Check Out Joe Kowalski’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Kowalski.

Hi Joe, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
You could say that my journey with film started when I was a kid. I was always using the family video camera at a young age and dragging my siblings and friends into starring in our backyard productions. That evolved into a YouTube channel that I focused a lot on in high school, which further lead to me making a low-budget musical project with my dad when I was 19.

Ever since then I found one way or another to be part of the local media scene, whether it was making industrial training videos, working the overnight shift at the WEWS news station, and eventually being an editor on films and TV shows like the documentary Mr. Football. Slowly I was able to build the trust and team needed to make my first feature documentary, entitled Micronations, which premiered at Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Festival this summer!

We have two Cleveland-area screenings lined up of the film, which are the true-life stories of people who attempt to start their own countries. One is October 7th at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, and the other will be October 24th at the Cleveland Cinematheque. I will be in attendance with special guests from the film!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was tough to build momentum to be sure. Unlike film friends on the Coasts, there’s no easy way here to network with people in Hollywood who can decide your fate or give you a chance upon seeing your work. There’s a ton of talent in Northeast Ohio, but inevitably there’s a lot you have to figure out on your own in order to make any project exist. There were times when I strained myself financially to be able to complete the projects I believed in.

It really is true that in this day and age, if you’re wishy-washy about your interest in being in film, you won’t stand a chance. It’s something you’re going to have devote a massive amount of time and energy to, and even then that momentum may never arrive in the ways you think it might. Your passion has to come from a place of being unable to imagine yourself doing anything else and being open to the many ways in which you define meaningful work.

One great stroke of fortune I had was getting to work with Substance, who are creating original shows and movies right here in the region. The three heads of the studio, Adam, Geoff, and Ryan, all believed in the Micronations documentary and gave me and my collaborator Tom Zavertnik the resources and time we needed to make it far better than we could have without them. Now we’re doing screenings of the film at festivals all around the country.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Although my interest started in scripted storytelling, and I still like to engage with that from time to time, I found myself gradually falling in love with documentaries. There’s a frustrating sentiment that documentaries are almost treated like they’re not “real” movies or that they’re more disposable and less immersive. Simply not true. If anything, I think there is experimentation to be had in the structuring or journey of making a documentary that allow for experiences that can only be had from watching nonfiction, partially because you the viewer are engaging with someone’s real life.

What I’m personally proud of is that my team and I try to approach documentary topics with genuine curiosity and empathy. It’s easy to take people’s real lives and boil them down into simple black-and-white stories, but I think it’s important to remember the three-dimensionality of every person you feature. People put a lot of trust in you when they share their stories, and it’s critical for me to remember the power I have in that, similar to how it is in the field of journalism.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think everyone likes to believe that you can get any result you want in life by playing the right chess moves, but a lot of life is chance, whether its the family you were born into or even geographically where you live.

What I think you can do is better your skillsets, work on your people skills, and keep researching your field of interest so that you have a better chance of being in the right place, right time. There’s no certainty of course, but it’s a matter of increasing the possibilities of positive outcomes. We all exist within an economic framework that doesn’t typically allow for drastic risk, but I find that the longer you’re in film and video, the more you develop a better sense of what’s worth taking a risk on and what might not be worth your time.

It was a risk for me to not take a more certain career path, but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t give it an honest go. No matter what my future hold, I’m glad I did. There’s so many wonderful people and experiences I could never happened upon otherwise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pogiejoe.com
• Instagram: @pogiejoe
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/pogiejoe
• Other: To follow the Micronations documentary, find @micronationsdoc on Instagram!