THE JOE MANNO STORY
“If Life Works For Me, It Can Work
For You.”
Once upon a time a long, long time ago. I like
when stories start like that because in order to enjoy the now,
you have to know the then. Have I confused you yet? Keep reading.
Wherever I go, kids always try to use the excuse, “If
you knew where I live…” or “If you new what
went on in my house.” Where you came from is not an excuse
to fail. It’s an opportunity to succeed. If you don’t
like what you see, then change it. And, if you have a wonderful
surrounding, then embrace it.
Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri was great for
me, but at the same time it brought great challenges. I came from
a very loving family and my grandparents lived with my mom and
dad until I was sixteen. Italians like to stay close, I guess.
I
played baseball at age 10. I was horrible at first, but with a
lot of practice I actually got pretty good. As a matter of fact,
I was the highest average hitter on the team at age eleven. That
is when I quite baseball. Why, you ask? October 13, 1973 at six
p.m., I attended my first karate class. I loved it so much that
I ate, drank, and slept it for years to come. I trained so much
that my dad built me a gym in the basement of our house. I had
all the punching bags and speed bags and weights and the jump ropes
and everything else you needed to train. My dad was very crafty
with his hands and, if you could think of it, he could make it.
On my sixteenth birthday, March 4th, 1978, I tested
for my black belt for four straight hours without taking a break.
When it was finished, I had so many bruises you thought I had been
in a war. It was all worth it. I passed with flying colors. I never
stopped training. For years to come, and even now, I train only to
keep fit and healthy. I figure my body is no good to me if it is
broken down, so I do my best to keep it fit.
Not everyone can live on sports for their entire
life, not even pro athletes. Unless you are a golfer, then you can
play well into your seventies. Anyway, my true passion was entertainment.
I wrote my first screen play when I was 13. It was a story about never
giving up. I named it A Fighting Chance. Today that same
concept is what I do for a living. Whether it’s a live comedy
concert or a movie or a TV show, the message will contain humor
and that of hope and encouragement for all who watch, instilling
in them to never give up.
Let’s back up for a moment. I remember this like it was
yesterday. One day when I was in middle school, I was standing
at the drinking fountain and a friend of mine held up a newspaper
and showed me an article that would change my life. It was an article
about my grandfather. A secret that was hidden from me until now.
My grandfather was a very loving man. He would
do anything for me. I was the first grandchild and I made him laugh
all the time. He was not afraid of anything. He too would do anything
to make me laugh. Whatever we did together we would have a blast.
He had a lot of friends and people were afraid of him. Even though
he was only five feet one inches tall, he was a very powerful and
respected man within his circle of people.
I was almost fourteen-years-old that day at the
drinking fountain when I found out my grandfather was a Mafia Boss.
He was born in 1900 and he was part of the first mob ever in St.
Louis. He was such a good man, I would have never known it.
That day didn't bring change to my life
until I was seventeen. That is the day my grandfather came down
to the basement where I was working out. I was exhausted and stopped
for a moment to see what he wanted. He was smiling at me and then
asked me a question that created a fork in the road. I had to make
a choice that day. He asked me if I wanted to work with the family.
I was raised around this, but when it came my way, I knew in my
heart that it wasn't a good thing.
I smiled at him and respectfully declined saying, “No.” A
brief moment passed and then he spoke. He really didn't speak,
he sort of laughed and then gave me a kiss on the cheek. I had
just said no to my grandfather for the first time. He never mentioned
it again, that is until I was twenty four-years-old. I had gone
over to visit my grandfather at his house one day when I was in
town from California, which I'll get to in a minute, and
I was sitting on the floor watching TV. I turned around to look
at my grandfather and he had a tear in his eye. I immediately thought
something was wrong. When I asked him what was the matter his answer
would ring in my mind for the rest of my life. He said, "I'm
just looking at you, son, and if I could do my life all over again
I would do it like you."
I embraced my grandfather's love and laughter
and used it as an opportunity to succeed in life, but I rejected
the offer that could have ended my life. I also realized that no
matter how powerful people are, every time you make a right decision
and it causes you to have to stand up for yourself, people take
notice and it sticks with them. They may not seem interested at
the time but, believe me, they are thinking of it and their thoughts
will eventually change their lives if they make the right decision.
My grandfather died in February of 1988 but the time we had together
was a building block for my life.
One of the greatest moments of my life was July 7th 1979. I was
with a bunch of my friends one night and across the room was a
girl that would not only catch my attention but my heart for the
rest of my life. Terri became my wife and the mother of my three
girls.
When I was seventeen it was very common to date
as many girls as possible. I didn't date many girls, but
the ones I did never lasted very long. A few of them broke up with
me because I refused to engage in an intimate act that should take
place once a couple vows to each other in marriage. You know what
I'm talking about. As a matter of fact Terri was my first, and till
this day, I am glad I made that decision to wait.
At age 21, I left my home in St. Louis and moved to California to
pursue acting as my career. I was only in California a short while
and got myself an agent and a manager and also got my first role
on a TV show entitled, "Trapper John, M.D."
