Tony Hernandez (Creator/Photographer)
was born and raised in the circus and is also a photographer. As part of a large family of acrobats and jugglers, he began performing at age two in the Hernandez Troupe teeterboard act, (Tony's mother Lisa is featured in the book). By the age of six, Tony had been featured on a number of hit TV shows including Captain Kangaroo, Kid’s World and many others. During his teenage years, Tony toured the country on a circus train with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Tony Later appeared with the world famous Wallenda family, most notably in performances of their eight-person highwire pyramid. He was among the artists presenting this feat in Japan where the act earned the fmily a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Tony is additionally known for conceiving the highwire sequence in the hit Las Vegas show, Absinthe at Caesars Palace. Tony has also found success as an actor and director. He is a company member of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company where he has performed in numerous shows as well as co-creating two acclaimed circus-infused productions: Hephaestus, and Cascabel with Chef Rick Bayless (both co-directed with Heidi
Stillman). In New York City, Tony was part of the Broadway cast of Lookingglass Alice (New Victory Theater). More recently, Tony served as the resident Circus Artistic Director for the Tony-award-winning revival of Pippin: The Musical as well as working as the circus consultant for Broadway’s Tony-award-winning revival of On The Town. Tony now spends his time between Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Sarasota, FL focusing on writing, producing and photography. Whether in theatre, film, books or imagery, Tony aims to shine a spotlight on the wonderful circus world in which he was raised.
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For more info on Tony, visit his personal website,
This book was co-produced by the photographer’s longtime childhood circus friend, Steven Strong, who’s mother Trudy is featured in this book. Captured in the photo above is Steven, (the smallest) his brother David, and parents Bill & Trudy Strong. After growing up as part of a multigenerational circus family, he traveled to Los Angeles following his older brother into the film industry. Steven has worked in the Motion Picture and TV Industry for over 20 years, learning the ropes from some of the industry’s top cameramen, gaffers and technicians and has built a solid career working around the globe on some of the biggest productions. In 2013 Steven co-founded an LED lighting company, Quasar Science, focusing on sustainable lighting systems for professional image capture.
