THE MEDIA MAVEN
TV & Film
THANKS TO A FACE made for radio, Joe Dionisio has busily toiled behind the scenes in TV and film.
As a writer, researcher, script consultant, location scout, extra (with thespian skills rivaling Shaq in “Kazaam,”), publicist or production assistant, he’s lent his efforts to AMC Network, PBS Television’s “American Playhouse” starring Keanu Reeves and Sarah Jessica Parker, ESPN, SportsChannel, the San Francisco cable-car documentary “The Feel of the Rope,” and more.
The Media Maven has appeared as a talking head on “The Early Show” on CBS to share his observations on the year’s most notable films.
Dionisio was also a contributor to the writing team at Madison Square Garden Television Network’s “Five for Fischler,” which won multiple Emmy Awards.
His enthusiasm for writing movie scripts has
led him into genres such as suspense, comedy, indie drama, science fiction, and documentary.
Joe’s latest venture —
“Serenade of the Vulture” — described as “Parasite” meets “Barton Fink” meets “Robin Hood — has been submitted to more than a dozen national screenwriting competitions.
It comes on the heels of “Duncan,” a true passion project for Dionisio. Guided by his musical idol, he ambitiously adapted the brilliant Paul Simon song “Duncan” into a feature-length film screenplay.
Dionisio’s “Green Lantern” script was a collaboration with Martin Nodell, who created the DC superhero in 1940. Though it was spectacularly rejected by producers of 2011’s “Green Lantern,” all was not lost, as Joe was hired as an extra on the flick.
His earliest cinematic influence, Scott MacDonald, is a pioneering authority on indie cinema, has curated film events for New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and was a 2012 scholar at the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences. Check out Scott’s work here.
Joltin’ Joe’s debut movie gig came as a production assistant for Oscar-winning British filmmaker Peter Watkins, whom John Lennon credited for stoking the Beatle’s social activism.
Joe’s Credits Include:
THE WRITTEN WORD may be Joe Dionisio’s first love, but he’s also enjoyed ample time behind a microphone, boring radio listeners at three different stations.
At a National Public Radio outlet in Southampton, New York — WPBX/88.3 FM — he lent his voice and publicity acumen to its diverse cultural events programs. There, he co-hosted a brief-lived books show with essayist Roger Rosenblatt, whose trophy shelf holds a Peabody, an Emmy, two Polk Awards, and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Prize.
Reaching a vast audience in greater New York, WPBX is Long Island’s sole NPR affiliate.
Joe’s WPBX work included the celebrated “Artists & Writers Softball Game.” Known more for its charity than athleticism, it’s been a Hamptons rite of passage for 72 years.
“Artists & Writers,” launched in 1948 with artists Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock, has since welcomed Alec Baldwin, Paul Simon, Lauren Bacall, Christie Brinkley, Neil Simon, Yogi Berra, Woody Allen, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Alda, Norman Lear, Kurt Vonnegut, Martha Stewart, Cindy Crawford,
“Saturday Night Live’s” G.E. Smith, MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, NHL stars Rod Gilbert and Ron Duguay, and President Bill Clinton.
At WQAM/560 AM in Hollywood, Florida, The Media Maven hosted a sports show with ex-NFL star Joe Rose. His guests were NHL players and coaches, with an eye on the hometown Florida Panthers. WQAM is the flagship station of the Miami Dolphins, University of Miami, Florida Marlins, and Miami Heat.
At WPKN/89.5 FM in Bridgeport, he was a DJ for the overnight slot at the largest non-commercial station in Connecticut. Paired with co-host Larry Estridge, Joltin’ Joe spun a stew of jazz genres: bebop, Dixieland, hot jazz (Django Reinhardt’s ilk), swing, fusion (think Weather Report), and cool 1940s vibes from Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster.
Joe was the producer of “Merriwell,” a fictional crime-drama production engineered in San Diego. He also wrote and hosted the radio podcast, designed as a pilot for nationally syndicated audiences.
THE MEDIA MAVEN
Radio & Podcasts
Producer Joe Dionisio with voice actor Mike Krumenacker, a cast member of “Merriwell,” an audio drama that Joe wrote and hosted
Joltin’ Joe On The Airwaves
WORDS TO THE WISE
“Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can’t help but cry.
I mean I’d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.”
Mariah Carey