Bio

Since graduating Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University with degrees in both the school of “Film and Media Production” and the “Walter Cronkite School of Journalism”, Award-Winning filmmaker Joe Russo has worked on several features, commercials, television programs and short films.

Most recently, Joe completed his latest directing effort, Peeping Tom. The 2010 International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival hosted the suspense-thriller’s world premiere Having played at film festivals worldwide and featured in The Arizona Republic, film critics have lauded Peeping Tom with praise, calling the short “a voyeurs delight”, citing Joe’s “deft” and “confident direction” and branding him “the master of the psychological jolt”.

Bill Goodykoontz, film critic for The Arizona Republic, called Joe’s previous Award-Winning short, Take-Out, “gleefully creepy and most enjoyable.” The horror short made its big screen debut at the 2009 Phoenix Film Festival and has since screened at film festivals domestically and internationally. Take-Out was selected as the "Best International Short" at the La Gona Film Festival, was nominated for “Best Horror Short” at multiple festivals and was one of six national finalists for the horror genre in the IndieProducer Short Film Contest. The short was featured on entertainment website Ain’t It Cool News, spotlighting Take-Out as an achievement in short filmmaking.

Joe’s other short films, Misfire, Finger Food and Movie Screening Security Guards, were selected by various film festivals across Arizona.

As a writer, Joe has been recognized for his "firm grasp of the craft, solid storytelling, and compelling characters” for his feature length screenplay Star Struck. Out of 3,500 entries Star Struck was selected as a Semi-Finalist in the Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Competition and the SlamDance Film Festival called it “a well written, humdinger of a script”.

Joe’s production experience includes being one of three students selected to intern on the Universal Studio's feature film The Kingdom. Additionally, he served as Assistant to the Director on the micro-budget, Lions Gate release, The Graves. Joe was involved with productions for such national networks as Fox, Fox Reality, Fox Sports Network, SyFy and A&E, in various capacities, on programs like Sex Decoy: Love Stings, Paranormal Investigators, The Love Shaq, So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol.

In 2009, Joe worked with the principles of the Arizona Investment Center developing a startup entertainment company, Tri-Core Entertainment. There he helped develop feature length and television projects and collaborated on negotiations with distributors, television networks and independent financiers.

Joe has since served as the Executive Assistant to long-time Hollywood Producer, Bill Todman Jr. at Level 1 Entertainment, a production company in the MGM Tower, assisting in developing a slate of major motion pictures and television programs.