Niles cinematographer Doug Clark captures wood carving footage June 20 for "Texas Ice Fighters.”

TV producer Tracey Carter took one look at Texans the Rev. Butter and Buddy “The Viking” Rasmussen and their larger-than-life “rock god” personas — think chainsaw-wielding professional wrestlers — and thought they would make a great reality show.

She and Niles filmmaker Doug Clark joined forces to develop “Texas Ice Fighters.”

Clark has two local companies, Doug Clark Creative and Capture Me
Films, for which he produces television commercials, jingles and marketing videos. He has been working on a Benton Harbor documentary for the past year and a half, where he met Carter.

She moved to Benton Harbor after working at The Oprah Winfrey Show for 11 years.
In 2011, while filming Hunter Ice Festival, Clark was captivated by his introduction to Ice Fights, where one- or two-man teams battle it out on stage in timed carving competitions such as the one at 8 p.m. Friday on the eve of the eighth annual Arts in Motion.

Each team adds wrestling-style showmanship to creating a work of art from 600 to 800 pounds of ice.

“The first time I saw the performance I knew it would make the basis
of an exciting reality show, but I had no idea where to start,” Clark said.

That problem solved itself when he met Carter, who worked for Harpo Productions in Chicago until ”The Oprah Winfrey Show” ended and, before that, in New York City for four years.

Originally from St. Joseph, Carter writes, directs and produces for her company, Red Likes Green Productions. She studied film and video at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

“When I saw Doug’s footage of the ice fights, I knew it was a
promising idea. Then, when I met Butter and Buddy, it was
obvious these guys were talented and entertaining,” she said. “We shot more footage and compiled a short video to use as a selling tool. Doug and I are in negotiations with a Chicago production company, which will help fund the project. There are so many elements. The competition, the pieces of art, their characters. Butter is like an ice rock god, and Buddy is an ice genius, so you have this great dynamic.”
Rasmussen, who is also a chef, created the ice fights concept and stages regular bouts in San Antonio.

Butter, who owns DLG Ice Factory in Houston, teams up on two-man battles. They work together on big ice projects, from 600-pound penises for bachelorette parties to a two-ton zoo elephant.

That’s why Clark and Carter were filming the carvers, including Danny “The Freak” Bloss of Niles, Wednesday afternoon, turning a willow trunk into a baby giraffe and maple logs into a crane and baby elephant by Saturday. Bloss carves at Dowagiac’s Ice Time Festival.

Rasmussen carves wood as a hobby, but Butter just added wood last year after 14 years in ice.

“After thousands of sculptures melting, it’s nice to have something that doesn’t go away,” Butter said as sawdust flew.

Clark and Carter will be shooting more footage Friday night at Riverfront Park Amphitheater during Niles’ first warm weather Ice Fight. Rasmussen, who usually cuts up catering in even hotter Texas, said big blocks hold up pretty well for an hour.

Doug and Tracey travel to Texas in the next three months for footage to display their personalities. Then, they’ll be ready to pitch to networks.
Friday night’s Ice Fight features two rounds. The first will have simultaneous bouts with Bloss, who has worked at the University of Notre Dame for 23 years, versus Butter, while Rasmussen vies against Jeff “Sub-Zero Man” Kaiser from Ohio. Victors advance to the championship round, with the audience deciding the winner.