Joseph Doughrity

Joe is an award-winning filmmaker known for his creative and insightful treatment of multi-cultural issues. A creative visionary from the start, Joe helped found Caliber Press with Gary Reed at age 17. Caliber's first release was the comic book "The Crow" which was later made into a successful film. After high school, Joe moved to California to attend film school and worked as an Assistant to Oscar-nominated director John Singleton. Signed by Creative Artists Agency at 22, he wrote features and teleplays for a variety of studios and production companies. His first film, "Seven Days in Japan", won Best Documentary at the San Diego Comic-Con International Film Festival in 2005. This successful debut was followed by another when his second film, the romantic comedy short "Akira's Hip Hop Shop" won the Directors' Guild of America student award for Best African-American Director in 2007. "Akira's Hip Hop Shop" is a poignant portrayal of an interracial relationship between a Japanese DJ and a Black chef. It premiered on BET in December of 2009 as a Top 5 finalist in BET's Lens of Talent showcase and screened at film festivals around the world. Joe is a member of the Writers Guild of America. His most recent project, the critically acclaimed comedy film "CornerStore", was selected by AMC for its AMC Independent program after being awarded "Best Comedy" honors at the Detroit-Windsor International Film Festival. After playing for 12 weeks on 2 screens during the summer of 2011 (besting "The Help" and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" in Per Screen Average its debut weekend), the film was held over in Atlanta for 3 weeks after a January 2012 debut. A deliciously offbeat comedy, "CornerStore" subtly highlights the tensions and bonds amongst the diverse residents of Detroit's Six Mile Road.