Joe Chilco
- Writer
Joe Chilco is one of eight siblings born into a Sicilian-Irish Canadian family. He is living proof that the "rhythm method" really works, if you're hoping to have a baby. A middle child, so an inveterate attention hog, Joe first distinguished himself professionally as a founding member of the ACME Harpoon Co. improv comedy troupe. That rivaled Toronto's Second City, culminating in a 4 month run in Montreal, where Joe butchered both official National languages to great comedic effect.
Undeterred by his inability to make a living wage, Joe launched himself into a self-employed career as sketch writer for comedy TV shows ("Laughing Matters", "Pet Peeves"). Joe continued to fail upwards, writing for sitcoms and serving as on staff Story Editor. In between, he wrote an episode of "My Secret Identity", starring a young Jerry O'Connell.
Then Joe felt America could use some laughs. As a shining example of Canada's most frequent export to the US...funny people, Joe relocated to LA, armed with a green card won in the immigration lottery. It represents Joe's only win in any lottery, and marked a turning point in his mercurial rise in the entertainment industry.
Joe's action/adventure screenplay "Hickok and Holmes" (co-written with Nelson Clark) was a Top Ten Finalist in the Final Draft Big Break screenwriting competition. It is a re-imagining of the Sherlock legend, featuring his older, smarter, more slothful brother, Mycroft, as a reluctant hero and savior of his younger sibling.
Joe's current screenwriting partner is Anthony W. Orlando, p.g.a. Together, they have created four screenplays: "El Muerto" (action/adventure), "Good v Evil" (low budget horror) and "Human Race: Reboot" (thriller/medical science fiction) and "Black Bird" (biopic).
Prior to these "triumphs", Joe wrote "Picking Sides", a family friendly screenplay, set against the backdrop of California minor league hockey. As with many Canadians, Joe turned his prolific road hockey prowess into a successful stint as coach of his son's minor league teams, both on ice and in-line skating.
Joe also wrote the pilot episode for the half-hour dramedy series "Pistils & Pistols", based on a True Crime story, set in Miami.
Joe has also written episodes for a family comedy/drama TV series produced in Spain ("Médico de familia"). It bested fútbol in the ratings. Joe took four years of Spanish language instruction and five years of French. So, he remains internationally dangerous in several languages, causing residents of several European countries to cringe at his remarkably inadequate pronunciation and accent. Joe also took three years of Latin and recalls only this improper usage, "Semper ubi sub ubi". He considers it good advice and maintains these are words to live by. Go figure.
By now, Hollywood should have discovered Joe, but, well, he's Canadian born. He remains hopeful that divine intervention will one day intercede as he faces the challenges of each day, firm in the knowledge that Jesus loves him, no matter what you've heard.
Joe has found time to produce and raise two children with his wife, the long-suffering Mrs. Chilco, who is widely known to be infinitely nicer than Joe.
Joe holds both Canadian and US citizenship. He has the passports to prove it.