Ami James, the tattoo artist and shop owner at the heart of TLC’s “NY Ink,” really doesn’t like the process of making a TV show. “Hell no,” he says, when asked if he missed his time off from the series. “You miss the finished product, you don’t miss the work. The whole project goes from zero to the finished project and so much gets done in between.”
James and his team at New York tattoo shop Wooster Street Social Club completed primary filming on the second season of “NY Ink” just before the holidays. The first of 10 one-hour episodes airs Dec. 29 at 9 p.m.
“NY Ink” is James’ second series. The first, “Miami Ink,” which ran from 2005 to 2008, became part of a new tattoo craze that spread across America. It introduced viewers to Kat Von D, who would go on to have her own TLC show, “LA Ink.”
In fact, “Miami Ink” helped launch a whole series of tattoo programs. James compares being part of a TV production to getting a new tattoo. “People say, ‘You must really like the pain, that’s why you have so many tattoos,’ ” James says. “That’s not it. I really love tattoos. I hate the process of getting them. I don’t like the process of making a show.”
The second season, like the first, follows James as he works to build up his New York shop while also dealing with the various personalities and quirks of his artists and customers. This season, James says, viewers will see some of his B-team, the talented artists who have maintained the shop while cameras filmed the main crew and all the drama surrounding those relationships. Indeed, anyone watching the show would suspect the shop is drama central, with James and his employees arguing all day.
That’s the impact of TV, he says. “What happens is when you do a show, when you create a show, you know what the customers want and what the viewers want,” he says. “What we do, we don’t fake many things, but we allow ourselves to amplify everything.”
So, he says, whether it’s a sad moment or a happy one, the intensity is increased. In real life, disputes might be handled behind closed doors, while on TV, the camera goes virtually everywhere. “When we’re back to normal, we lower the volume and ride it at like a 3. When we’re on TV we’re back up to a 15,” he says.
Over time, he says, the artists understand when to flip the switch of emotions on and off. James says he’s blessed and proud that with “Miami Ink” and now “NY Ink,” he is changing the face of the tattoo industry. “It’s not the way you think it is, with pimps and prostitutes getting tattooed,” he says. “It’s doctors and lawyers. It’s people marking a special moment in their lives. We’ve managed to make a difference.”
As for the process of getting a tattoo, yes, they’re like making a TV show: they hurt. “Don’t kid yourself and think you’re going to a spa,” he says. “You have to say I’m willing to cede five hours of pain for this great gift you’re going to give me.”