Bambi may hunt for a new home

Sito Negron

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2003 | 8:54 a.m.

Bambi won't be hunted in Las Vegas anymore, says the man at the center of the controversy over the video series that depicted naked women being shot with paintballs.

Michael Burdick said the business behind "Hunting for Bambi" -- Real Men Productions Inc., owned by his fiancee, Lakana Campbell -- will move from Las Vegas, although he didn't know when or where it will go.

"Everything is speculation at this point," said Burdick. He made his comments shortly after a city news release Wednesday that indicated Campbell surrendered the business license she held for the company.

International media coverage of Hunting for Bambi spurred the city to file two complaints. One called for the revocation of Campbell's business license, and that was to have been decided with a hearing before the Las Vegas City Council Sept. 3. Her action Wednesday cancels that.

The other complaint is against Burdick, who was due in Municipal Court this afternoon to face a charge of operating a video sales business without a license, for which there is a maximum $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

"As far as with the city ... everything should be over tomorrow. As far as Real Men Outdoor Productions, I see no problem with the business continuing to be a business," Burdick said. "By surrendering the license our goal is to move our business elsewhere. Right now, there is no business."

He described his role with the company as that of director, a position similar to a noncompensated board member, and said he didn't know where the company might move.

Hunting for Bambi was a creation of Real Men Outdoor Productions, a company for which Campbell had a business license, but the license didn't cover all of Real Men's activities or Burdick's role, city officials said.

They say Burdick was at Campbell's home near the Las Vegas Beltway and Cheyenne Avenue -- which is the listed address on the license application for Real Men -- when business investigators showed up. The city claims he told them that he ran the business.

Campbell's lawyer was not available for comment Wednesday. City officials said that Campbell could reapply for a business license if she wished, but that every application is looked at on a case-by-case basis, and that her history would be considered.

The Hunting for Bambi controversy sparked international publicity for Campbell and Burdick's business.

"Where can you get the press I've generated?" Burdick said, noting worldwide coverage and attention from such major U.S. media figures as Howard Stern, Jay Leno and David Letterman. "We've learned a lot of things along the way. I've learned things I'd do differently."

He angered city officials, and in particular Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, with his public comments and the international coverage that city officials say cast a negative light on Las Vegas. There was some back and forth in the press, including comments from the mayor in the July 31 Sun that the business was a front for an escort service and that Las Vegas would "not going to tolerate any violence toward women ... We're not going to let people assault and batter women."

The article notes the business's response in this previous posting on the company's website: "Hunting for Bambi uses willing participants who are all paid to be on the video. Oscar Goodman, an accomplished defense attorney, knows that assault and battery (two different crimes under Nevada Revised Statutes) require the 'victim' to prosecute and for a crime to take place, there must be intent. Neither of those elements are available to Mayor Goodman."

Things have calmed down since then, at least in public. When asked Wednesday if he had any comments about the city's position, Burdick said: "I will not make any comments about the mayor or any city officials."