Joe Lauro

Joe Lauro is an American documentary filmmaker, musician and stock footage archivist. He is the CEO of Historic Films Archive, a commercial stock footage archive focusing on American music on film and video and rare American history and pop culture on film 1895–2000. He has directed and produced documentary films such as The Big Beat: Fats Domino, the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll and Rejoice and Shout.

Lauro born in Brooklyn, New York. He studied film at New York University and began working for a film archive service in New York after graduation. In 1991, Lauro founded the Historic Films Archive, a stock footage library that contains over 40,000 hours of film and video which is derived from American Newsreels, Feature Films, Industrial shorts, home movies, out-takes, television programs and cartoons. Lauro turned to the filmmaking with a documentary film Louis Prima: The Wildest! In 1999. Lauro is known for his documentary films focused on American music themes. Apart from directing, he has also worked as a music consultant on films that required archival music such as the Grateful Dead documentary LONG STRANGE TRIP, Bob Dylan’s documentary NO DIRECTION HOME and others. In addition to performing with his own professional band, the Hoodoo Loungers, he was the host of the “Legends of Rock” series at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor.

As producer

• 1999: Louis Prima: The Wildest!
• 1999: Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Harold Arlen
• 2003: The Howlin' Wolf Story
• 2008: The Four Tops: Reach Out – Definitive Performances 1965–1973
• 2009: The Supremes: Reflections – The Definitive Performances 1964 – 1969
• 2009: I'm Rick James: The Definitive DVD
• 2009: Motown: The DVD
• 2009: The Panic Is On: The Great American Depression as Seen by the Common Man
• 2010: Rejoice and Shout
• 2010: Louis Prima: In Person!
• 2016: American Masters

As Director

• 2008: Sam & Dave: The Original Soul Men
• 2009: The Four Tops: Reach Out – Definitive Performances 1965–1973
• 2009: The Supremes: Reflections – The Definitive Performances 1964 – 1969
• 2009: I'm Rick James: The Definitive DVD
• 2009: The Panic Is On: The Great American Depression as Seen by the Common Man
• 2016: American Masters
• 2016: The Big Beat: Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll

• Louis Prima : The Wildest Audience Award at the East Hampton Film Festival 2000
• The Howling Wolf Story: Film Of The Year – National Blues Foundation (2003)
• Historic Films archive – Archive of the year ( 2017 ) at the Focal International