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Chris Garver
The intellectual. At 34, Chris is the big brother of the crew.
He is the oldest and the first to become a tattoo master. Chris
grew up in Pittsburgh and received his first tattoo at 6 years old
- when he was accidentally stabbed in the finger with a pencil.
At 15, he received his first professional tattoo. Chris got his
start in tattooing when he sold his bass guitar at 17 to buy tattoo
equipment.
Chris is widely considered to be among the best tattoo artists
in the world. With a celebrity-studded list of private clients (and
a wait list), he has set the bar for the rest of the guys. They
all respect and revere him. Chris handles his status with humility,
but has little patience for sloppy work. He is at once stoic and
soulful.
When not tattooing, he might be found playing bass guitar, traveling
the world or listening to live bands. He received his favorite tattoo
three years ago from a monk when he was in Thailand - a Buddhist
passage that can only be read by monks. Its meaning is "to
protect."
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Ami James
The tough guy. Ami has a sharp tongue and a hot temper. Born in
Israel, Ami, 33 and single, has been in Miami since the age of 12.
Some of his family still lives in Israel, so he rarely sees them-his
friends have become his family. He feels that many of today's artists
have no respect for the time-honored traditions of tattoo.
Ami got his first professional tattoo at age 15 -
a dragon. Eighteen years later, he still has a passion for ink -
his body is a canvas of tattoos. Ami began tattooing at 20 years
old, starting out of his house, and soon became an apprentice, learning
the art of his trade.
Ami loves cars, painting and free-style fighting.
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Chris Nunez
The ladies' man. Chris, 32, is of Cuban descent and grew up in
Miami. He entered into the realm of tattooing after beginning his
career as a
graffiti artist.
At 21, Chris packed his bags for a short trip to Brazil and ended
up staying for five years. He then traveled throughout Europe for
2 years, which enabled him to work with all of his favorite tattoo
artists -- expanding his artistic sense and his knowledge of tattooing.
Chris's father died when he was young, and both his parents' names
became his first tattoo at age 16. Besides tattooing, he just likes
to have a good time and enjoys being the life of the party.
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Darren Brass
The lovable one. Within five minutes of meeting Darren, it becomes
clear that he is a teddy bear of a guy. His sweet demeanor and
disarming smile can make the most nervous first-time clients feel
relaxed in his chair. Because he is so nice, he is the butt of
many jokes, one-liners and overall hazing by Ami.
Darren is originally from Waterbury, Connecticut. He is half
Irish, half Polish and a diabetic. He is constantly monitoring
his health and lives every day to its fullest. Along with the
other guys, he definitely knows how to party like a rock star
- even at the age of 33. His 5'4" frame is covered in tattoos.
Darren is 33 and married with one "child" - his small
dog. He received his first tattoo on his 18th birthday.
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Yojiro "Yoji" Harada
The apprentice. Yoji serves a dual role as the parlor's apprentice
- a role that is a combination of pledge in the roughest fraternity
and the opening and closing crew.
Yoji, a native of Tokyo, is covered in ink (some of which is done
by our crew). In Yoji's native Tokyo, having full-sleeve tats is
a sign of the Yakuza (Japanese Mafia). As a result, when he goes
home he is feared and respected, but in Miami he is the lowest guy
on the totem pole. He mops up, gets coffee and is hazed relentlessly,
which is all just part of the process of earning your stripes as
a master. But underneath it all, the guys love and protect their
young apprentice.
Yoji is 32 and recently married, with a newborn. He lived in Japan
until he was 24, and performed his first tattoo on himself. He is
also the lead singer of a punk rock band.
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Kat
The new girl. She brings the meow to the Miami mix. She originally filled in at Miami Ink while Darren Brass was on the mend. The 24-year-old Kat performed her first tattoo at age 14 and has been pursuing her passion for tattooing ever since. She began working at her first shop at the young age of 16! She has been working with Chris Garver for over a year now and believes this experience to be one of the most educational and fulfilling of her life.
Kat is attracted to realistic tattoos. Her personal style gravitates toward portraiture and realism, mostly on a black and gray scale. Kat loves playing classical piano as well as heavy metal music. She is known by her closest friends to be one of the biggest party animals east of the Mississippi.
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THE ART OF TATTOO?
SOUTH BEACH ARTISANS CANVAS BODIES IN NEW TLC SERIES "MIAMI
INK"
-- Brash Boys of Body Art Apply Expertise with Their Craft -
Miami, Florida - About one in every seven adults sports a tattoo.
With ever-increasing popularity among celebrities and athletes,
tattoos have become part of the fabric of social norms and popular
culture. But there are striking differences between cute little
flowers and cookie-cutter Celtic bands compared to the more intricate,
stylized and meaningful artwork that is done in the tattoo industry.
In a television series that brings old friends together to run a
tattoo parlor and showcase their artwork, viewers see the difference
firsthand.
TLC sets up shop in South Beach to take viewers inside the colorful,
painful, intriguing world of tattoo artistry in MIAMI INK, premiering
Tuesday, July 19 at 10 PM (ET/PT) on TLC. In the series, these
friends and competitive rivals - a motley crew of cutting-edge,
humorous and well-regarded young guys and best friends - open
and run a custom tattoo parlor where they live, work and play
together. The resident artists - Ami James, Chris Nunez, Chris
Garver and Darren Brass - all with world-class talent and dynamic
personalities - live and work together to promote the art of tattoo
while running a new business. MIAMI INK shows them in and out
of their workspace from noon 'til night - and follows their late-night
shenanigans, brotherly hazing and camaraderie. Apprentice Yoji
Harada is there to soak up all of the artists' knowledge and experience
- and to meet their every need, desire and whim so he can one
day begin his own tattooing in earnest.
In addition to spotlighting the artists at work, each tattoo
in MIAMI INK has a story to tell, a reason for being and a special
relationship to its owner. The artists' clients range from 18-year-old
newbies and suburban housewives to famous actors and buttoned-up
professionals. The tale of each tattoo recipient and corresponding
tattoo is an emotionally engaging story - in the first episode
viewers see a tattoo in the memory of a deceased brother, a tattoo
of the alter ego of a drag queen, a tattoo of a notable surfer's
homeland, to name just a few. Many people get tattoos to signify
some pivotal moment or event in their lives. Viewers gain insight
into each MIAMI INK customer and his or her choice of artwork
and the impetus behind it.
Viewers can go online to www.tlc.com,
where they will find further video biographies on our resident artists,
online galleries of the guys' artwork, listings of some of the famous
celebrities and athletes they have worked on, background on tattoos
and much more.
MIAMI INK is produced by Original Media for TLC. Charlie Corwin
is the executive producer for Original Media, and Matt Gould is
the executive producer for TLC.
TLC is dedicated to high-quality, intelligent and relatable nonfiction
entertainment: authentic personal stories that inspire, engage,
inform and unite our audience in the spirit of life's possibilities.
TLC intimately connects more than 94 million homes in North America
to the human experience through its "Life Unscripted"
approach to storytelling. Discovery Networks, U.S., a unit of Discovery
Communications, Inc., operates and manages Discovery Channel, TLC,
Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery
HD Theater, Discovery Kids Channel, Discovery Times Channel, The
Science Channel, Discovery Home Channel, Military Channel, Discovery
en Español and FitTV. The unit also distributes BBC AMERICA
in the Unites States. Visit TLC on the Web by going to www.tlc.com.
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