Tony Urgo :: online, unfiltered, and otherwise occupied

Photo By David Greenberg

Welcome to my website. Particulars of a personal nature herewith.

I was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and grew up in Japan and New Jersey. I graduated from Parsons School of Design after transferring from the NYU film program. I've worked as a writer, editor, graphic designer, creative director, and project manager at Sony, Comcast, iXL, and a bunch of other media companies.

For a good part of my early career I was a visual designer. I tried my hand at illustration (I'm partial to pen and ink), but realized I was too slow at it to be able to make a living. My design work sustained me for several years, mostly in print, and then the web took off and I segued into that. Then the tech bust came along and I was forced to segue out of it, which in retrospect I don't regret.

I've also written for as far back as I can remember, starting with comic book storyboards and then science fiction stories and then other works of fiction. In a lot of ways I love the purity and power of the word to evoke what millions of dollars of special effects try for today (and more often than not fall short, in terms of evoking that indelible, ineffable sense of wonder and moment). But I'm also a lifelong fan, student, and practitioner of film (and by "film" I mean a motion picture — whether celluloid, digital, zoetrope, or flipbook).

My screenplays have been finalists in several script competitions, including winning 3rd place in the 2007 Final Draft Big Break Screenplay Competition and a top 30 finish in the Nicholl Fellowship, sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). I was Playwright-In-Residence with Act One Repertory, a theater company in New Jersey that produced a full-length play and several one-acts. I researched and wrote the movie edition of "Guess Who What When & Where", the first book in the Picture Trivia book series.

I live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've edited shorts, features, and documentaries. I wrote, produced, and directed a feature film, "Remembering Maria". I edit in Final Cut Pro and shoot with the Canon 5D MII, a most remarkable camera, and one that has enabled and empowered a new level of independent filmmaking worldwide. I'm very happy to be a part of this active, innovative, and pioneering community.

Enjoy the site. Let me know if I can help you.