Joy Lusco

Infobox Writer


imagesize = 150px
name = Joy Lusco
caption =
pseudonym =
birthdate =
birthplace = United States
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Director, Producer, Television Writer
nationality = American
period =
genre =
notableworks = "We Are Arabbers"
subject = Documentary film-making, Television drama
movement =
debut_works = "Louisville"
influences =
influenced =


website =
footnotes =

Joy Lusco, also known as Joy Kecken and Joy Lusco Kecken, is an American film and television director and writer. She often works with her husband, Scott Kecken. She has worked on the HBO drama series "The Wire" as a writer on the show's first three seasons.

Biography

Lusco moved to the Baltimore area as a teenager.Cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/thewire/cast/crew/joy_lusco_kecken.shtml|title=Joy Lusco Kecken Biography|accessdate=2007-10-27|publisher=HBO|year=2004] In 1995, while attending Towson University, she met her future husband Scott Kecken.Cite web|url=http://www.filmfoundry.com/about.htm|title=About The Film Foundry |accessdate=2007-10-27|publisher=The Film Foundry |year=2004]

After graduating from college she took an internship with the Baltimore based television show "" and eventually became a freelance writer for the show. In 1998 she wrote the teleplay for episode 6.23 Fallen Heroes: Part 2.cite episode
title = Fallen Heroes: Part 2
episodelink =
series = Homicide: Life on the Street
serieslink = Homicide: Life on the Street
credits = Kathryn Bigelow
writers = James Yoshimura (story), Joy Kecken (teleplay)
network = NBC
station =
city =
airdate = 1998-05-08
season = 6
number = 23] Later that year she wrote the teleplay for episode 7.08 Kellerman, P.I.: Part 1.cite episode
title = Kellerman, P.I.: Part 1
episodelink =
series = Homicide: Life on the Street
serieslink = Homicide: Life on the Street
credits = Kathryn Bigelow
writers = James Yoshimura (story), Julie Martin (story), Joy Kecken (teleplay)
network = NBC
station =
city =
airdate = 1998-12-04
season = 7
number = 08]

In 1997 she and Scott Kecken commenced work on a documentary film on Baltimore's arabbers (produce vendors working from horse drawn carts).Cite web|url=http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=8763|title=Q+A Scott Kecken and Joy Lusco Kecken|accessdate=2007-10-27|publisher=Baltimore City Paper|year=2004|author=Christopher Myers] They also started a production company called The Film Foundry. The project was funded by grants from the Maryland Arts Council and the Maryland Humanities Council.

In 1998 she and Scott released the short film "Louisville" starring Andre Braugher ("Homicide"), which was screened at 35 film festivals. It won best short at the New York Independent International Film Festival, a Jury Award from the Atlanta Film and Video Festival and the Lumiere Award from the New Orleans Film and Video Festival.

In 2001 she was a member of the writing staff of "The Division"Fact|date=October 2007 a show about an all female detective squad for the Lifetime network. In 2001 she programmed the Women In Film and Video festival, Diverse Voices. She and Scott married in 2002. She worked with a Girl Scout troop in a video production on self-expression, "Teen Voices".

