About Me

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My name is Joe Berke and I am a comedic writer, director, and producer.

Professional & Educational Career

 

I attended San Francisco State University from 2015 to 2017 until I realized that I wanted to live in Los Angeles year round. After a gap year, I transferred to California State University, Northridge where I graduated in May, 2020. At CSUN, I had the opportunity to make my own comedy videos with some incredibly talented classmates and professors that I learned so much from.

When I was a young kid, I always wanted to be a professional athlete or involved with either the NBA or MLB in some way. By the time I was in high school, I thought I was going to be an NBA play-by-play broadcaster. One day, I came across something that blew my mind. As I was doing a deep dive on YouTube, I found a blooper reel from 21 Jump Street. Watching all of the hilarious outtakes of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum made me realize that I wanted to jump into comedic filmmaking.

It wasn’t easy to get started in film. I cold called and emailed hundreds of Hollywood professionals and only one person gave me a job on my first movie, Eternals, as a Health & Safety PA. Since then, I have done my best to climb the ladder; Making the leap to a production office and working for Directors and Producers, Barry Jenkins, Lulu Wang, and Callum McDougall. My next major goal is to write, direct, and produce my own feature film within the next couple of years.

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Inspirations & Aspirations

 

Nearly everything I have written and directed has been comedy. Some of the main comedic creators that inspire me are Judd Apatow, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, and Will Ferrell.

I enjoy all sorts of genres and intend to write more than just comedy. A short term goal of mine is to write multiple feature films this year (2024).

In the future, I would love the opportunity to write, direct, and produce my own feature films and television shows. The end goal for me is being a skilled enough director to tackle a blockbuster action or sci-fi film while infusing my own comedic style.

Favorites

My 10 Favorite Films

  1. I Love You, Man

  2. Superbad

  3. Mad Max: Fury Road

  4. Django Unchained

  5. Pineapple Express

  6. Drillbit Taylor

  7. 21 Jump Street

  8. Tropic Thunder

  9. The Other Guys

  10. She’s the Man

My 10 Favorite TV Shows

  1. Curb Your Enthusiasm

  2. The Office (U.S.)

  3. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

  4. Freaks and Geeks

  5. Parks and Recreation

  6. Love

  7. Beef

  8. Master of None

  9. The League

  10. The King of Queens

My 10 Favorite Actors

  1. Al Pacino

  2. Paul Rudd

  3. Jonah Hill

  4. Seth Rogen

  5. Will Ferrell

  6. Michael Cera

  7. Jason Segel

  8. Colin Farrell

  9. Owen Wilson

  10. Samuel L. Jackson

My 10 Favorite Actresses

  1. Charlize Theron

  2. Leslie Mann

  3. Zoe Saldana

  4. Marisa Tomei

  5. Aubrey Plaza

  6. Rose Byrne

  7. Penelope Cruz

  8. Zoe Kravitz

  9. Natalie Portman

  10. Rashida Jones

Music

My 10 Favorite Artists

  1. Rihanna

  2. Kid Cudi

  3. Eminem

  4. Eric B & Rakim

  5. T.I.

  6. Nas

  7. Machine Gun Kelly

  8. Nelly Furtado

  9. ABBA

  10. A Tribe Called Quest

Teams

Lakers

I am a huge Lakers fan and watched them even when they were struggling with Robert Sacre starting at center. My love for them is never ending.

 

Dodgers

After watching my Dodgers choke from my childhood years all the way through college, I can finally say that I’ve been able to witness a championship, which is something I never actually thought would happen.

 
 

Twins

Although I have no connection to Minnesota, my favorite baseball player of all-time is Joe Mauer. I have been a fan of the Twins since middle school.

 
 
 

UCLA Hoops

UCLA basketball has been a huge part of my life since I was little. I attended basketball camp three years there and have gone to many home games over the years.