Meet Gioacchino Randazzo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gioacchino Randazzo.

Hi Gioacchino, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up the son of Sicilian immigrants who came to the U.S. in search of a better life, where my family owns and operates Randazzo’s Pizzerias and Italian restaurants in the Philadelphia area. I still continue to help out at our oldest location in Ocean CIty, NJ during the busy summer season. Not only did growing up in a restaurant give me the opportunity to learn how to cook amazing Italian food and toss pizzas, but it also gave me knowledge on how to operate a business and support myself while pursuing my artistic endeavors.

At the age of 17, I was recruited by a modeling agency in NYC. Once I started spending time modeling, acting and living in an international city like NYC the interest to travel the world was sparked. My endeavors took me to over 20 countries around Western and Eastern Europe. The worldly experiences I had visiting these cities and museums helped deepen my love of art and photography. An artist I met in Bordeaux, France really opened my eyes to using art as a way to express an opinion or idea on social issues. These experiences, the people I met and stories I heard inspired me to go further into the film industry. I had the opportunity to work on amazing sets like “Spiderman” and “The Sopranos”. My love of set life and how the medium of film can be used to both live different lives and share different stories made me want to do nothing else. I knew that Los Angeles was going to be the move that I would have to make to really pursue my dreams.

In 2012 I moved to Los Angeles where I now reside. Since being out here I have really put all my efforts into studying and furthering my acting career with classes, workshops and creating my own projects. Some of the roles I have had the pleasure of playing include: Ned in HBO Max’s Hacks, Dustin in ABC’s Home Economics, the lead antagonist of a Wise Guy film, American Mobster: Retribution, streaming on Amazon and multiple national commercials for Tide/Marvel, Three Insurance and Square.

In addition to this acting work, I have starred in and directed multiple short films that have gone to and won in international film festivals during 2022. My directing work has served to give me an even deeper understanding of the art of storytelling, and I continue to grow with every new project that I produce. Along with one new inspirational short film I am currently in preproduction for, I have a feature film and a TV series based on my two previous projects in the works.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Pursuing a career as a creative is definitely full of ups and downs in my experience. The first time I moved to NYC to permanently pursue my acting career in 2007-2008, the WGA and SAG went on strike. When this happened, I ended up moving to Key west Florida to live out my dream of living on a tropical island. It was pretty amazing and made me realize Winter was a season you could decide not to participate in…lol. This experience helped me make the decision to move to LA, which I definitely don’t regret. Never having visited and not knowing people here in LA was definitely a challenge. From finding the neighborhood to live in, a job that allowed the flexibility to audition, and the catch-22 of needing credits to get more credits as an actor. Luckily my life experiences and determination to succeed helped navigate these challenges. To get over the hurdle of the catch 22, I began to produce projects with my friends. And by doing so not only did I get the necessary footage to support my acting career, but I also have discovered my passion for directing and producing.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a multifaceted creative working as an actor, director, producer and photographer. My theatrical acting work includes roles such as Ned on HBO Max’s show “Hacks” and Dustin on ABC’s “Home Economics”. Commercially I have been a part of spots for such brands as AT&T, Tide/Marvel’s: Doctor Strange Campaign, Square and Three Insurance to name a few.

I have now produced and directed two short films which have been selected and won awards in International film festivals. One, “Number 14”, is a proof of concept for a feature film I am working on getting produced. And the second is “A Killer Service” a proof of concept for a TV series. I also have a few other ideas in the works as well. I would say the genre I have had the most enjoyment in creating is dark comedies. I like being able to use comedy to tell relatable stories that have meaning and a message behind them. With increasing rent prices and housing issues in Los Angeles I made “Number 14”, a dark comedy about how far someone would go to move up on the list of an affordable housing properties. In my second film “A Killer Service” I wanted to touch upon the Me Too movement and a world where people are increasingly dependent on apps and technology, I wanted to explore a woman’s journey in navigating the gig economy and the themes of gender and power dynamics.

The thing I am most proud of is the project I am currently working on. This project is something that I believe will be my most inspiring story to date. The thing that sets me apart from many others I believe is the plethora of diverse skills I’ve learned over the course of my life. I have also used these skills and knowledge I have to start a Headshot photography business. I really enjoy helping other actors get the tools they need to get their careers going.

What does success mean to you?
Success to me would be being able to financially support myself as an actor/director/producer while continuing to share my projects on the world stage. I have some projects in development as well that I would really love to see come to fruition that could help fulfill this dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.giorandazzo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gio_randazzo8
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialgiorandazzo
• Other: www.gioimagery.com