Inside the SCATV studio is a monthly blog post where SCATV staff interviews members, to learn a little bit more about who they are and their background. There will be a set series of 10 questions that they’ll answer. In this week and the first blog post of the series, we hear from JoJo LaRiccia, a longtime SCATV member.
1. Who are you and what do you do? My name is Joanne LaRiccia but I call myself JoJo as it’s easy for people to remember and it really works. I’m a filmmaker. I’ve been with the Somerville Producers Group from 2003 and working more in the background with that group and finishing up the archiving of 40 years of shows (the longest running ‘LIVE’ TV show in America and most likely the world.) Recently I formed the Somerville Film Group and that can be any kind of TV show, short film and it’s live to tape but then I tweak all the shows in post production.
2. What was the strangest job you’ve had? The strangest job I’ve ever had was bringing in a group of people who did Tong Ren Therapy. There was around ten people who brought in these small dolls that showed all the meridians and they had a small silver hammer. We had an audience of around twelve people and the leader, Tom Tam asked the person in the audience what ailed them. Once Tom Tam established the problem, the group of people would start banging the dolls on the problem spot with their hammers. It was a group collective consciousness that activated the healing process. It was wild! (I have the footage of that)
3. What was one of your first SCATV productions (your own or helping others)? My first SCATV production was in 1986 when I brought in a band and I paid SCATV a rental fee to use the studio and yes I have that video and it’s pretty bizarre to watch.
4. Who were your early creative mentors or source for inspiration? My early creative mentors was my Dad who worked very hard as a carpenter and ran his own side busienss as a vendor who sold balloons and novelties at parades, events and football games. My Dad was successful and was a hard worker and every chance I had as a young kid I would go out and work with my Dad to prove to him and myself that I could do anything. At the age of eleven I had a set back and felt like I was a failure that I hadn’t acheived something great. So I came up with a plan that I would retire at the age of 40 but I didn’t retire until the age of 51. So at the age of 11, I was going to a teen center. I was told of a photography class at MIT and was given the address by the teen leader. So I went there with my friend, Patti Peterson (Petie) on our bikes with our hair in ping tails and ribbons. The class was being held on a Saturday morning on Vassar St for MIT students. I knocked on the door and introduced myself to the teacher who was a friend of the Teen Center leader. The person who answered the door told my friend, Petie and I that we could not take the class because we were not college students. I would not take ‘NO’ for an answer and we were allowed to take the entire class. I bought my first SLR camera at Lechmere Sales and built a make shift dark room in my basement with supplies from Hunts Photo which was a small store in Malden Square. Petie and I both got an A for the course but no college credit was given because we weren’t college students.
5.. How do you get passed creative roadblocks? There are no roadblocks, only opportunities to learn and get better. Where there is a will there is a way. We are the actor, producer and director in our own lives. Our only roadblock is ourself. If you think you can do something then you can do it. My Dad told me, “If you want the beautiful things in life, you just reach out and grab them and their yours”. I have a song that I wrote about this called “We Can Fly”
6. How has SCATV been a positive influence in your creative media career? SCATV is a goldmine for learning. By that I mean that there is limitless opportunity to get better and if you want to create something good in your life you have to find the right places to do this. SCATV allows you to to do this but you have to be willing to put in the sweat equity. SCATV allows you to create TV shows and empower yourself and others. SCATV is a wealth of information and has a great team of people work there. Wendy Blom is the Director and she’s AMAZING for bringing our studio the finest of equipment! Ben Morrow is the Program Coordinator and a sweet and kind man who does a fabulous job with programming. Erica Jones is the Outreach Coordinator and words cannot express that she adds an element of savvy, creativity, warmth, awareness, new ideas and social media and everything good comes under Erica. And then finally there’s Miguel Rivas who is an angel from Heaven that has helped SCATV and made so many things work better. Miguel is like a well oiled machine who is an endless wealth of knowlege. Sometimes people think that things just happen and it’s not the way of the world. If you work hard, create good relationships with people and have a grateful attitude then you can learn all that you can and expect the best. The best of course will happen.
7. When did you first feel successful? Success is measured in many different ways. I was a go getter as a kid and started working with my Dad at the age of 4 and ran a business at the age of 16 alone on a street corner selling balloons and novelities in front of the NE Aquarium. I was not your typical kid. I was driven to compete and to succeed and had boundless energy. I was told by my Father that I could do anything and to never depend on anyone to take care of me. He taught me to do it alone and to work hard. So glad I had great parents as we had a lot of love, support and spirituality in our family and great ethics on all levels.
8. If you could have entrance music, what would it be? “My Everything” by Barry White http://youtu.be/Fcd3XuQwDQQ
9. What’s your favorite spot in Somerville to hangout or visit? Vinny’s Ristorante
10. In 140 characters or less, how would you pitch your TV show or program? Somerville Film Group is a diverse, fun place to create TV shows, short films and to empower all those that come who are behind and in front of the camera.