About Joke Productions

Joke Productions is a Los Angeles based TV & Film production company. It specializes in unscripted television, true crime, documentary series, reality TV shows, & more. We are independently owned and operated by two award winning filmmakers: the wife and husband team of Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina. Want to know a little more about Joke Productions?

Click on the table of contents below to jump to a specific section. Or read right through to answer your questions about our company. Also be sure to see testimonials on our Joke Productions Reviews page.

Or, for a fun look at our company history, check out this article from Realscreen Magazine.

Table Of Contents

Why Are We Independently Owned?

Because at Joke Productions, we strive for one thing. Crafting great stories and polished productions. That means hiring the best people and treating them right. It also means making decisions that improve a production, not just a company’s bottom line.

We don’t answer to a board of trustees. Who are we accountable to? The networks and studios who trust us to deliver amazing productions. And the fine women and men who trust us with their careers.

We take pride in elevating every show far beyond what is “doable” with its given budget. All while striving to keep the TV and film industry a fun place to work. Every choice we make is in service of those goals.

That’s why we started this company. And that’s why we’re proudly independent.

Joke productions owners Joke and Biagio
Owners, and married duo. Wife Joke and husband Biagio.

Joke Productions: The Beginning of Our Production Company…

Joke & Biagio met at UCLA. After 9 months of courting, they joined forces to form a production company…and fell in love. They started with a 16mm feature film they made while still in school. Next was the feature length documentary A Galaxy Far, Far Away. That received a national theatrical distribution.

All the while, they taught themselves every job on set.

Next, they produced, directed, and edited engaging reality TV pitch tapes for industry pros. Those tapes helped many companies sell reality TV shows.

And somewhere in there…the duo got married.

Joke Productions Owners Joke and Biagio. Wedding day.
Biagio shows off his best side while saving Joke from traffic. The couple married in 2001.

Becoming Showrunners

Next, legendary NBC president Warren Littlefield championed Joke and Biagio. (He was the man behind Must See TV, Seinfeld, Will and Grace, etc.)

He hired the duo to show run and Executive Produce a reality pilot for Style Network (Foody Call). It was immediately picked for series.

Later, they earned their documentary wings under acclaimed filmmaker R.J. Cutler. (The War Room, The September Issue).

Joke and Biagio also acted as showrunners on The CW’s smash hit reality show Beauty and the Geek. As well as Science of Love, a prime-time special for NBC hosted by Mark Consuelos. All the while Joke & Biagio honed their skills as storytellers and Executive Producers.

Joke Productions EIC

Joke and Biagio met Peter Spoerri on one of their many productions. They instantly knew he was destined to be head of production at their company. Peter has a natural talent for putting money on the screen. He finds creative ways to extend even the smallest of budgets.

Now, Joke Productions has produced many successful TV and Film projects. The company has developed a keen eye for good stories. It utilizes an amazing visual style when telling them. And pushes new technology to the limits. All in order to deliver productions that look much larger than budgets allow.

Executives

joke-fincioen-biagio-messina-joke-productions-owners

Joke Fincioen

Biagio Messina

Founders, Owners, Joke Productions

Joke and Biagio are married, award winning filmmakers and TV producers. They are best known for creating and executive producing unscripted entertainment. That includes true crime, documentary series, reality TV shows, feature docs and more.

Their range of productions include series like

  • Unmasking a Killer for CNN / HLN
  • Three Days to Live for Oxygen
  • Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne on A&E
  • Scream Queens on VH1
  • Caged on MTV

Their documentary series Ghost Inside My Child featured the highest rated television episode in BIO channel history. It returned for multiple seasons on LMN.

The duo earned accolades for their film Dying to do Letterman.

They produced, directed, and edited the feature-length documentary. It enjoyed a theatrical distribution. The International Documentary Association invited the film to qualify for Academy Award® consideration. Later, Oscilloscope distributed the film. It made iTunes New and Noteworthy.

Dying to do Letterman makes
Dying to do Letterman makes “New and Noteworthy.” From Joke Productions.

Together they’ve produced several hundred hours of film and television. They’ve worked as writers, producers, directors, and editors. All skills that helped them earn their Executive Producer titles.

Joke and Biagio continue to challenge themselves creatively with each new project they embrace. They have a reputation for delivering outstanding, innovative work.

Biagio also delivered pizzas for Pizza Hut. And played “Marc Cram” on Nickelodeon’s Kenan and Kel. At the same time.

Joke learned the Hollywood ropes working as an assistant for various producers. This included Gale Anne Hurd. (Terminator, Armageddon, The Walking Dead.)

More about Joke Fincioen
More about Biagio Messina

Peter Spoerri

Peter Spoerri

Head of Production, Joke Productions

This rare photo of Peter Spoerri was caught in the wild. He was busy stretching every dollar to the max on a recent Joke Productions’ shoot.

Peter is known to be one of those rare money guys who manages to say “yes” to the crazy creative whims of his producers. Yet he still finds a way to come in on time and on budget.

He has a diverse background in film and television. It includes HBOs Russell Simmons Presents: Brave New Voices. ESPN’s Bound for Glory. Plus over 100 hours of TV for Joke Productions.

Because of that, Peter brings a wealth of knowledge, years of contacts, and top-notch production skills to our team.

Reality TV Production

Reality TV production is a big part of what we do at Joke Productions. This includes larger-than-life competition reality like VH1’s Scream Queens. Large-scale comedic formats like A&E’s Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne and IFC’s Commercial Kings. And More intimate follow-docs and documentary series like MTV’s Caged.

We take great pride in putting the “real” in reality TV. Joke Productions develops reality TV shows internally. It also works hand-in-hand with numerous television networks to bring new shows to life.

Documentary Work

We have heavy roots in documentary. Therefore, we’re always looking for great, real-life stories to tell. Our feature-length documentary Dying to do Letterman enjoyed a theatrical release. It was invited by the International Documentary Association to qualify for Academy Award® consideration.

We were thrilled to make the true crime series Unmasking A Killer for CNN / HLN and Unraveled for Discovery+.

It was also a point of pride to produce an MTV True Life special. The project was Secrets, Lies, and Sex. A documentary focusing on two young men with a closely guarded secret.

Reenactment Shows

What makes Joke Productions reenactment shows shine? A background in filmmaking and a large dose of “indie spirit.” We use the latest in camera technology. Plus photo-real computer animation on shows like:

The shows have enjoyed multiple seasons. With each episode Joke Productions pushes both artistry and technology farther. It helps us put the best told stories, stunning visuals and most production value on screen.

About Submitting Reality TV Pitches

Are you an independent producer looking to team up with an established production company? Are you a larger than life personality who believes you should have your own show?

Like most companies, Joke Productions does not take unsolicited material. If you have an agent, manager or attorney, you can have them contact our representation. If you do not, you can request a submission agreement through Producing Unscripted. We are not consultants, and we do not offer any type of service in which we promise to consider all submissions. That said, you can head over to our submissions page. It details querying us about pitching:

  • reality TV shows
  • unscripted television projects
  • documentary series
  • true crime projects

Even if we never work together, we wish you the best in your career endeavors.