Biagio Messina Explained

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 the 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, 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.

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. They also podcast and blog about the entertainment industry.^[12] They are known professionally and often credited as Joke and Biagio.^[13]

Notes and References

1. News: Salemi . Pat . November 27, 2008 . Parma native paves his own Hollywood way . Parma Sun Post . dead . January 29, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161012093334/http://www.cleveland.com/parmasunpost/communitylife/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Ffeatures-0%2F122773929895860.xml.. . October 12, 2016.
2. News: Simakis. Andrea. 'Scream Queens' helps Parma native make it big in Hollywood. January 28, 2016. The Plain Dealer. October 10, 2010.
3. Book: Brooks. Tim. Marsh. Earle. The complete directory to prime time network and cable TV shows 1946-present. 2003. Ballantine Books. New York. 0-345-45542-8. 635. 8. . 10.
4. News: Meet the DocuWeeks Filmmakers: Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina--'Dying to do Letterman'. January 11, 2016. Documentary Magazine. August, 2011. International Documentary Association.
5. News: The 21 Secrets to the Success of the Kickstarter Oscar Campaign. January 15, 2016. Indiewire. July 11, 2011.
6. News: Nordyke. Kimberly. Reality series looks to cast actress in horror film. January 28, 2016. The Hollywood Reporter. June 8, 2008.
7. News: Levine. Stuart. New series on teens who engage in MMA begins Jan. 9. January 28, 2016. Variety. December 1, 2011.
8. Web site: True Life Presents: Secrets, Lies, and Sex. Joke Productions. 11 June 2013 . January 28, 2016.
9. Web site: About Joke Productions. Joke Productions. January 28, 2016.
10. Book: Chad Gervich. Mediabistro.com Presents Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writer's Guide to the TV Business. 25 November 2008. Crown/Archetype. 978-0-307-45014-2. 276–.
11. News: Cunningham . Hugh . July 19, 2011 . Dying to Make "Dying to do Letterman" . . January 28, 2016.
12. Book: Gervich Chad . How to Manage Your Agent: A Writer's Guide to Hollywood Representation . 26 November 2013 . CRC Press . 978-1-136-07093-8 . 343, 366.
13. News: Karlin . Susan . January 13, 2014 . How Andrew Mayne Uses Magic to Tell Stories and Screw with People at the Same Time . Fast Co.Create . January 29, 2016.