Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joanna Tsanis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Joanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Growing up, I would visit my family in Greece every summer. When the afternoons became too hot, I’d stay in and watch the English-speaking channels. Anyone who is familiar with afternoon television in Southern Europe knows the kind of wild stuff that’s on there. I saw B-movies, midnight movies – all kinds of stuff. And I remember absolutely loving that feeling of ‘seeing what you’re not supposed to see’ – peeking behind the curtain. I think that’s what catalyzed my pursuit to make horror movies.

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?

My first venture into writing was as a comic book columnist for an online publication. I say columnist not critic, because I never wrote a bad review. Frankly, I just loved collecting, reading, and gushing about comic books – it was a dream job.

My foray into film began when I had an opportunity to work as a screenwriter and producer on a low-budget independent short film. I continued down the path of production management and producing for various projects, but I soon discovered my passion for writing and directing horror.

I went on to direct multiple horror shorts, screening at festivals like SITGES, FANTASIA, FANTASTIC FEST, and FRIGHTFEST. One of my most memorable and exciting moments was when I had the opportunity to work with Ashley Laurence, the star of one of my favourite horror movies Clive Barker’s Hellraiser.

Soonafter, I produced and directed two segments for the horror anthology ‘Eulogy to Us’. You can see my work on various online horror platforms such as ALTER on YouTube, Bloody Bites TV on Roku, and Sharp Shorts on Arrow Player.

I also teach a Film Production class at the Raimi Productions-sponsored film and acting school, Rogue Studios. I love meeting with aspiring filmmakers, and sharing all the good, bad, and horrible of the industry.

I have recently finished up post-production on my feature debut – a monster movie, and am beyond thrilled about embarking into this new territory. Monster movies are particularly exciting because of the lore they create – the creature outlives the film.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal would be to make a movie that horror fans watch and immediately want to buy a t-shirt with the film’s poster on it.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew earlier how amenable industry professionals are to giving free advice. You’d be surprised how many people will respond to a cold message if it is simply advice-seeking and not a pitch. People who have been in the industry for years have extremely useful and ‘current’ insights that you could never find in a film textbook.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://joannatsanis.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/joannatsanis
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannatsanis/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/joannatsanis

Image Credits

1st photo: Jaclyn Vogl
2nd photo: Daniel Yuan