Tickled (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Farrier discovers 'competitive endurance tickling' videos

David Farrier, a New Zealand television reporter known for covering 'quirky and odd stories', stumbles upon online videos depicting 'competitive endurance tickling'. In the videos, young athletic men are restrained and tickled by each other. Intrigued by the strange subculture, he decides to investigate it as a potential story.

Interview request met with a hostile email

Farrier reaches out to Jane O'Brien Media, the company behind the videos, requesting an interview for his story. The company responds with a volatile email, refusing to 'associate with a homosexual journalist'. Farrier, who is actually bisexual, is bewildered by the disproportionately hostile response.

Farrier partners with Dylan Reeve

Puzzled by the aggressive reaction to a simple interview request, Farrier teams up with television producer Dylan Reeve. The two begin digging deeper into the mysterious producers behind the tickling videos. Their partnership becomes the core of the investigation.

Where

New Zealand

Blog posts go viral and legal threats arrive

Farrier and Reeve publish their initial blog posts about the strange world of competitive endurance tickling, and the posts quickly go viral. In response, Jane O'Brien Media sends them legal threats. Rather than backing down, the pair decides to press on with the investigation.

Jane O'Brien Media representatives visit New Zealand

Jane O'Brien Media sends Kevin Clarke and two other representatives to New Zealand to meet with Farrier and Reeve. Although the interactions are superficially cordial, the representatives attempt to bully the investigators into dropping the project. The meeting only deepens the pair's suspicions about the company.

Where

New Zealand

Turned away in Los Angeles

Farrier and Reeve respond by following the Jane O'Brien Media representatives back to the United States. They track them to an apparent video recording location in Los Angeles, but are turned away at the door. The failed visit yields little access but reinforces how secretive the operation is.

Where

Los Angeles

The 'Terri DiSisto' alias surfaces

Researching the phenomenon further, Farrier and Reeve uncover information about a person known as 'Terri DiSisto', also known as 'Terri Tickle'. This figure pioneered recruiting and distributing tickling videos online in the 1990s. The discovery suggests the tickling operation reaches back decades.

When

1990s

Independent producer Richard Ivey speaks out

The duo interviews Richard Ivey, an independent tickling-video producer whose operations are comparatively low-key. Unlike Jane O'Brien Media, Ivey openly acknowledges the homoerotic aspect of the content. His perspective provides a stark contrast to the aggressive company Farrier first contacted.

Former participants describe coercion and retaliation

Former participants in Jane O'Brien Media's videos describe coercive and manipulative treatment by the producers. They recount defamation campaigns, the exposure of their personal information, and associates being contacted to discredit them as homosexuals or sexual deviants. All of this came in retaliation for speaking out against the company.

A recruiter exposes non-consensual 'audition' videos

A local recruiter in Muskegon, Michigan, describes the 'audition' videos he helped make for the company. He explains that the footage was published by Jane O'Brien Media without the participants' consent. His account exposes how young men were drawn into the operation under false pretenses.

Where

Muskegon, Michigan

Documents link the company to David D'Amato

Farrier and Reeve discover documents on a defunct tickling video website that link Jane O'Brien Media to David D'Amato. D'Amato, a former school administrator, is revealed to be the person behind the 'Terri Tickle' alias. This connection finally puts a real name and face on the mysterious operation.

D'Amato's criminal past revealed

From two journalists who investigated Terri DiSisto years earlier, the pair learns about D'Amato's criminal history. He served a six-month prison sentence for disabling computer systems at two different universities. The attacks were retaliation against an 18-year-old male student who tried to terminate an online relationship that began when the young man was 17.

D'Amato's source of wealth uncovered

The investigators determine that David D'Amato now lives on a substantial inheritance from his father, a successful lawyer. This financial independence explains how he has been able to fund his operations over the years. It also accounts for his willingness to spend heavily on legal threats.

Confronting D'Amato on the street

After considerable effort to locate D'Amato, Farrier and Reeve finally confront him in person on the street. D'Amato offers no real answers and instead responds with additional legal threats. The encounter brings the anonymous producer face to face with the journalists he tried to silence.

The stepmother's chilling admission

Before returning to New Zealand, Farrier contacts D'Amato's stepmother for comment. She implicitly confirms her stepson's 'tickling' past, and Farrier informs her that he believes D'Amato is still involved in it. The last thing she says to him is that she is 'afraid' of David D'Amato.