It’s safe to say that
Seymour residentFred Gillis a busy man. One could even go so far
as to call him an entrepreneur.
First there is the popular pub, the Funkey Monkey, which, like most of his
projects, Gill owns with his brother, Toby. There’s also Gill Enterprises, a
business that manages several rental properties in the area, and that, Gill said
lent itself to a grass cutting business, which opened this spring. And on the
horizon, a spice business, Phat Freddie’s Seasoning, in which Gill has begun
work with Marion-Kay Spices of Brownstown and talks with the QVC home shopping
channel.
But if you want to check out what Gill’s been up to lately, look no further than
Country Music Television, the cable station where you’re likely to see the
well-known local celebrity taking his shot at the big time, starring in “Save a
Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” the latest offering from up-and-coming country music
stars, Big & Rich.
Dressed in a red cowboy hat and shirt, Gill fills the screen in several segments
of the video, including the end where he sings the chorus of the song with
acquaintance John Rich (half of Big & Rich), who helped him get the gig.
“I met John about six or seven years ago in a little bar in Nashville
(Tennessee) when I was down there for Fan Fare,” Gill said. The country music
fan festival is one he often attends. “And the next time I was down there I saw
him again and remembered him, and he remembered me too. So we exchanged e-mail
addresses.”
When Rich, who was formerly with the country band Lonestar, met with his
producers for the “Save a Horse” video, Gill said the team was looking for a
“colorful dynamic.” Rich knew just who to call.
“So I went down there and we filmed it April 15,” Gill said about the video,
which was shot on location at the Pedestrian Footbridge in Nashville. “It was
great. (Big & Rich) are both great guys, they are just all about peace, love and
happiness.”
Sharing screen time with top-level entertainers would be the experience of a
lifetime for some, but not for Gill, who says he is ready to keep dipping his
hand into another type of business, the entertainment industry.
“I guess I was hoping this might happen at some point,” he said of his
television debut. “I’m hoping it leads to a lot more video work and general
acting. I’ve been wanting to get into the entertainment business for a while.
Now I’m in the process of getting an agent, which is neat, because they told me
I was going to need one.”
Gill said he has already got the go-ahead to venture out on tour with Big &
Rich, who will be playing opposite Tim McGraw in dates around the country this
summer, something Gill said he will make a priority despite his busy schedule.
Fitting it in, though will just be another challenge for Gill, who says he owes
it all to his college years at Ball State University and his involvement with
the school’s nationally recognized entrepreneurial classes.
“There’s a quote from ‘Top Gun’ where a girl says, ‘He’s not happy unless he’s
going Mach 5 with his hair on fire,’ and I kind of relate to that,” Gill said.
“I have had times where I have tried to shed responsibilities off, but I’m just
not happy. I can’t just be the guy who sits around on weekends. I’ve got to be
out doing stuff.”
