Interview with Michael John Heagerty, AKA ToTs, Creator of The BIG Yellow Fellow
If you’ve ever spent any amount of time in Syracuse, New York, you either have seen or know Michael John Heagerty, creator of the BIG Yellow Fellow. There are three other gentleman in area code 315 with almost exactly the same name, but there is no one else like “ToTs” – Mike’s stage name for when he literally raps exclusively about potatoes.
It’s hard to find anyone just as passionate about Syracuse as ToTs is. As the Founder and “Chief Connections Officer” of NoExcuses Syracuse, he has made a legacy for himself by selflessly promoting the hidden wonders of the city through his custom tours where he explores local history, architecture, food, hotspots, and legends around Onondaga county.
No one has as sharp a memory as this guy.
As a local community entrepreneur, his most recent project – “The BIG Yellow Fellow” is receiving a lot of well-deserved media attention. I grabbed coffee with him at the Salina Street Cafe Kubal to find out what’s up.
Cunningham: So tell us about this project – The BIG Yellow Fellow – what is it?
ToTs: Basically, it’s a custom made “bar-cycle” [bicycle that is actually a bar at the same time] that will be a unique activity that promotes Syracuse and local small businesses.
Imagine spin class meets Happy Hour meets historic tour. [I just peed a little.]
Cunningham: How did you get the idea for this?
ToTs: They exist everywhere: the original “pedal pub” is from Holland. I had learned about it just through random online research and I ended up getting a lot of encouragement from people to bring it to Syracuse and then eventually create one for every major Upstate market.
Cunningham: What has the support been like so far from local businesses, media, and investors?
ToTs: We’re happy with the outcry of support from the local community. We’ve had everyone offer their services. One way or another we are going to make this a reality through selling advertising packages on it and receiving support from investors.
We’re not looking to purchase one from Minnesota, but custom fabricate it from the ground-up locally. Mike Giannattasio of SALT Makerspace here leads a team of “fabricators” who are building it.
Cunningham: As an entrepreneur, what kind of challenges and lessons have you learned already from this project?
ToTs: Mike is responsible for the making of the thing, so that leaves me as the full-time marketer and promoter of it. Creating relationships with investors and future collaborates, I have to communicate to people that we are not making a crazy drunken contraption that will someday crash into the Carrier Dome, but it’s a new cool way to help you enjoy exploring our city.
Cunningham: How do you manage your intense fashion lifestyle, the time in the limelight, your immense fandom, and being the crowned prince of the local hospitality industry?
ToTs: I don’t sleep. Much. [Laughs, tells me to write “insert giggles” – “No! I’m not writing that!”]
Cunningham: So what can our readers do to help?
ToTs: Right now, it’s all about the GoFundMe page, as the tentative deadline is February 12th. It’s important that the readers know we’re not looking for handouts, we’re not “internet pan-handling,” as it were.
We’re offering a few really cool things we’re giving to people who fund us:
- 3D-printed keychains,
- ride on The BIG Yellow Fellow during the St. Pat’s parade!
- swag: like custom laser-etched pint glasses,
- your [curse word] name engraved into the bar,
- and more… (see the site for more details)
As we trash talked for a few more minutes and mentioned things even I wouldn’t add to this post, the cops shut off Salina Street because a building wall fell down, and the barista asked us what we wanted to hear on Pandora.
“Dave Matthews,” I said.
And that was it.
To support The BIG Yellow Fellow, go to www.GoFundMe.com/YellowFellow.
Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and (NoExcuses Syracuse) on Twitter.