Just a few months later I landed a lead role in two
low-budget films, but could only choose one of them because one
was shooting in California and the other in Kansas. I chose the
one in Kansas. I was now 24 and had a lead in a feature film. Low-budget
or not, it was still a feature film and it came with two other
films attached. I was only 24 and didn't realize the damages that could
take place to those who watch films that don't have a good message
to it. This film I was in was a horror film and senseless violence
took place throughout the film. Till this day it is still making
money, but money means nothing if it leads someone down the wrong path.
Not proud of this film at all, I realized that
I couldn't control what the directors did or did not do. If I agreed
to the role then I had to do what they told me. Comedy was the
only way I could control what I did. I was the only one on the
stage and I could say what I wanted.
In 1989, I was offered an opportunity to speak
to 300 kids to kick off the Red Ribbon Campaign in Southern
California. I was only supposed to speak 5 minutes but the main
speaker was an Assemblyman and had other business that came up.
They asked me to speak for one hour. I agreed but realized that
speaking to kids and being serious the whole time would only lead
to one thing — one boring hour and a bunch of kids booing
me. I remember being under pressure to make this happen, so I went
into my car and sat there with a tape recorder. It took me only
fifteen minutes to come up with the comedy show that had a message
to it. The five topics I dealt with were drugs, gangs, violence,
respecting your teachers and education and respecting your parents.
The show lasted one hour and it was a hit. I was invited to do
another show at another school. From there it was one school
after another.
At one of the shows, a group of people showed
up in suites. I thought they were Principals from other schools,
but it turned out to be former President Ronald Reagan's press
staff. They later invited us up to President Reagan's office and
gave us a card informing us that if we ever needed help getting
into schools to give them a call. We never used that card.
The show became
A Fighting Chance and it has now been performed to hundreds of
thousands of young people across America. In 1990 I did an interview
in a local newspaper in California and realizing how influential
actors could be, I made a statement to not take projects that would
lead people, especially children, down the wrong roads. As soon as
that statement was made, it seemed like one script after another was
offered to me. I remember wanting to do the work, but turning down
offer after offer. I remember one person saying to me, "you won't
make it in this town if you continue with that attitude".
I moved to Florida with my family in 1994. That
is where I met Anthony DeRosa and we formed RTC
Entertainment, Inc. In 1996 we did a one-time show at the Bob
Carr Performing Arts Theater. We had Nickelodeon build us a set
along with a light show and the works. It went off well. In 1998
we were approached by a few local church people to do something
for the Christian community so I wrote and starred in a comedy
game show video entitled “It's a God Thing.” It
went off very well, airing all around the world. We were awarded a
Silver Angel for that show. In 2002, we launched A Fighting Chance
in Central Florida along with a chapter book series of the same
name. In addition to the book series, we incorporated a reading
and creative writing contest where tens of thousands of dollars
in prizes would be given out.
The entire 2002 school year was dedicated to going
into the public schools in and around Central Florida. In April
of 2003 we rented the TD Waterhouse Center, (Where the Orlando
Magic Play) and filled it to the top with kids for an end of the
year bash. The reading contest winners were awarded there. It was
a blast for us all. The same thing took place in 2004, and in May
of that year, we did the same thing at the TD Waterhouse only bigger.
It was another big success.
 In April of 2004 we sat with Henry Maldonado, the
general Manager of CBS, Local 6 here in Florida, and negotiated the
plans to develop an after school movie to air in December of that
same year. December 14th was the premiere for
All In 1.
The premiere was at Universal Studios in Orlando and it was a blast.
The turnout was beyond what we expected. The theater manager
allowed us to go above the seating capacity so no one had to be
turned away. The movie successfully aired on December 15th and
received good ratings to boot. The following December I was awarded
an Emmy for my performance in the movie. I played six characters.
In 2005, we began to develop plans so that in
2007 we could take the live show, A Fighting Chance, on the road.
Ten cities were chosen starting with San Francisco. The show continued
in Orlando and in 2006 we finalized the “prototype”.
The Hard Rock Live at Universal Studios, Florida was the setting
for the May 9th show. Before the schools were invited I was made
aware that there were homeless and needy children in the public
schools. I had no idea this existed but I new I had to do something.
We met with the Title One heads from three surrounding counties
here in Orlando, Orange County, Seminole County and Osceola County.
We decided to make half of the audience either homeless and or
needy children from the three counties. All those students remained
anonyms. No one knew who those in need were, not even me. We partnered
with two local business in the area, Harvest Time International
and 800 Charity Cars. A weeks worth of food was provided for the
homeless and needy families and 6 cars were given to six needy
families. The social workers from each county chose the families.
This show was the most successful and well received show since
its conception in 1989.
This is only the beginning. You may have a dream
and you may have desires within you waiting to take flight but
you must understand that anything that lasts takes a while to develop.
You have to go against the flow. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what
is right. The easy way out will usually lead to your way out eventually.
Don’t let anyone shoot you down. The talent and gifts you
have inside you are tailor made just for you and if you try to
become someone else you will miss who you are suppose to be.
Stay tuned… There is more to come. Remember, if I
can do it, so can you.
Your Friend,
Joe Manno |
