Biography
PJ was born in the San Diego in the mid 1970's. Before he was a year old his family moved back to South Western Pennsylvania. When he was three he was bit badly by a dog and received 650 stitches and plastic surgery along his neck.
His parents, who divorced when he was four, lived one block from each other for most of his childhood. This small distance between houses allowed PJ to grow up in two completely different environments concurrently. He attributes his good nature to growing up in this fashion.
Throughout PJ's childhood if he wasn't at school or working elsewhere he often was helping his father with his plumbing business.
As a child PJ played football, broke 5 minutes in the mile, trained in martial arts, acted in school plays, worked as a cook, and was a pretty normal kid. He was president of his local VICA group at the Western Area Vocational Technical School where he took classes in Engineering Related Technology.
After high school PJ moved to Rochester, New York to pursue a degree in industrial engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology. While in his freshman year he found himself helping film students make their student films and eventually began making his own.
PJ quickly changed majors to Film/Video/Animation and while pursuing his degree was president of his class and department. He also ran the student film store. When not busy at school, he found time to be a writer and editor at the student run magazine, work as a bar/club/event DJ, work as a dinner theater actor, work as a crew member on local independent films and videos, become a published poet several times over, and work at Instructional Television at The National Technical Institute for the Deaf. He also acted in Shakespearian productions on campus and in other students films and video.
Also, within that time frame PJ spent a summer interning at Nickelodeon's On-Air promos department in New York City. Before PJ left New York City, Nickelodeon had hired him as a freelance producers assistant.
After graduating from RIT with a Bachelor of fine arts, PJ AD-ed several shorts and one feature. He worked as a broadcast engineer for the local PBS affiliate. He also directed 14 commercials in a single day for The Stereoshop (check out our projects section).
After working on the Stereoshop campaign, PJ was given a chance to work as an apprentice to a Gaffer in Boston. He spent a year and half honing his lighting skills in Boston. While there he gaffed his first feature, Dance By Design.
PJ then returned to Rochester, NY in order to date and eventually marry Cindy Carle. While back in Rochester, PJ wasted no time, shooting for several local and national companies, eventually joining the staff of SEVideo as a shooter, editor, producer and director.
After Cindy and PJ married, he dragged her kicking and screaming to Los Angeles. PJ quickly joined IATSE Local 728 as a set lighting technician. He also directed a full length play and a one act play. Knowing he needed to direct more filmed material, he moved onto directing several spec. commercials. Once he formed a cohesive LA team, he made two short films, Love Sick Love, and Rooftop. Rooftop and Love Sick Love have won multiple awards.
PJ continues to direct commercial and industrial shoots today. He produces for his own production company as Goat Milk Fudge Productions.
