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

Alright, Joey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

The answer to this question can never be a straight line. Creative advancement will not be achieved by doing set steps (like becoming a doctor), the path to fulfillment is never linear. You need to follow your muse wherever the hell that takes you.

I started writing at a young age, it originally took the form of pacing my parents’ backyard thinking of stories, and acting out all the roles. I didn’t even know that writing could be a job. I refined my craft not through a conscious effort of my own but through a deep need to tell the stories at whatever cost it takes. Writing isn’t creating… it’s SEEING and communicating. Writers are privileged to glimpse into worlds beyond our own; their only liberty is translating those images onto the page. I only ever learned more technical elements to better communicate my ideas. This path has led me to writing/directing/producing plays, short films, audio dramas, music and movie reviews, and feature screenplays.

The obstacles will always be you. The constant battle between “is this any good” vs “trust the process.” You can only hope to stay out of your own way and let the ideas flow.

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 real artistic debut was the play, Watching Paint Dry. It focuses on a painter who is convinced she has an illness that will kill her if she leaves the confines of her studio. We knew NOTHING about producing live theatre going into this project and that naivety turned out to be an asset. My partner, Ella Clover, and I just had to take the work in front of us and move through. The play incorporated the work of an emerging painter and united different artists who believed in telling this story. We ended up with a sold-out run at the deceased (and ever-beloved) Bootleg Theater.

Since then we have produced multiple shorts where we honed our craft leading to our national festival success, Interitus Adfectus (or IA, for short). IA tells the story of a girl (played by Ella) who invents a new breed of mushroom that eventually overtakes her apartment and sanity. The film draws on influences like David Cronenberg, Sam Raimi, and Little Shop of Horrors. We are scheduled to screen next at TromaDance in Brooklyn, presented by legendary B-Movie company, Troma.

Currently, I’m working on a live variety show, The Martini Hour, which plays like a hybrid of Eric Andre Show and The Muppets; showcasing different musicians, standups, and weirdos of LA. I am also shopping two feature screenplays, Modern Art (a comedy where an offensive insult comedian from the 80s returns from cryonic slumber to make a go at the scene now), and Cathedral City (a noir-thriller about a Catholic priest whose investigation of his brother’s murder uncovers a new religion in the deserts of California).

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Tell stories that are uncompromising emotionally with gorgeous aesthetics.

I have never subscribed to the belief that style over substance makes a weaker piece of art. In the post/meta modern era, style IS substance. The form itself is designed to be pushed, manipulated, and drawn attention to.

Through my production company, jpeg Productions, I aim to bring this ethos to life.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Companies, individuals, and governments need to put their money where their mouth is and realize funding art isn’t about a return on financial investment but immortalizing yourself in culture forever.

The examples here are numerous… In Mozart’s day, nobility would finance composers because they knew cultural artifacts were larger than life. To this day, both his pieces and the patrons are known. Orson Welles would have never got his start doing theatre without FDR’s programs that put more money into the arts in New York City. The Colgate Comedy Hour, sponsored by America’s favorite toothpaste, helped invent TV comedy as a form and provided significant appearances for legends like Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Abbott and Costello, and Bob Hope.

In the past, I’ve successfully crowdfunded for both Watching Paint Dry and Interitus Adfectus. There were no large donors, it was all from individuals who trusted us to tell a compelling story. Faith in government and institutions is lower than ever… maybe that can be improved if they invest in something other than the vague promise of growth. Art is the only way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/jpovinelli
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeygduke/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://x.com/TheGrandDukeBB