Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Abramson
Hi Steve, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for television and movies goes back as far as I can remember.
I studied radio and television in high school at Thornridge in Dolton, Illinois, and pursued cinema and photography in college at SIU in Carbondale. Growing up, I worked at movie theaters (Plitt, Cineplex Odeon) and video stores (Blockbuster).
After college, I gained experience at post-production facilities, been a PA on films, did some extra work, wrote for television (Disney and some TV pilots, etc.), and worked on game shows. This past year, I even got to make an appearance on Pawn Stars (a favorite of mine).
Today, I’m focused on building my publishing business. It’s been a lifelong creative journey that’s still going strong.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey is rarely a smooth one, and there’s never just one path to take. This holds true for any career, but especially in the entertainment industry. The real challenge is finding your footing and discovering a door that’s willing to open for you. Sometimes even more difficult is figuring out where you truly belong.
As a writer, one of the toughest obstacles is simply getting noticed. Ultimately, success comes down to a combination of who you know and having the right timing. Of course, a bit of talent doesn’t hurt either
A perfect example of timing—or lack thereof—happened nearly two years ago when I submitted my television pilot, “Jenny… in training”, to a number of screenplay contests. It ended up taking First Place in the New York International Screenplay Awards. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, it happened right in the middle of the writer’s strike, leaving me unable to market it or take advantage of the win at the time. But hey, it still looks great on a resume, though. Haha.
I have temporarily put “Jenny” on the backburner as publishing took up all my time, but I’m planning to revisit it and get it back out there soon.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For the past few years, I’ve channeled most of my creative energy into publishing. In 2020, I published my first children’s book, “The Bear in the Chair.” It turned out to be an incredibly exciting experience. I wrote, produced, and designed the book. I collaborated with the incredibly talented illustrator Susan Erlich, who created over 80 stunning illustrations. We spent about seven to eight months perfecting the designs, and her work truly brought the story to life. Susan is one of the best illustrators out there currently. You can find out more about “The Bear in the Chair” at: thebearinthechair.com.
About a year and a half ago, I hired a company to produce an audio version of “The Bear in the Chair”. I then converted it into a motion storybook, which is now available on my YouTube channel, Know It All Joe.
Shortly after, I began the journey of reviving one of my favorite book series from the late ’70s and early ’80s—The Fotonovel.
A Fotonovel is a unique series of paperback books that adapted popular movies and TV shows into a type of graphic novel, using actual stills from the films or shows paired with word bubbles. It was the only way to relive your favorite scenes back then. But when the VCR came along, Fotonovels quickly faded from popularity.
However, as we all know, what’s old often becomes new again. So, I decided to bring the Fotonovel brand back to life and am currently in the process of securing the Fotonovel trademark.
To date, I’ve published two titles: “Steamboat Willie”, the iconic Disney short that marked Mickey and Minnie’s first onscreen appearance, and the 1968 horror classic, “Night of the Living Dead.”
To promote the Fotonovel, I’ve engaged in a variety of marketing efforts, including guest appearances on podcasts, book signings—one of which took place at the renowned horror shop Dark Delicacies in Burbank—creating dynamic book trailers, and securing placement in multiple shops across Los Angeles. Of course, the books are also available on Amazon, where both titles are currently selling well.
Excitingly, I expect to release a new Fotonovel title later this year—stay tuned!
Beyond my publishing work, I have several side projects that keep me busy as well. I run a YouTube channel called ‘Know It All Joe’, where I post fun and engaging videos. For example, I recently filmed my tour of the iconic Brady Bunch house in North Hollywood, and I even re-edited the infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special” —condensing it into a tighter, 30-minute “Star Wars” movie (and hopefully improving it in the process!).
I also manage a pop culture website under the same name, Know It All Joe. (knowitalljoe.com)
In addition to all of this, my day job involves working as a Researcher for Game Shows—a role that keeps me sharp and constantly learning. I also have the opportunity to write questions for these shows, which makes for a truly fascinating career.
It’s a busy, creative life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
If you’d like to check out my published books—The Bear in the Chair and both Fotonovels—they’re available for purchase on Amazon.
What were you like growing up?
As a kid, I was always the creative type. I started making short films with my Super 8 camera, immersing myself in the art of filming, editing, lighting, and storytelling. Looking back, I likely inherited my creative spark from my grandfather—a medical examiner with a deep passion for photography. He didn’t just capture moments in pictures, but he also filmed hours of footage from his travels.
When I was about 15, I wrote my first screenplay, “The Crystal Chase.” I didn’t really know how to write a screenplay back then, but I had a story I wanted to tell, so I gave it a shot. Of course, I didn’t know about proper screenplay formatting, so it ended up being written in stage play format. There weren’t any screenplay books to guide me at the time.
By chance, my mother knew someone who knew someone who knew Robert Zemeckis’s mother. Through that connection, I managed to get my script to Amblin Entertainment, and they agreed to take a look. While I highly doubt Robert Zemeckis himself read it, I never heard back after that, probably because the script was terrible —written by a 15-year-old in the wrong format. Still, it lit a fire in me when it came to writing. For fun, I posted that acceptance letter up on my main website (steveabramson.com).
After college, I wrote a couple of “Star Trek” spec scripts and submitted them to the show, which was the only one accepting unsolicited material at the time. Although they didn’t buy the scripts, they did invite me to pitch story ideas. That experience gave me the confidence to think that maybe this writing thing could actually work. Soon after, I quit my editing job in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles to really give it a shot.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://steveabramson.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steveabramson1/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knowitalljoe
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-abramson-a550204/
- Twitter: https://x.com/knowitalljoe
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Knowitalljoe1977
- Yelp: https://thebearinthechair.com/
- Soundcloud: https://www.instagram.com/knowitalljoe1977/
- Other: https://www.knowitalljoe.com/