In 2002 she was a member of the writing staff and the script coordinator for the first season of "The Wire".Cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/thewire/cast/crew/season_1.shtml|title="The Wire" season 1 crew|accessdate=2007-10-14|publisher=HBO|year=2007] "The Wire" was created by her "Homicide" writing colleague David Simon (who also wrote the novel that series was based upon).cite web
title = David Simon Biography
publisher = HBO
accessdate = 03/10/2007
url = http://www.hbo.com/thewire/cast/crew/david_simon.shtml] She wrote the teleplay for the eleventh episode "The Hunt".cite episode
title = The Hunt
episodelink = The Hunt (The Wire episode)
series = The Wire
serieslink = The Wire (TV series)
credits = David Simon, Ed Burns, Joy Lusco
writers =
network = HBO
station =
city =
airdate = 2002-08-18
season = 1
number = 11] cite web
year = 2004
title = "The Wire" episode guide - episode 11 The Hunt
publisher = HBO
accessdate = 2006-07-26
url = http://www.hbo.com/thewire/episode/season1/episode11.shtml] She returned to the writers room in 2002, spending the second season as a staff writer.Cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/thewire/cast/crew/season_2.shtml|title="The Wire" season 2 crew|accessdate=2007-10-14|publisher=HBO|year=2007] She co-wrote the story and wrote the teleplay for third episode "Hard Cases".cite episode
title = Hard Cases
episodelink = Hard Cases (The Wire episode)
series = The Wire
serieslink = The Wire (TV series)
credits = David Simon, Joy Lusco
writers =
network = HBO
station =
city =
airdate = 2003-06-22
season = 2
number = 4] cite web
year = 2004
title = "The Wire" episode guide - episode 17 Hard Cases
publisher = HBO
accessdate = 2006-08-24
url = http://www.hbo.com/thewire/episode/season2/episode17.shtml] She returned as a member of the writing team for the show's third season in 2004.Cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/thewire/cast/crew/season_3.shtml|title="The Wire" season 3 crew|accessdate=2007-10-14|publisher=HBO|year=2007] She co-wrote the story and wrote the teleplay for seventh episode "Back Burners".cite episode
title = Back Burners
episodelink = Back Burners (The Wire episode)
series = The Wire
serieslink = The Wire (TV series)
credits = David Simon, Joy Lusco
writers =
network = HBO
station =
city =
airdate = 2004-11-07
season = 3
number = 7] cite web
year = 2004
title = "The Wire" episode guide - episode 32 Back Burners
publisher = HBO
accessdate = 2006-08-24
url = http://www.hbo.com/thewire/episode/season2/episode32.shtml]

She joined the Advisory Board of the Maryland Film Festival in 2003. She worked on Jim Sheridan's 50 Cent biography movie, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" as a story consultant. Also in 2003 she worked as a story producer for the A&E reality TV series, Random 1.

In 2004 she and Scott had a son, Tawabi Kecken. The family settled in Pennsylvania. They continued to work on their documentary "We Are Arabbers" and the film finally premiered Thursday, Sept. 9 2004 at Villa Julie College. Lusco has said that the project gave her an insight into the "hard scrabble" nature of her Grandparent's lives. 2004 also saw her release a short, "Woman Hollering Creek", starring Larry Gilliard Jr. ("The Wire"). It screened at the Maryland Film Festival and the Boston International Film Festival.

In 2006 she joined the writing staff of short-lived NBC series "Standoff". She wrote episode 1.04 "Partners in Crime".cite episode
title = Partners in Crime
episodelink =
series = Standoff
serieslink = Standoff (TV series)
credits = David Straiton
writers = Joy Lusco
network = NBC
station =
city =
airdate = 2006-09-26
season = 1
number = 4]

She has co-written a feature film, "Maker of Saints", which is set to star Erykah Badu.

Filmography

*"Standoff" (2006)
**Episode 1.04 "Partners in Crime" (2006) Writer
*"We Are Arabbers" (2004) Co-Producer and Co-Director
*"Woman Hollering Creek" (2004) Writer, Co-Producer and Co-Director
*"The Wire" (2002)
**Episode 1.11 "The Hunt" (2002) Teleplay
**Episode 2.04 "Hard Cases" (2003) Story and Teleplay
**Episode 3.07 "Back Burners" (2004) Story and Teleplay
*"The Division" (2001) Writer
*"" (1993)
**Episode 6.23 "Fallen Heroes: Part 2" (1998) Teleplay
**Episode 7.08 "Kellerman, P.I.: Part 1" (1998) Teleplay
*"Louisville" (1998) Writer, Co-Producer and Co-Director

External links

References