Dominic DeJoseph:
What's captivating about the life of a porter on a dying breed of luxury trains? When that porter is the quirky Johnny Berlin, there's no end to his fascinating tales. DeJoseph describes directing “Johnny Berlin” as a unique experience: “it was my job just to turn the camera on, start rolling the camera, not laugh, and not shake the camera.” In his film, DeJoseph artfully portrays Johnny: an individual who turns an ordinary ride through the West Coast into an extraordinary journey.

In 1996, DeJoseph founded his own independent production company, Black Shoe Films, though which he has directed music videos for bands such as R.E.M., The Dandy Warhols, Ryan Adams, The Stills, and Tilly and The Wall. In 2001, Dominic directed a documentary featuring Wim Wenders and Bono called The One Dollar Diary. His films and videos have been screened at The Tribeca Film Festival, The South by Southwest Film Festival, The Montreal Festival of New Cinema/New Media, The Sarasota Film Festival, Revelation Perth in Australia, and CineRAIL in France, among others, as well as on MTV and The Independent Film Channel. His most recent film, Johnny Berlin, a comedy about a train porter in the midst of mid-life crisis, won a Special Director’s Award at The Santa Cruz Film Festival in 2006 and will be broadcast on The Documentary Channel (DISH Network) and affiliated PBS stations beginning in June 2007. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.