While the internet has made us more connected than ever, there are still many artists who are hidden underground and have not had the mainstream success one might assume based on the quality of their work. Enter Frank Sisti Jr., the creative force behind the long-running cult classic, The Kid America Adventure Hour.
Sisti Jr. has been producing and starring in The Kid America Adventure Hour for years now, but he came from humble beginnings and has had many avenues of creativity in his career.
The Early Days
Frank Sisti Jr. was born in Queens, and his work reflects his upbringing in New York during the 1990s. His first job came when he was only 11 years old and worked at a comic shop. He attended New York University for Dramatic Writing but did not finish the program. Instead, he sold a script titled “Bicycle Ice Cream” to get his foot in the door of show business.
Show Business Beginnings and The Kid America Adventure Hour
Attempting to find his niche in the world, Sisti Jr. began developing an idea that would shape the rest of his career. The result was The Kid America Adventure Hour, a show he aired on Manhattan Public Access television.
The Kid America Adventure Hour had an eclectic mix of live-action, puppetry, and animation to make up the variety show format. Sisti Jr. starred in the show as the host, Frankie, and employed numerous other New York actors who were young and looking to try something adventurous and different.
The show was popular with those who watched it, with a mix of bizarre and somewhat avant-garde comedy mixed with entertaining puppetry for children. The show encapsulated everything that makes New York unique and different, giving viewers a taste of the authentic city and the people in it through Sisti Jr.’s lens.
As the show went on, Frank Sisti Jr. realized there might be a market for this work online. While the internet was still young in 2005, he believed his videos would find a cult following through the burgeoning internet culture of the time. Video sites for a singular franchise were popular at the time, with series like Homestar Runner generating plenty of traffic and clicks. Sisti Jr. hoped to capitalize on the growing popularity of video on the web.
Frank Sisti Jr. teamed up with Alex Orlovsky, a producer for entertainment like Half Nelson and Blue Valentine, to take The Kid America Adventure Hour and bring it to the internet. They produced a pilot for a new website and used it to host Kid America Club content for a wider audience.
While the new website did not bring a newfound wave of mainstream attention, it did solidify the show and Frank Sisti Jr.’s vision of entertainment into a cult classic. The site developed a loyal and dedicated fanbase and still exists with videos to this day. The Kid America Club site also hosts merchandise for avid fans, with t-shirts and stickers based on the costumes and characters of the show.
Frankie’s Apartment
As Frank Sisti Jr.’s ambitions grew larger, so did his need for more room on the Internet. Later in his career, he launched the website Frankie’s Apartment to host a new show. Frankie’s Apartment allowed Sisti Jr. to introduce new puppet characters and create small skits for them. Some of the popular characters from Frankie’s Apartment include Rubbish the Rat, a wise- cracking and fast-talking rat who verbally spars with Frankie, and Bill the Snowman, a therapist and confidant for Frankie. These characters have created a rich and fascinating world that is popular with those who enjoy things a little weird but still kid-friendly.
Lil’ Hipsters
Another one of Frank Sisti Jr.’s most popular projects was Lil’ Hipsters, a web series he made in 2007 and 2008. Eschewing the live-action elements of Frankie’s Apartment or The Kid America Club, Lil’ Hipsters was entirely done with puppetry.
Lil’ Hipsters was styled as a sitcom about Krispy, a young kid trying to fit in with the cool kids in New York City. The series ran for 25 episodes and dealt with topical events of the time. It also maintained the local roots of the five boroughs of New York that have permeated much of Sisti Jr.’s work since finding his voice with The Kid America Club Adventure Hour.
Music Career
Aside from acting, Frank Sisti Jr. has also created music. He and his childhood friend Jeff Roberts formed the band Bandy, a hip-hop group of almost entirely fictional members. You could think of it as similar to a band like Gorillaz. He also deejays in New York under the pseudonym DJ Kid America.
Frank Sisti Jr.: Cult Classic Creator
It’s not always possible to break into the mainstream, but it is often more fulfilling just to reach a passionate and dedicated audience. This is what Frank Sisti Jr. has done his entire career, creating stories that connect with his hometown and resonate with fans across the globe.
What Is Frankie’s Apartment?
It can be difficult to keep up with all the wonderful art that so many creative people produce. It’s even trickier when this art is underground and not as famous as other popular media. For those in New York City, there’s been a cult classic TV and web series that has presented their city in a positive light and entertained children and adults.
Frankie’s Apartment and The Kid America Club have garnered a dedicated and impassioned fanbase over the years for those who have had the chance to check them out. With so much content, it can be difficult to understand what is what and where to start.
Frankie’s Apartment and The Kid America Club Explained
The Kid America Club was an idea birthed by Frank Sisti Jr., a local of Queens who had a vision for a public access television show for children. The show took some inspiration from Sesame Street and other similar programs but incorporated Sisti Jr.’s sometimes eclectic and off-beat humor. The result is a show that appeals to kids with its colorful sets and fun characters and adults with its sometimes strange and unexpected comedy.
The Kid America Club Adventure Hour began its life on public access TV in Manhattan and garnered positive reviews from viewers. It featured numerous local actors and became a way for young actors to find a place in the New York media landscape.
As his ambition and plans expanded, Sisti Jr. moved the content onto the internet under the banner of Frankie’s Apartment. On the Kid America Club and Frankie’s Apartment websites, Sisti Jr. could expand his scope and humor.
Frankie’s Apartment focuses mostly on smaller skits focused on singular characters. These characters are mostly all puppets with which Frankie, played by Sisti Jr., interacts. The character of Frankie, a comic book writer for children, has become tired of his life and decided to allow his over-active imagination to take over.
While this is the basic plot, most episodes are not focused on telling a story but rather on showing a little scene and all the jokes that follow. Sisti Jr. plays off his puppet co-stars with ease, and it leads to a funny and heartening portrait of a better world.
All of Sisti Jr.’s work incorporates his love of his hometown and seeks to celebrate the excitement and vibrancy of the city from the 1990s. Whether you are a young kid or just young at heart, The Kid America Club has something for everyone.
Other Interests of Frank Sisti Jr.
Outside producing children’s television and web content, Sisti Jr. also creates music under several pseudonyms. In his early career, he created a hip-hop group called Bandy with his childhood friend Jeff Roberts. He also deejays in New York under the name DJ Kid America.
For his shows, Sisti Jr. has produced several songs and recorded two records of music from The Kid America Club. He maintains a merch store for t-shirts and cassettes related to the shows. His wife, Melia Marden, is a professional chef working at the Bond Street eatery, The Smile.
