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Toni grew up in Rhode Island with her proud Italian American heritage playing a part in many facets of her life. Maintaining strong family ties, this only child has been cultivating her imagination since age 7 entertaining her family recording a fictional talk show voicing ALL seven characters. Thus, this SAG/AFTRA actress's career is comprised of 30 years in commercials, voice-overs, TV and film. Some credits include Law & Order SVU, The Blacklist, The Mysteries of Laura, Taxi Brooklyn, Blue Bloods, The Following and Nurse Jackie and the films Nasty Baby with Kristen Wiig, Beach Rats directed by Eliza Hittman, Alto with Diana DeGarmo, Annabella Sciorra and Ward Horton, Where God Left His Shoes with John Leguizamo, Riding In Cars With Boys with Drew Barrymore and Faraway Eyes with Christina Ricci, among others.
Married to a restaurateur 30+ years, she is the true definition of a hyphenate and has been a creative presence in many aspects of the entertainment industry. A passion for all things creative and a career in front of and behind the camera that spans 30 years, she has extensive knowledge about the film and television business and is full of a variety of assets that make her "get it done" mentality unstoppable.
She began Shake The Tree Productions in the hopes of creating character driven projects with original stories full of ethnic diversity with non-gender specific hiring of cast and crew at equal pay. She hopes to keep the true meaning of independent film alive by adapting to today's market trends utilizing all new media and its cutting-edge technology. Shake The Tree Productions is devoted to... Encouraging Change. Demanding Equality. Embracing Diversity. Striving for Excellence. All through and dedicated to the art of storytelling.
Toni and Shake The Tree can boast over 75 film festival wins, semi and quarter finalist nods, honorable mentions and official selections, 5 consecutive years of Norwalk's Local Business Person of the Year, 1 5-part Unscripted TV Series Aired, 3 Completed Multi-Award-Winning TV Pilots, 1 Completed Multi-Award-Winning Feature Film, 16+ Delivered Commercials (long form Industrials and 30-60 second short form), 2 Completed Shorts, 1 Award-Winning Music Video and multiple sizzles and trailers.
Specific credits include the festival favorite, award-winning The Undesirables, starring Jason Mewes, the 5-part series The Cottage Community Idea House for This Old House, the feature A Brooklyn Miracle, directed by Shaun Piccinino, Sober, the multiple award-winning series helmed by veteran show-runner Mike Mariano, the unscripted History by Design with Kevin Durkin of Restoration Road, Mooch with an all-star ensemble cast (Kathy Searle, Ward Horton, Melanie Nicholls-King, Ray Abruzzo among them) directed by sitcom icon Richard Kline and the unscripted Welcome to Italian America hosted by Emmy Nominee, Cara DiFalco. Toni works with all members of Shake The Tree ... writers, directors and editors, among others, to ensure the highest quality results for the success of all projects.
Toni and her team at Shake The Tree have many projects (film and television) on their slate for 2024-2028, including collaborative partnerships for several features with APL Films (CAN), Koan Films (USA). Resonant Blue Media (AUS) and Crimson Red Visuals and Bigg Sarge Entertainment (USA). Some of her writing endeavors are in development, including several TV projects, the true biopic, Fallen Princess, crime thriller No Alternative, Christmas romance Angel Investmas and the greatly praised, multi-festival-winning feature, An Unfamiliar Life, among others. And other upcoming projects are the #Skank feature written by Emmy winning former Rockette Jennifer Jiles, the much-anticipated teen dance film I Won't Dance, horror thriller The Devil's Tab, Steubenville, the faith-based feature directed by Dan Lauria and Honor starring Lou Martini, Jr. and David Del Rio, directed by Del Rio.
Toni strives to give back by volunteering and donating for several organizations. Having been a first responder after Hurricane Sandy in the Breezy Point communities, she worked tirelessly in conjunction with The Roxbury Volunteer Fire Department to help the community in its recovery efforts. She supports the Alzheimer's Association, Rebound Hounds, and The Cancer Research Institute.
The Shake The Tree Team also offers internship and mentorship programs for aspiring filmmakers, college students and recent grads. Hands-on experience in the creation, development, production and execution of bringing original content to the mainstream. We hope to inspire the next generation by educating them in the real work of television and film production. Past interns have gone on to work for Rock Shrimp Productions (Bobby Flay's company) and Viacom Entertainment.
