02/18/2024
A History of Predators: An Open Secret
(TW: Sexual Assault)
I recently read a book by Laura Stearns titled “Shattered: Exposing the Open Secret of the Children’s Theatre Scandal.” For anyone who doesn’t know, the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre was an unsafe place for child performers in the 70’s and 80’s. More than two dozen s*xual predators were able to freely abuse countless kids, a culture of complicity allowed it. Throughout the book, my mind couldn’t help but wander to my own experiences in the Minnesota Film industry. I am sharing this not to garner any sympathy but because I read Laura’s words- “For prevention to take hold, the leadership of voices of experience- those who lived these truths- are foundational.” Many people were deeply hurt and my experiences were not that of victim. For brevity, I am going to get straight to the point.
When I was 15 (around 2011), I started to get involved in the MN Film community as a background actor/extra. At the time, the man who did extras casting in Minnesota was Matthew Feeney. He had a company called Walden Entertainment. As a teen, I was cast by him multiple times. He encouraged us to “bring a friend!” and by doing so, you could “win” a “VIP Extras Casting” class taught by none other than Matthew Feeney himself. I got to attend this “class” on August 10, 2011 along with a handful of other children. It was just us kids in a dark conference room in a suite in Bloomington. Matthew walked us through set expectations, booking, etc. Things that should have been discussed with parents- not kids. At one moment in the class, he paused.. turned to a boy seated next to me and said something along the lines of “especially you” and winked. The context was that he was singling this boy out as one of his favorites. At some point Walden Entertainment changed its name. I was getting emails that ownership of the company was switching over to Matthew’s assistant. I didn’t think much of it until one day while watching Kare 11, I saw Matthew’s face on my television screen. He was arrested for ra**ng and molesting multiple underage boys in MN and Massachusetts that he had access to via the film industry. Even worse, this man was charged AND convicted of molesting young boys in Central MN in the early 1990’s when he was a Youth Group Minister. At one point, he was even a suspect in the Jacob Wetterling abduction. I refuse to believe that there was nothing that could have been done to prevent this man from hurting child performers in our state. I was shocked to find out he was a convicted pe*****le that was so deeply embedded in the industry here in Minnesota. Matthew Feeney is a name nobody dare speaks. Talking about him invokes an ugly history. This was a very clear example of an industry with a major blind spot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there.
In the Spring of 2014, I was 17. Just weeks away from turning 18 years old and I decided a career behind the camera was what I desired. I had graduated high school early and was browsing the internet for any internships I could find. On Craigslist I found an ad for an Art Department Intern. A production designer from Iowa needed help for a few days on a film being made in Zumbrota, MN. I answered the ad and told the Production Designer that although I was 17, I would be 18 by the day of filming- I had made it just by a few days. He was very kind and I was very excited. This would be my very first crew experience in the film industry. My aunt dropped me off at the set as I didn’t have a car. I texted him and he said that the crew is staged out of the apartment above the famous Zumbrota Theatre. I made my way up the stairs, shocked to find no crew in sight. I sat on a loveseat, looking at my phone.. wondering if I was in the right place. He exited the bathroom, he had just showered. He sat next to me on the loveseat and tried kissing me, grabbing my leg. I turned my head. With my voice shaking I said “I came here to work. I don’t want to do this.” He became angry and stated he didn’t need an assistant in the first place. My heart dropped into my stomach. I was stuck on the set the entire day until my aunt could pick me up. I did nothing but hang around the set all day while he pouted, talked about how embarrassed he was and that I should never tell anyone about this. The director of this film was Scott R. Thompson. Scott is not from MN but made a number of films here. A year after this incident in Zumbrota, Scott s*xually abused a 17 year old actress while filming one of his movies and is now a registered s*x offender. But wait, there’s more..
It was August of 2014, I was 18 years old. I was looking for more opportunities to work behind the camera & was constantly scouring the listings on the MN Film & TV Board website. There was a man named Nick Barghini with a company called Headcase Films & Fashion who happened to be posting ads often. He was on the younger side, so I trusted him. I was not interested in fashion shoots but he had a short film he was crewing up for called “Pink Toenails” and at this point, I’m willing to work on just about anything in order to build my resume. He hired me to be an assistant director. I met up with him multiple times, along with others- mainly kids. He was always surrounded by tweens/teenagers. We even rehearsed some scenes in an elementary school in South Minneapolis where his mom was the principal. I ended up getting an offer for a feature film so I dropped out of the short film. Nick Barghini was eventually charged with multiple s*x crimes as he s*xually abused multiple 8-11 year old children in public libraries in St. Paul. The assaults were centered around feet, he had a child foot fe**sh. These kids were dropped off for acting classes he was offering. These parents thought their children would be safe in the public library. Police found a list he had made titled “What I Want.” The list included various “s*x goals” involving pre-teens and his desire to start a cult.
Let’s fast forward now to 2022. I was contacted about doing real-people casting for a fashion shoot by a man named James “Jimmy” Baes. He claimed that a very popular MN photographer would be shooting it. I googled Jimmy only to discover that he had recently been charged with video voyeurism and that police think there could be more victims due to his career as a fashion photographer. I knew I wasn’t going to work with him but I felt obligated to reach out to an agency in town and let them know. The woman at this agency said she knew this popular MN photographer and that maybe she could talk to him, let him know that this Jimmy guy was not someone to be working with. I ignored Jimmy’s calls and emails. After a few days, I reached back out to this agent to see if she had called this photographer. She said she didn’t feel comfortable. I was disappointed and confused. Has nothing changed? Are we going to foster a culture of complicity where we turn the other cheek & play Minnesota Nice so as not to “make waves?” In the end, Jimmy didn’t end up working on the shoot. I have no idea what happened. I left the film industry a year ago but I realize that I spent a lot of time as a part of the community. It was truly a full circle moment when I became an extras casting director myself, having had my first experiences in the industry as an extra, cast by Matthew Feeney. It is my hope that nothing horrific happens again here in MN like it did back when I was a teenager. There are laws like the Hollywood Child Protection Act in California that should absolutely be adopted & enforced in MN. Most of the people you would encounter on a film set are good people, by the way. I just feel that we could do better. Can’t we?
This is a call to action, Minnesota Film Community. This has weighed heavy on my heart and mind for many years. Another Matthew Feeney could weasel his way in with no problem if we don’t pass the appropriate laws to stop it from happening. This is the bare minimum.
Paige
