Meet Joseph C. Grano | Independent Film Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joseph C. Grano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joseph C., what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk is inherent to the film and entertainment industry, as every project is a huge risk. It’s not like selling widgets – at the end of the day you’re creating art. As an independent film producer, you’re risking capital and other people’s capital for what you hope will be a good, entertaining piece of art that people will want to consume. And “good” and “successful” aren’t necessarily one and the same. You can try to mitigate the risk as much possible – i.e. “this actor has X amount of value, this genre has been performing well,” etc. – but nothing is guaranteed. That’s part of what makes the industry so exciting, and why the risk reward is so big.

Going off on my own as an independent producer was a huge risk, but I was in a fortunate position financially where I could afford to take that risk, and I realize that many people aren’t. If you work for a production company or a studio as say a creative executive, you have the comfort of a steady job and paycheck, and you might get to work on really exciting projects. But as an employee of that company you typically don’t get to participate in any upside of those projects. As an independent producer, it’s typically living project to project and a nonstop hustle. I’ve always been very entrepreneurial, and it often only takes one project’s success to make up for the various projects that didn’t have great success. So taking risks is the nature of the business and essentially inevitable if you want to succeed.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m an independent film producer, with my own production company called Set Point Entertainment. Unlike most industries, there is nothing even resembling a straight path in Hollywood. I moved to LA in 2011 without knowing anyone or even having a real job lined up, but I was able to hustle into good assistant positions and pay my dues working for extremely successful producers who were incredibly demanding. I learned that working in film is ultimately all about relationships and you should never say no to any kind of introduction.

As a producer I don’t work inside any kind of box or restrict myself to specific genres. In the last 14 months I’ve produced five feature films (yet to be released) that run the gamut from action comedy to prestige drama to documentary. I’m most interested in subverting genres and approaching stories from an angle people would least expect or haven’t seen before.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve lived for many years right on the beach in Marina Del Rey and consider the Venice area my “hood,” so we would probably stay mostly on the west side. For dinner we’d go to my favorite Italian restaurant Via Veneto (I think it’s the best Italian food in all of Los Angeles). For drinks I’d want to show them some spots on Abbot Kinney, probably starting at Scopa and ending at Roosterfish. And we’d definitely do a breakfast burrito at Great White.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a shoutout to my parents who always supported me in whatever I chose to do. They never pressured me to go in any specific field. My father always said it doesn’t matter what you do in life, as long as you work as hard as you can doing it, and always have a positive attitude. I owe everything to my parents, and I realize how lucky I am to have them.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3187716/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_joseph%2520c.%2520grano

Instagram: joe_grano

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-grano-1729379/