Joe Corrao

Some people say I'm an enigma. I've worn many different hats throughout the life of my career. I finally got to "try on" the hat I've always wanted to wear - that of a screenwriter.

I grew up in the 70s and 80s in Cleveland, Ohio. My grandparents immigrated to Cleveland from Italy. So I got to grow up in a close knit Italian family. Back then, a lot of people didn't go on to college. I was the first to do so. I always wanted to go into a writing career, but back then, I honestly didn't know how to do so - and to saying that I wanted to become a writer wouldn't go over so well in my working class family. So I went into Education. My career spanned from working with kindergarten age students all the way to adults in graduate school. I taught for six years in an urban school in the heart of Cleveland. Knowing that I didn't want to retire from teaching for fear of burnout, I finished my Masters degree in Education and went on to work in the medical school setting - both in Cleveland, and in Los Angeles (where I moved to in 2011).

I left my career in medical education to pursue my lifelong dream - becoming a screenwriter. Many people have told me that my move was gutsy and that they "could never do something like" themselves. I am a bold decision maker yet can be introverted at times. My boldness has always been in my career life. So here I am!

I will finish a Masters of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Art University online screenwriting program by the fall of 2023 (two more semesters to go). During my career as a student, I have written three television pilots, one spec script, one short, and two full length features. My short earned some recognition from the Catalina Film Festival and the LA Student Film Festival. One of my full length features, BAE, has earned honorable mentions from three film festivals: Flickers Rhode Island, Santa Barbara, and the Big Apple.

My goal is to write and to share my many years of life experience with my audience. I'm truly passionate about this career and hope that anyone who reads my scripts will see that I have a lot of story to offer!