probation to leave Mark alone.
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   Mark founded and is president of TheLaw.net Corporation which competes in the market space dominated by WestLaw and Lexis; now in it's tenth year. Legal analysts have welcomed TheLaw.net as a much needed low-cost alternative to West and Lexis. Thousands of attorneys, judges, prosecutors and law professors from coast-to-coast and around the world rely on TheLaw.net to find answers to their toughest legal research questions. TheLaw.net is otherwise provided at no charge to several non-profit, pro-bono legal-aid offices around the country.
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   Another research company Mark co-founded in 1997, Advanced Internet Recruitment Strategies (AIRS), has since trained more than 55,000 corporate Americans, generated millions, and is considered the world leader in recruiter training and assessment programs.
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   In 1996, Mark was a candidate for the Vermont Senate. In 2005 he was elected to the Executive Committee of the California Libertarian Party and the Libertarian Party National Committee. Mark supports the Bill of Rights and the Constitution and is pro-choice on just about everything.
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   Mark is currently adapting his live theatre production for the page, screen and lecture circuit. The book and movie versions of Fool For A Client, will be available in theatres, stores and on the law and business school lecture circuits, respectively, in 2009.
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   Mark and his wife of 26 years, Julie, live in San Diego, California and South Hero, Vermont. The Whitneys have two good sons and three bad cats.

   Mark and his wife of 26 years, Julie, live in San Diego, California and South Hero, Vermont. The Whitneys have two good sons and three bad cats.
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FMI, Mark Whitney, mark@markwhitney.com, 1.888.JOSHING
6640 Lusk Blvd. Suite A205. San Diego, CA 92121 www.markwhitney.com - Image Gallery

   Upon request, performance DVDs, a more detailed overview and/or the script can be made available to bonafide theatre critics and reporters.