Thought Leader Profile
Joe Piscatella
Documentary filmmaker, Hero Chaser
Since graduating from the graduate writing program at the University of Southern California, Joe Piscatella has written for a host of television, film, radio, and print projects, including numerous feature scripts and television pilots for 20th Century Fox, Spyglass, Starz, and Touchstone Television. His credits include Disney's Underdog, Ozzy & Drix for Warner Bros., and Stark Raving Mad for NBC.
Most recently, Joe wrote, directed, and produced the feature documentary film #ChicagoGirl, about a teenage girl in Chicago leading a social network in Syria to take on one of the world's most brutal dictators. #ChicagoGirl has won various jury prizes throughout its European festival run. including the Doc U award at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), the Golden Butterfly in the Hague at Amnesty International's "Movies That Matter," and the Cinema for Peace and Justice Award from the Cinema for Peace Foundation in Berlin. #ChicagoGirl was named one of Amnesty International's Top Ten Human Rights Heroes of 2014.
Joe has been a contributor to NPR's All Things Considered and the Tacoma News Tribune. He has also been a contributing food and travel writer to a variety of magazines, including Women's Day, Cooking Light, and Attaché (US Air's in-flight magazine).
Joe graduated from Georgetown University. After a try-out as a punter in the Canadian Football League, Joe began his writing career as a speechwriter in Washington, DC, writing jokes for such clients as executives at Johns Hopkins Medical Center and high-ranking personnel in the US Air Force. In addition, he has worked with Ted Koppel at ABC Nightline News.
Joe lives in Pacific Palisades, California, with his wife and two children.
Speaker at FiRe 2023
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News for Joe Piscatella
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Posted on Tue Nov 19, 2024, 8:00 am
WHO'S AFRAID OF NATHAN LAW? - International Documentary Association -
Posted on Thu Oct 17, 2024, 5:58 pm
'Who's Afraid of Nathan Law' Film Screening and Q&A - Commonwealth Club World... -
Posted on Fri Sep 20, 2024, 7:00 am
POV: Who's Afraid of Nathan Law? - KPBS -
Posted on Fri Aug 16, 2024, 7:00 am
New Documentary Asks, ‘Who’s Afraid Of Nathan Law?’ Answer: Hong Kong And Chi... -
Posted on Mon Jun 3, 2024, 7:59 pm
Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? - POV - PBS -
Posted on Sun May 7, 2023, 7:00 am
‘Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?’ Review: A Vivid if Bleak Update on the Hong Kon... -
Posted on Fri May 26, 2017, 7:00 am
Netflix’s new Umbrella Revolution documentary debuts just ahead of the Tianan... -
Posted on Thu Jan 26, 2017, 8:00 am
“The Moment I Knew We Had Something Special”: Director Joe Piscatella | Joshu... -
Posted on Sun Oct 26, 2014, 7:00 am
Austin Film Festival: #chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on a Dictator - ... -
Posted on Tue May 20, 2014, 7:00 am
#Chicagogirl brings Syrian activism to SIFF - The Seattle Globalist