Joel brings to each project a great passion for the image, and with his disarming humor and great energy, a wonderful ability to connect with the people in front of the lens. His insight and skills started to develop way back when he was 12 years old, picking up Mom’s old crank-run, Bell & Howell film camera.
Since that time of making his brother and friends act in films, Joel kept at developing his visual aesthetic and passion, propelling him toward journalism, visual storytelling, and a desire to create compelling imagery.
Over the years, others have recognized his abilities, awarding him with a nice number of industry honors, including five regional Emmy Awards, a Bronze Telly, a Cine Golden Eagle, and some other things probably only his mother remembers.
From his home base in Southern California, he has traveled extensively around the planet, shooting in sometimes quite arduous conditions, and he hopes to do much more of that.
(It doesn’t have to be arduous…he’d welcome a delightful beach cabana and a drink...maybe something with ginger, if on offer.)
"Joel Schwartzberg is one of the most visually dynamic DP's in the game. He can go pretty, or he can go gritty; but it's his sharp sense of story, and his ability to capture real human emotion that separates him from the rest. The best work of my career I owe to Joel."
- Brent Henderson, Show Runner
"Joel's eye for getting the shot and his attentiveness to the assignment at hand put him in an elite class. But when you add his cool temperament, his creative input, and his sensitivity to the subject matter - I dare you to find a better overall DP. Joel is indeed the real deal!"
- Art Rubalcava, Producer
"Joel's keen visual styling comes through in his masterful visual acumen. Besides intuitively being one step ahead of the action or the scene at hand, working with him in the field makes for a wonderful and humorous journey."
- Anthony Samu, Executive Producer/Director