Until last week, Scott Prouty's only bout with fame came when he dived into a canal in Florida and saved a woman from drowning. Like many Americans, the Boston area native held down working-class jobs, ran into some financial trouble and remained generally anonymous.
But not many Americans are responsible for nearly bringing down a presidential campaign. And Prouty, 38, has now outed himself as the man who shot the infamous "47 percent" video showing Mitt Romney dismissing President Barack Obama's supporters during a private fundraiser, the single event that more than anything else may have ruined Romney's shot at the presidency.
"I was behind this whole thing," Prouty, who now lives in Florida, said as he revealed on MSNBC's "The Ed Show" on Wednesday night that he had secretly filmed Romney's comments while tending bar at the $50,000-per-plate event.