Joe Frantz has produced Emmy award winning and Emmy nominated episodes of National Geographic’s Life Below Zero. He is an award-winning producer, cinematographer, director, and author. He has accomplished hundreds of TV episodes for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, The History Channel, MTV, Animal Planet, etc. He was the Director of Photography of MTV’s smash hit Viva La Bam, and he filmed four installments of the Jackass motion pictures. He directed and produced commercials for popular brands: Puma, NASCAR, Mattel Toys, Element Skateboards, Adio Footwear, etc.
Frantz gained popularity as the producer and cinematographer for the top-selling CKY Video Series. He utilized 16-millimeter and 35-millimeter film to introduce experimental techniques to the pop culture / action sports genres. He created the indie classic Haggard The Movie, selling millions of copies worldwide. His works have over fifty-million Youtube views.
Frantz produced globally popular music videos and documentaries for HIM, Clutch, Vinnie Paz, Jedi Mind Tricks, Bloodhound Gang, Barrington Levy, The 69 Eyes, and CKY.
Frantz authored the bestselling Dreamseller addiction memoirs, written with recovery icon Brandon Novak, bringing healing and inspiration to the global recovery community.
Production Expertise
● Frantz’s productions have spanned across the world: Japan, Australia, India, New Zealand, England, Iceland, Finland, Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, France, Brazil, Mexico, and many other countries. He has produced throughout all forty-eight continental United States and Alaska. He is uniquely experienced with filming in extreme conditions: bitter Alaska at 80-below-zero degrees, India desert sandstorms, snowy Icelandic mountainous terrain, ocean storms with 40-foot waves, alligator-infested Louisiana bayous, European football riots, and stealth-filming in urban badlands. He’s endured being the perpetrator and victim of asinine Jackass-style pranks.
● Frantz produced National Geographic’s Life Below Zero (winner of 9 Primetime Emmys, with an additional 10 Emmy nominations). The series documents Alaskans Natives and homesteaders who put food on their family’s tables utilizing harpoons, bows, and snares to capture walrus, seal, moose, deer, caribou, lynx, porcupine, beaver, martin, hare, and fowl.
● Providing strong leadership and effective production strategies, Frantz is a workhorse who succeeds confidently under pressure and extreme deadlines. He facilitates teamwork and excels in increasing production speed. He has demonstrated expertise as a leader in multiple genres: documentary, music entertainment, animation, nature adventure, outdoors survival, archeology, paleontology, comedy, drama, and horror.
● Frantz’s works have rated number one on MTV, and accumulated well over fifty-million views on Youtube. As a film maker with a fan base, Frantz has made appearances in movies and TV shows. He’s performed public lectures, signings, and premier openings, and has hosted popular music documentaries. He was a co-host on SiriusXM’s Radio Bam (rated second only to Howard Stern), and The Novak and Frantz Show podcast.
● He is also an experienced stedicam operator, drone operator, 3-D cinematographer, animator, and stunt coordinator. As a director of photography, Frantz has shot movies, TV, and music videos in the classic 35mm and super-16 millimeter film formats.
● As an educator, Frantz was an instructor of film and mass media, an administrator of education in the Pennsylvania prison system, and has guest lectured to underprivileged students in order to foster the creativity of our nation’s youth.
Awards
Best Animation: New York Underground Film Festival
Best Animation: New York Comedy Film Festival
Winner: Isabella Lindell Art Award
Winner: Ann Arbor Film Festival
Winner: MTV’s Grossest Moments