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The entertainment industry isn't anything new to Joseph D. Ligier. He hails from a Hollywood family, with an actor brother, Brandon Hall (Austin Powers I, II & III, Fight Club, American History X, and The Banger Sisters). Also, Dick Warlock (stunt co-coordinator: Jaws, Fire Starter, Abyss, etc.) for an uncle, and Billy Warlock, a two-time Emmy Award winning actor (Happy Days, Baywatch, etc.) as his cousin. When J.D. was merely six years old he had been bitten by the entertainment industry bug spending many hours on the set of 70s televisions shows "Emergency 51," and the "Six Million Dollar Man," while watching his uncle work. He even went as far as to send a letter to his local newspaper, "The Register," announcing his intentions to direct films. At such a young age, he had his work cut out for him.
J.D. spent much of his high school career designing lighting for numerous theater performances, as well as acting in several productions (i.e. The Odd Couple, Go Ask Alice, Grease, and Fiddler on the Roof). He attended two community colleges in the suburbs, just forty miles south of Los Angeles, where he performed the duties of photo editor for both school newspapers. This prepared him for an eleven-year stint as a highly successful published celebrity photojournalist / ENG Cameraman, earning covers of several magazines and newspapers (i.e. People, Us, Newsweek, New York Post, New York Daily News, and the London Daily Mail), and a television show on E! Entertainment Television entitled "Celebrities Uncensored."
In 1990, he realized that he had fallen away from his dreams of filmmaking, and decided to enroll in Columbia College Hollywood, school of film. While attending classes, he worked off and on as a Production Assistant then quickly moved up to the position of focus puller / 1st Assistant Camera. With great attention to detail, and a pride in his work, J.D. had a reputation of never losing focus in a shot, so much so he won several bets with cameramen. By 1995, he was entered on the roster of the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees, local 600, as a director of photography.
Realizing that directing is where he always wanted to be, he took any work he could that was going to allow him to make the proper contacts. He went to work temping as an executive assistant at the desk of literary agent Larry Becsey, then moved on to the position of Development Assistant / Script Reader, for a production company with a first look deal at Paramount, Seven Arts Pictures. His job was to read scripts and develop new ideas for projects, working hands on with producers Peter Hoffman (Onegan, Rules of Engagement, and I was a Teenage Werewolf), Neal Canton (Back to the Future I, II & III, Money Train, Caddyshack, Duets, Get Carter, etc.) and Colleen Camp (Election, Trapped, Clue, Love Stinks, etc.).
Within two years, J.D. made his directorial debut with a short film he wrote entitled "Fly", a fifteen minute experimental piece, shot entirely on 35mm Steadi-cam, in the seamless editing style of Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope". Shortly thereafter, he directed several spec commercials.
His latest short film endeavor, Conundrum (2000), was a family affair. He co-wrote the script with his sister, had his sister-in-law Executive Produce, and cast his brother. He also designed and built the sets, wrote, directed, and edited this production, and from concept to completion did it in 6 months, for a budget of $5,000. This production was shot in a Hollywood soundstage, on 35mm, and starred Ellen Albertini Dow (Rappin' Granny of Adam Sandler's The Wedding Singer (1998)). This short was also done with a Hitchcock flair, and made its debut at the Hitchcock Theatre on the Universal lot.
He has written three shorts, and two feature length scripts, garnering much attention for his talent, as well as writing the sequel to Born in East L.A. for Paul Rodriguez. Meanwhile, he is always penning new work. It hasn't been an easy road for J.D. Ligier, but it will make the success that much more appreciated when it happens.
