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Ben Steinbauer

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Storyville: YouTube Hero - The Winnebago Man

YouTube Hero - The Winnebago Man

30/08/2010

BBC Four - Storyville, YouTube Hero - The Winnebago Man

Film about Jack Rebney, whose outtakes from a sales video saw him become an internet star.

Ben Steinbauer tracks down Jack Rebney, whose foul-mouthed, ill-tempered outtakes from a 1989 recreational vehicle sales video saw him become an unlikely internet star.

Jack Rebney, aka the angriest man in the world, has delighted and fascinated millions of online viewers with the hilariously foul-mouthed and ill-tempered outtakes from a recreational vehicle sales video he made in 1989 - one of the first and best underground videos to be passed hand-to-hand on VHS tapes, before the internet turned him into a full-blown phenomenon.

Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer takes on the seemingly impossible task of tracking down Jack, and his journey turns into a fascinating exploration of viral video culture, and what it means on a personal level to its sometimes unwilling subjects. 

When he finally tracks down Rebney, the real man is more savvy, irascible, deep, weird and cool than could have been imagined, and turns out to be more than able to hold his own in the modern media culture. In short, he is a star. The film explores issues of privacy, internet bullying and ageing, and illuminates how even the most rambunctious individuals have a human side. It is an intelligent, hilarious and unexpectedly poignant look at one man's response to internet fame, and is ultimately a story about how a so-called humiliation can become a beacon of light to many.

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