WMTH Alumni

(Provided on March 11, 2020 posted via Admin)

Joseph R. Passarella – Biography

Joseph Passarella is a veteran voice over artist, actor and announcer with over 20 years’ experience. His voice has been heard bringing life to scripts for numerous high profile products ranging from cars and trucks to pharmaceuticals in commercials, movies, promos/trailers, and long form narrations. The product list includes BMW, Volkswagen, Claritin, Eight O’clock Coffee, Chevy Chase Bank, Plavix, Garnier, GM Trucks, Pfizer and Merck. You have also heard him on promos and trailers for networks and studios including MTV, Animal Planet, ESPN, MGM, HBO, YES Network, NBC News, and CBS News amongst many. He is in high demand as the “Voice of God” to announce live events in New York City, Los Angeles and throughout the country.

Concurrently, he provides strategic and tactical marketing, creative services, corporate communications and content development support to a roster of clients through mutter/fodder.ltd. His experience has been sought by clients in the financial, healthcare, education and manufacturing sectors. Prospects have included global business support firm Broadridge Financial Solutions, the Oxford University Press, and the New Jersey Wildcats semiprofessional women’s soccer team. Additionally, Mr. Passarella is part of the assembly pioneering imSportz.com, a web 2.0 portal targeting more than 41 million youth athletes in the United States.

Previously, he served as Chief Marketing Officer for the global concern Multi-Video Group, Ltd., from June 1999 through March 2004. In this privately owned company, he worked integrally on strategy, new business development and marketing for the entity’s assorted holdings: rhinoedit (New York), rhinopost (New York), rhinofx (New York), Tonic (New York), and Meccanica (New York) and associated company Gravity Post Production (Tel Aviv, Israel). Mr. Passarella spearheaded the company’s growth into Hi-Definition video production and postproduction services in joint initiative with Sony Broadcast Electronics. Additionally, his diverse responsibilities included guiding exploration of convergent media and personalized media distribution in a joint venture with Academy Award winning technology entity Montage Corporation.

Before his partnership in the Multi-Video Group Ltd., Mr. Passarella enjoyed a distinguished 20-year career in the broadcast industry. As Senior Vice President, Marketing and Advertising, United Paramount Network, he was responsible for the upstart network’s national marketing activities. There he designed marketing programs, managed staff and external resources devoted to network consumer marketing, coordinated affiliate marketing and distribution efforts, and supervised consumer marketing research from 1996 to 1999. He launched the network’s second season of primetime comedy and drama lineups resulting in overnight audience shares of doubled value.

In addition, he designed integrated marketing programs for the launch of a two-hour network block of UPN Kids programming and weekday UPN Teens programming. Mid-season 1997-98, his team’s marketing efforts delivered Aaron Spelling’s LOVE BOAT – THE NEXT WAVE to the second highest ratings premiere of any program in the fledgling network’s history, and in the mid-season of 1998-99 launched DILBERT to third highest ratings. Mr. Passarella’s responsibilities expanded beyond marketing when he was appointed program executive and oversaw development and production for one of the highest rated primetime specials on the network: SPICE GIRLS: TOO MUCH IS NEVER ENOUGH.

From 1992 to 1996 as Director, then Vice President, Creative and Marketing Services, for Twentieth Television (FOX), Mr. Passarella orchestrated marketing for the highly successful, first run syndicated television program A CURRENT AFFAIR. While at FOX, he reorganized marketing systems — improving production cost control and execution efficiencies, redesigned the demeanor of television advertising, structured research studies for program content, and guided creation of award winning media promotion. With an appointment to Vice President, his responsibilities expanded to include all East Coast based, first run domestic syndicated product including THE GORDON ELLIOT SHOW and AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: FINAL JUSTICE.

Prior to his time at Twentieth Television, Mr. Passarella collaborated in the creative professional practice, The Sarell Group from May 1990 to April 1992. He designed and managed profit center aspects of the marketing company in addition to his creative and strategic client functions. During his tenure, Mr. Passarella guided the company’s growth beyond media clients to consumer goods and services. The Sarell Group specialized in advertising and promotion, marketing research, press and public communications and television programming.

Mr. Passarella’s career at CBS, Inc. spanned nine years from 1981 to 1990. During that time, he was honored with a variety of trade awards and executive positions within the organization while serving three distinctive leaders: William Paley, Thomas Wyman, and Lawrence Tisch. Additionally, his tenure spanned the transitions between five presidents at CBS News, and two at the CBS Owned Station group.

He joined WCBS-TV in May 1981 as Director, Communications. Along with his responsibilities for managing advertising, press relations, and design services for Channel 2 in New York, he restructured the unit reorganizing the financial, administrative, and creative functions of the department. The result was a Communications Department that received two Writers Guild Awards, two Clio Awards, and two local Emmy Awards.

Based upon the success at WCBS-TV, he was appointed Director, Advertising and Promotion for CBS News in August 1982. As the first marketing executive in the news organization’s history, he was to develop a unit that would promote network news, produce full-scale special projects (including development of multi-media, broadcast graphics, broadcast music and marketing/program research), produce the annual CBS affiliates conference, and manage all financial, administrative, and creative functions of the department. Mr. Passarella organized a premier unit that became highly celebrated for its creative and strategic achievements in network news promotion.

In August 1985, he was promoted to Executive Producer, Director of Creative Services for CBS News. In addition to supervising all creative and organizational elements of the division’s advertising unit, responsibilities extended in scope to include the CBS affiliates throughout the United States as well as European network applications.

During eight years of association with CBS News, Mr. Passarella developed and implemented numerous marketing strategies; one was instrumental in achieving four hundred consecutive weeks of first place ratings for the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH DAN RATHER (1982-1989). Another elevated the CBS News morning program to its highest ratings in a decade. Also, he successfully launched a long line of primetime broadcasts including THE AMERICAN PARADE, ON THE ROAD WITH CHARLES KURALT, OUR TIMES WITH BILL MOYERS, 48 HOURS, WEST 57TH and SATURDAY NIGHT WITH CONNIE CHUNG. In light of these accomplishments, Mr. Passarella is included in the book on CBS News history written by New York Times columnist, Peter Boyer.

In January 1987, he was appointed Executive Producer/Creative Director, Broadcast Services for the CBS/Broadcast Group. While maintaining full accountability for CBS News, his area of responsibility expanded to include CBS Sports, CBS International, CBS Television Network Marketing Services, and CBS Television Network Affiliate Relations.

As Assistant Director of Creative Services for WLS-TV from 1979 to 1981, he managed broadcast and print advertising for the station. He was also involved in station research and development, press information and public relations; concurrently providing services as Director of Special Projects for the ABC Owned Television Stations division.

In 1976, Mr. Passarella began his professional career as a producer/director in film and video for Telemation Productions. Projects included national commercials, industrial films, and pilot television programs. Responsibilities grew to include management with profit and loss accountability for the Chicago facility and in addition, supervision of the Denver and Seattle facilities.

Mr. Passarella’s work has been honored with an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement, two first place International Awards from the U.S. Television Commercial Festivals, a Telly award, two International Broadcasting Awards, eight Clio nominations, a Gold Medallion from the New York Festivals for International Program Promotions/Radio, Art Direction Magazine’s Certificate of Merit, as well as a Silver Medallion from the Chicago International Film Festival for contributions to the CBS EVENING NEWS television campaign ‘Americans’.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Passarella holds a B.S. degree in Communications with a major in Radio, Television, and Film from Northwestern University. He resides in Flemington, New Jersey.

[[Admin: Joe started his broadcasting career at WMTH-FM, Maine East, graduating there in 1972.]]