Meet Johnny Catalano

We were lucky to catch up with Johnny Catalano recently and have shared our conversation below.

Johnny, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

As a creative, I’m sure I’m not alone in admitting I’ve hit my fair share of creative blocks or metaphorical walls. It happens. Maybe mine is slightly idiosyncratic in that I come up with about a hundred story ideas a day. With 365 days in a year, that’s tens of thousands of ideas swirling around—and yet, I’ve only managed to fully bring seven feature-length scripts to fruition. I won’t even try to do the math on that, but let’s just say it’s not a great batting average.

Jokes aside, I think it highlights the level of self-regulation required as an artist—especially as a writer and director of feature films. Cinema is a unique art form in that it offers probably the least amount of instant gratification compared to other mediums. I can’t just sit down with an acoustic guitar and belt out a powerful folk tune in an afternoon (though I wish I could). Instead, I have to develop and write a script, rally a group of like-minded people willing to leap off the creative cliff with me into the chaos of film production, and then spend a year or more editing and completing all the post-production tasks needed to make a truly professional film.

And that’s only the beginning. After all that, there’s the media and press campaign, pushing the film for months and shepherding it into a solid distribution deal. It’s kind of like sending your kid off to college—you’ve raised them for the past two to three years, and now you just hope they’ll be taken care of in the world.

I’m probably making filmmaking sound like a slog, but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I fell in love with the circus of cinema, and I signed up willingly. Given everything that goes into it, it probably makes sense why I’m so selective with the projects I pursue. I have to fall in love with the story—because if I don’t, I won’t make it through the process. It’s like a marriage: if you’re not truly committed, it won’t last.

Also, one final piece of advice: drink a lot of coffee. Good coffee.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a filmmaker above all else. Like many independent artists, I’ve dabbled in playwriting and other forms of storytelling, but my deepest commitment is to cinema. What excites me most about film is its ability to express not just an individual’s worldview, but their soul.

In that sense, I do buy into auteur theory—at least to a degree. I know the term can be a bit loaded in highbrow film critic circles, and I get the pushback. The director isn’t God. But they are, without question, the conductor of the orchestra that is a film. They guide the entire symphony, shaping each movement, interpreting a script—whether it’s their own or someone else’s—and leaving traces of their soul between every frame.

Sure, maybe that sounds a little pretentious. But that’s part of why I love cinema. It should be bold, expressive, and yes, sometimes a little grand in its ambition. And honestly? Screw it. If I have the privilege of being a filmmaker and using this medium to express myself, I’ll be as pretentious as I want to be—as long as it’s in good taste.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I’d say resilience, passion, and optimism. Those might sound linked in a way, but each one matters on its own.

Resilience is huge—not just in artistic endeavors, but in life in general. Life isn’t easy for anyone. Sure, some people have it harder than others, but no one gets through it unscathed. I grew up Catholic, and most of the scripture and ethos were about suffering and the trials one must go through to find redemption in this life. Suffering and pain aren’t just likely—they’re a kind of rite of passage. So you build a tolerance for the hard stuff, whether it’s your own doing or the result of outside forces. Get back on the horse. That’s all you can really do.

Passion needs to stay consistent. Never forget why you fell in love with your art form. I’ve never really struggled with that, I’ll admit. Cinema got its hooks in me early on, and I’m stuck with it.

Optimism, as an independent artist, is crucial. Rejection and failure are always around the corner. Don’t let the fear of those things stop you, or you’ll never create. When I end up in conversations with other artists who start getting pessimistic about their careers or whatever, I usually just tune it out. I can’t afford to think that way. I need to make films. There is no Plan B for me.

As far as advice goes, there’s no one path—especially not in feature filmmaking. There are so many different ways to break into the industry. That whole idea of moving to Hollywood and getting discovered by a big studio feels kind of outdated. You’re probably better off making an independent feature or two that does relatively well at festivals or on streaming platforms before ever thinking about moving to Hollywood—where every Joe Blow wants to be the next Tarantino or Spielberg.

So yeah, just follow your own path. That’s really all you can do.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My parents let me pursue my passions—which is certainly not something to take for granted. More than anything, my dad gave me a sense of purpose when he showed me FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE by Sergio Leone. I must’ve been six or seven. It was the final duel that got me—the great Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volonté, that cosmic, otherworldly Ennio Morricone score, and Leone’s direction pulling it all together. Pure cinema. Right then and there, I knew I had to make that. Or at least try. In a way, that moment has always been—and will always be—my north star.

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