Joanne Caputo, Producer/Director
On A Roll is writer/director Joanne Caputo’s first documentary following her 1994 children’s video, Ballerina, Ballerina, recommended by Sesame St. Magazine and others. A magna cum laude graduate from the University of Pittsburgh ('76, '81), Caputo taught school in urban African American communities before transitioning to television production, where she has worked for the past 20 years. Married and the mother of two teenage sons, Caputo is a recent breast cancer survivor with several documentaries in progress; she has also authored two non-fiction book manuscripts about enslaved African American mother, Margaret Garner.

ON A ROLL is dedicated to the Director's father and brother, both named Frank Caputo. Joanne's father (seen in the 1982 photo with her mother, Jennie) utilized kidney dialysis for twelve years, prior to his death in 1984. Joanne's brother (pictured with his wife, Joanne) is a two-time kidney transplant recipient.

Michael Ivey, Consulting Director
Michael Ivey is a perceptive cultural observer and a gifted storyteller. Michael directs commercials and, since 1998, has been an occasional commentator and reporter for NPR's "All Things Considered."