Joseph Greco (born 1972) is a writer, director and producer living in Los Angeles. He wrote & directed the feature film ''

Canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

''. Greco was interested in magic, entering the Society of American Magicians aged 14, but shifted his interest to film shortly before attending university. He graduated from Florida State University's School of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts in 1994. He began making short films in

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

in the mid-90s, before moving to Hollywood in 1995. He has worked with director

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

and has received awards for his short films, ''The Ghost of Drury Lane'' and ''Lena's Spaghetti'', which premiered in the Telluride Film Festival's Filmmakers of Tomorrow Program. Greco is a member of the Directors Guild of America. Greco has directed many plays, short films, music videos & PSAs, working with actors such as

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

, Matthew Modine, and Cloris Leachman. He directed the music video "Hope Is a Thing" for singer/songwriter Lisbeth Scott, working alongside two-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler. Joseph Greco directed the Disney internet commercial "Dance Star Mickey" starring Quest Crew. Greco is the producer & director of the 2011 Emmy winning documentary series "Profiles of Hope" and the producer of Joe Pantoliano's documentary "No Kidding, Me Too," both of which were released on PBS. ''Canvas'' is Greco's first feature film, and was inspired by his own experience of living with his mother, who suffered from schizophrenia. He said that "It's like a love letter to my parents. I felt this was my way of sublimating what I had gone through. Every filmmaker has something they are passionate about, and for me, it's mental illness." It was filmed in 2006, and stars Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, Emmy Award winner Joe Pantoliano and

Devon Gearhart Devon Gearhart (born May 5, 1995) is an American actor. Early life Gearhart was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and began acting at the age of seven, landing national commercials with Burger King, PBS, Pizza Hut and the Cartoon Netw ...

. ''Canvas'' premiered at the Hampton's International Film Festival, won the Alice in the City Prize (Best Feature Film) at the 2007 Rome Film Festival, and several other awards. ''Canvas'' well received by film critics such as

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

and Peter Travers of ''Rolling Stone''. Greco was recognized by ''

MovieMaker Magazine ''MovieMaker'' is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking with a special emphasis on independent film. The magazine is published on a quarterly basis. See also * List of film periodicals Reference ...

'' in their screenwriter spotlight for ''Canvas'', and has been invited to speak about ''Canvas'' and the subject of mental health at the United Nations, Tufts University and Yale University.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greco, Joseph Living people People from Hollywood, Florida 1972 births Film directors from Florida