Selecting a Director

It was clear to me that very few Dallas based directors had experience in reality television.  Most of the directors we talked to had very little broadcast television experience - they mostly had experience with commercials.  We needed someone who “had done it before.”

We were fortunate to have found a director (Joe Dea) who recently finished a consulting project on the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy set.  Joe is an Emmy-winning Director who works primarily in the reality television genre including prime-time network specials for NBC and FOX as well as the TLC hit series A Wedding Story - Joe directed the pilot and 52 episodes. 

His resume includes: 

REALITY

Disney Lunchtime - Disney Channel - Director

Motor Sport Ranch (pilot) - HD Republic - Pilot Director

Fool for Love (pilot) - Carsey Warner / Oxygen – Pilot Director

Rock & Roll Hotel (pilot) - VH1/Film Garden – Pilot Director

The 5th Wheel - Universal – Field Producer

Mostly True Stories - TLC / Burrud Productions – Field Producer

Weekend Flash/Man on the Street - Playboy TV – Director /Producer

Worst Case Scenario - Sony Tri Star / TBS - Seg. Director

Audio File - Tech TV - Host Wrap Director

Planet TV - Plant Hollywood Ent. - Chuck Cirino Productions – Seg. Director

Movies for Guys Who Like Movies - TBS /Norsemen Prod. – Host Wrap Director

Brain Attack (with Stefanie Powers) - A Doctor in Your House.Com - Director

Drive On (pilot) - Warner Bros. -  Director

AXN TV - Columbia Tri Star - Studio Host Wrap Director

Extreme World Records - UPN / The Gurin Company - Host Wrap Director

The World’s Funniest Kids - Fox / Brad Lachman Prod. - Seg. Director

Extreme Weekend - ABC / InterSport - Seg. Director

Sightings - Fox / Berkley Group - Seg. Director

Final Vision - NBC / Greystone - Seg. Director

New Visions of the Future - NBC / Greystone - Seg. Director

Secrets Revealed - NBC / Dave Bell & Associates - Seg. Director

Masters of Illusion - NBC / GRB Ent. - Director

Movie Magic - Discovery / GRB - Seg. Director

World’s Greatest Stunts - Fox / GRB Ent. - Seg. & Host Director (4 specials)

MTV Music News - MTV- Seg. Director

Playboy 360 - Playboy - Seg. Director

Playboy Behind The Scenes - Playboy - Seg. Director

A Tribute to Ian Fleming - Robert Halmi Jr. / GRB Ent. - Director

Roller Games - Quintex - Seg. Director

 

DOCUMENTARY

Wild Things - UPN / WT Productions - Seg. Director

What a World - Discovery / Film Garden Ent. - Seg. Director

A Wedding Story - TLC / Film Garden - Senior Director - 52 episodes

Real Romance - Romance Classics / AMC / Film Garden - Seg. Director

The Majic Bus - Film Garden - Director (feature-length independent documentary)

 

DRAMATIC

Dracula the Series - Robert Halmi Jr. / GRB - Directed Pilot

Americas Most Wanted - Fox - Director of Dramatizations

Missing Reward - Four Point Ent. - Director of Dramatizations

Scandals  - ABC / Steven J. Cannell - Director of Dramatizations

Secrets and Mysteries - ABC / Greystone - Director of Dramatizations

Max Headroom - ABC - Designed effects, miniatures & storyboards

 

COMEDY

How to Cook a Turkey with Ellen DeGeneres - Beserkly Ent.- Director

Three Men and a Bogey - Media Home Ent. - Director

Jocks - Comedy Central / Popular Arts - Seg. Director

Comedy Break - Viacom - Directed comedy sketches

VIDEOWEST Productions - Senior Director - Comedy (4 years)

· Take Off / Night Flight - USA Network

· ABC Rocks - ABC

· Backstage Pass - ABC

· Best of Video West - KQED/PBS syndicated nationally

 

FEATURE FILMS

Perfect Shadow - Fast Bojum Prod. - 2nd Unit Director

Terror Squad - Materhorn Prod. - Art Director & 2nd Unit Directing

 

VARIETY

Disney World’s 25th Anniversary Kick Off - Disney / Brad Lachman Prod. - Seg. Director

USA Hot Spots - USA - Associate Director (multi-camera concert show)

 

MUSIC VIDEOS

Music Video Director - over 30 music videos (see awards)

 

COMMERCIALS

Burt Reynolds One Man Show - Burt Reynolds Ent.- Director

Polygram Distribution Group - Gary Group - Director

R.C. Shocker - Mattel Toys - Director

Little Fred’s Revenge - Federated /Shadoe Stevens Ent.- Director

 

AWARDS

Toulouse International Cinema & Stunt Festival -  2nd Place Comedy - I Love Ta Lose

Emmy Award: Creative Technical Crafts - Secrets and Mysteries - Animated Titles - Director & Designer

Emmy Award: Directing - Single Camera - Reunited (Greg Kihn Band)

Rolling Stone Magazine’s Music Video Hall of Fame:

Commander Cody: Two Triple Cheese

Rolling Stone Magazine’s All-Time Top 100 Videos:

Greg Kihn: Jeopardy & Happy Man

Jon Butcher Axis: Life Takes a Life

Krokus: Screaming in the Night

Billboard Award nomination: Directing - Single Camera - Life Takes A Life (Jon Butcher Axis)

Emmy Award: Directing - Single Camera - Happy Man (Greg Kihn Band)

Emmy Award nomination: Directing - Single Camera - Down on the Border (Sir Douglas Quintet)

Athens Film Festival: 1st. Place Best Comedy Short: Two Triple Cheese

Emmy Award:  Directing - Single Camera - Two Triple Cheese

JVC’s Tokyo Video Festival: Best Comedy Short - Two Triple Cheese

Two Triple Cheese is in the permanent collection of the NY Museum of Modern Art.

EDUCATION - BFA Hartford Art School - Design / Painting /Sculpture

TEACHING

California Collage of Arts and Crafts: Intro to Video as Art

UCLA - Guest Lecturer

UC North Ridge - Guest Lecturer