We were lucky to catch up with Carlo Fiorletta recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Carlo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Working as an actor and producer on the DETOURS feature movie has been very meaningful, I played a big piece for what is considered a low budget film, but at the start is a mortgage without a house.

As an actor I played the male lead, a father, which I am in real life.

As a producer I helped smooth financial bumps in the road.

Working with Mara Lesemann, my wife, was both rewarding and challenging.

There are parts of the movie inspired by real life which I have to deal with as the rewards of being vulnerable as an artist versus privacy.
It was physically demanding, the shoot of about a month from NJ to FL driving and prep before and after until screening and distributions.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am probably most known as GIAA President, I joined GIAA in the 1990s. It is the Italian Actors Union since 1937. When Paul Borghese won the election, he set up the DBA as the Guild of Italian American Actors. This helped a lot of actors get into movies and TV such as the Sopranos. I was on the board when Paul’s slate got elected

Paul got an acting break, playing Yogi Berra in the movie 61* for director Billy Crystal, He directs also. The next President, Lea Serra moved up from the VP spot to fill Paul’sm then Guy Palumbo was VP. Next election, Guy became president and I was VP,

I am most proud of our actors, Many have gotten into AEA. and SAGAFTRA. It’s great seeing them on stage or screen. I acted in a couple of Italian shows, CARNEVALE (Italian Mardi Gras) and LA BEFANA (the Christmas Witch, female Santa style character)

GIAA is the only ethnic performers union accepting people from any ethnicity with some Italian culture .interest.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When my father was dying and eventually passed in 1996, I had already taken a year off from acting during the separation and divorce from my children’s mother.. I got a call from a director of an interactive murder mystery, I had worked for the group in prior years, It can be a tough gig because you have to stay in character and eat dinner with strangers between scenes while they ask for clues. Some of the actors I knew from before and all were nice. Audience uplifted me. The fact that we were all alive, and enjoying a show. Younger actors made me smile for the future. Soon my children were old enough to attend.
Meeting Mara helped, I joined GIAA shortly after that and Love Creek Productions where I directed her first play, BERMUDA TRIANGLE which went up the weekend after 9/11. The comedy was cathartic for a lot of people.
Our survival jobs were in Manhattan and we lived in Jersey City. Art House Productions sprang up in that town and I got to work on some great plays like Tennessee Williams; CAMINO REAL, One contact there enable me to work on a project that I got to perform at the Public theatre.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society can do 2 things in two directions to support:

1) At the private level, attend, join, and buy things. If there is a band with no cover charge, can you buy a t-shirt to support? If you cannot buy an artist’s painting or attend a Broadway show or dance, can you take a class? Maybe you can make a painting, print or performance that friends and family can support. Attend theater, subscribe to group(s) whose work suits you. Stay in touch. Keep people in your thoughts and email contacts and social media of choice.

2) At the government level, get involved. VOTE. Support candidates who are kind to the arts. NEA and NEH budgets are TINY compared to military. Run for lower level seats, School boards decide what books children can read in school and art and history topics allowed. Even if you run in an area that heavily supports another party, citizens will see your name on a ballot and know you are involved.

Contact Info:

• Website: giaa.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlofiorletta/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlo.fiorletta
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlofiorletta/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlofiorletta
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB_AFX41gV5_jJF61fnNyqQ
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=txreKlp-VWBcjiX3ZbmGxw
• Other: https://mastodon.world/@carlofiorletta

Image Credits
Mark Veltman