Biagio Messina is an American television producer, director, showrunner, filmmaker, and actor.

Background

His hometown is Cleveland, Ohio. Messina graduated from Parma Senior High School, which is located near Cleveland, Ohio. While still in high school, he wrote the play Me and Grandma. It won the Marilyn Bianci Young Playwrights Festival and was produced at Dobama Theater.[1]

Career

He played the role of Marc Cram on the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel.[2][3] His filmmaking credits include the feature-length, theatrically released documentary Dying to do Letterman, which was invited by the International Documentary Association to qualify for Academy Award consideration.[4][5] Messina's television producing credits include the VH1 reality TV series Scream Queens,[6] the MTV documentary series Caged,[7] The CW reality show Beauty and the Geek,[2] and the MTV True Life Presents documentary Secrets, Lies, and Sex.[8] Messina has produced and contributed to over one-hundred hours of TV and film.[9]

He later made a feature film based on the play. The film was funded with money he won on a gameshow called Majority Rules. Messina wrote, directed, and acted in the screen-adaptation of the play, which was produced in conjunction with future wife Fincioen. While that film did not achieve major distribution, the work helped him land the role of Marc Cram on Kenan & Kel.[2]

He continued producing and directing TV and film. According to the book Small Screen, Big Picture by Chad Gervich, Messina has made "countless hours of television for both broadcast and cable networks."[10]

Personal life

He is married to Joke Fincioen, his wife and business partner.[11] Together they own and run the TV and film production company Joke Productions. The married team collaborates on their film and TV productions.[9] They also podcast and blog about the entertainment industry.[12] They are known professionally and often credited as Joke and Biagio.[13]

References

  1. ^ Salemi, Pat (November 27, 2008). "Parma native paves his own Hollywood way". Parma Sun Post. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Simakis, Andrea (October 10, 2010). "'Scream Queens' helps Parma native make it big in Hollywood". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  3. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2003). The complete directory to prime time network and cable TV shows 1946-present (8. ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 635. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
  4. ^ "Meet the DocuWeeks Filmmakers: Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina--'Dying to do Letterman'". Documentary Magazine. No. August, 2011. International Documentary Association. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  5. ^ "The 21 Secrets to the Success of the Kickstarter Oscar Campaign". Indiewire. July 11, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  6. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (June 8, 2008). "Reality series looks to cast actress in horror film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  7. ^ Levine, Stuart (December 1, 2011). "New series on teens who engage in MMA begins Jan. 9". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  8. ^ "True Life Presents: Secrets, Lies, and Sex". Joke Productions. 11 June 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  9. ^ a b "About Joke Productions". Joke Productions. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  10. ^ Chad Gervich (25 November 2008). Mediabistro.com Presents Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writer's Guide to the TV Business. Crown/Archetype. pp. 276–. ISBN 978-0-307-45014-2.
  11. ^ Cunningham, Hugh (July 19, 2011). "Dying to Make "Dying to do Letterman"". MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  12. ^ Gervich Chad (26 November 2013). How to Manage Your Agent: A Writer's Guide to Hollywood Representation. CRC Press. pp. 343, 366. ISBN 978-1-136-07093-8.
  13. ^ Karlin, Susan (January 13, 2014). "How Andrew Mayne Uses Magic to Tell Stories and Screw with People at the Same Time". Fast Co.Create. Retrieved January 29, 2016.

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