Meet Joe
After a successful career of writing, producing, and directing Kodak TV commercials, documentaries, movies, and programs for television and sale, Joe Janowicz has come out of retirement and embarked on a second chapter in his life writing comic books, novels, and screenplays. But his first chapter set the stage.
As Production Director for Kodak Video Programs, over 100 titles were produced or acquired under Joe’s direction. Joe travelled the world for Kodak. His projects have taken him from Tahiti to Russia, China to England, and a lot more countries in between. Many of his films and programs were nominated and won awards with PBS TV.
Joe directed Academy Award winner Gregory Peck in “Maestros in Moscow,” an acclaimed PBS documentary about the Louisville Orchestra’s tour in Russia. Joe also directed Dudley Moore for Kodak’s joint venture with the Smithsonian Institution in the film “Supertour” for PBS, and worked with Siegfried and Roy, the famous Las Vegas magicians, in developing and creating a pre-recorded video for sale. Another of Joe’s television projects was a Kodak collaboration with Emmy Award Winning Director George Schlatter. Joe was the Kodak Producer in charge of “The Ultimate Event,” recording the live concert of Frank Sinatra, Liza Minelli and Sammy Davis Jr., filmed at the Grand Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan. He also was the Producer of the Kodak Photography Sci-Fi children’s series for PBS TV, “Adventures in Photography,” featuring “Captain Camera,” and the award-winning series, “Know the Land and The People.”
In his retirement, Joe returned to spending time with his comic book collection he started as a young boy. In the back of his mind, he always had the idea to write and produce a “mainstream” comic book and graphic novel.
Drawing upon his movie and TV background, Joe created and wrote the comic book series, BLACK MAN WHITE MAN, a chilling murder mystery story set in today’s racially explosive world. A black police officer unknowingly transforms at night into a white serial killer who is murdering the family and friends of the black detective. When he awakens, he is obsessed to catch the Killer, not knowing they are one and the same. Illustrated by Nigel Carrington, of StarSkills studios.
Joe is currently writing a new comic book series, DREAMER, about a young boy who is trapped in a children’s hospital fire while saving disabled children and is placed into an “induced coma” to survive. In the coma, he can travel into the dreams of the handicapped children he saved and help them with their personal struggles and disabilities, enabling them to find the “hero within themselves.” Illustrated by Ken Wheaton. The comic has been awarded a Town Proclamation for inspiring children of all ages.