Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Rubino.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Ciao, my name is Joe Rubino, plain and simple, I am a storyteller, cinematic director, and creative director. I got my start like many young inspiring filmmakers – I found my way to a camera. I “borrowed” (and might have never given back) my neighbor’s VHS camera and started making films around my neighborhood in NY. However, at this time I was obsessed with story-driven video games, and I was blown away by the freedom to choose my own path. I knew that one day my love for filmmaking and games would converge, but how? Early in my career, I started winning awards for films and became an international cinematographer. Soon, my opportunity came knocking when I joined Rockstar Games as one of their first filmmakers turned video game storytellers. I went on to make Max Payne 3, Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption II, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Forza Motorsport, The Outer Worlds 1, The Outer Worlds 2, and several unannounced games that might be my very best-to-date. I am blessed to have had a chance to be an impactor at some of the world’s most innovative technology and game companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Rockstar, and my latest company NetEase. As the Head of Cinematics & Storytelling, I am in a unique position to lead teams and develop bleeding-edge technology but still, I stay close to my roots by directing character performances with some of Hollywood’s brightest and most talented performers. It’s a great place to be. But I don’t just tell stories behind the camera or game, for nearly half a decade I have been bringing brands to life as a creative director, more recently as the creative director for the world’s hottest new luxury spirit, Tequila Diamante and as the creative director for DREAMS agency under the LC Marketing label based out of Southern California. As a creative director, I get to refine my skills for intellectual properties that are trying to break into the market, or companies that want to reinvent themselves or launch innovative blockchain technologies and brands. This rounds out my creative skillset, and it grounds me even further as a storyteller. Ain’t no better story than that.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The journey is often better than the destination. Value proposition through failure and struggle is what made me into the person I am today. At times, in my world, it can seem daunting working with some of the most advanced technologies in the world, like artificial intelligence, real-time video game engines, and motion capture technology – so its safe to say that I need to stay current on the next new thing, this can be very challenging work but I love a great challenge!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the Head of Cinematics and Storytelling for North America based out of Los Angeles. Currently, I have a few games in post-production that are releasing in the coming year(s) and I have even more entering into concept and pre-production. Right now, I cant go into much details other than I am building a world wide group of studio partnerships to tackle storytelling in video games and entertainment like we have never seen before. A lot of my job today is guiding teams and projects through innovation and storytelling techniques, but I also hold the chief architect title for many advanced cinematic technologies and systems that I can’t talk much about in public, other than these advancements use procedural technology and artificial intelligence to help us develop games in a more refined pipeline and expedited process. But my favorite part of my job is the raw storytelling needed to create compelling characters and key moments. Nothing is more gratifying than directing raw talent on a performance stage. We get to bring a character to life at that moment, immersed in technology and 3D visualized environments with great teams supporting the live capture process. What sets me apart from others might be my work ethic and experience. I am dedicated to my craft but more dedicated to the teams around me, I stop at nothing to advance the narrative through all verticals of my role and production, and lift everyone up around me by extending my experience to them. I am obsessed with advancement in the storytelling medium, but what really rounds me out is my ability to turn it off and on. I am working nearly every waking minute, if I am not sleeping, I am working in some way or form, but for me, this isn’t really “work” as traditionally defined. I am on a mission to create and keep moving the needle forward, I have convinced myself that this is my destiny. Call it what you want, but I get to direct 150-million-dollar video games and animated television shows then flip a switch and help create a brand vision for a luxury tequila, that’s pretty damn cool if you ask me and keeps my mind and creative juices flowing. If I am not creating, I am not living.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Let me spin this question a bit, my favorite childhood memory isn’t any particular single memory, I had great guidance from family. But I can say what I remember the most is this empty creative void early on in my life, it was like the lights were off during my early years. I didn’t know what it meant, I couldn’t quantify in words or describe to anyone what I was missing, but the day I picked up a camera and started telling stories something changed in me. The colors in the world filled in, the noise cleared in my head, the sharpness of people’s characters and images came into focus, and from that moment my life truly began. Funny enough, it all happened again when I stepped onto a motion capture stage for the first time in a video game development studio. I keep living that dream today but on a global scale. The things that are impossible to make sense for many and should be so foreign, to me are like reading an ancient language that only I could understand. It’s profound, it’s like I am a superhero, and my power is storytelling.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.neteasegames.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeyrubs/?hl=en
- Other: https://vimeo.com/josephrubino
