(this is where the artist talks about himself)

My full name is Joseph John Ramski III (he/him/his), but please, call me Joe! I’m a Chicago-based and bred artist—an actor by training, writer by nature, creative director by trade, and artist by necessity (My mom likes to talk about how I told her I “HAD to draw” when I was five).

After attending the University of Illinois and graduating with a BFA in acting and a minor in English, I worked and performed with a variety of theatre companies like Red Tape Theatre, Mudlark Theatre, the Right Brain Project, Chicago Slam Works Ensemble Theatre, Oracle Productions, Organic Theatre Company, Prop Theatre, and several others. I also served as managing director, marketing manager, producer, and director for several productions and companies.

Today, I work as a creative director at SRW | C.A. Fortune. I got my start in advertising at Groupon where I cut my teeth in copywriting before moving into agency life. I’ve since worked as a copywriter, brand strategist, digital strategist, and media manager before combining my skills to lead the development of creative campaigns for my clients.

An avid writer since his youth, I am actively seeking representation for my first novel The Painted Gods, a YA fantasy novel about teenagers who inherit divine powers of creation modeled after various artistic mediums.

I am also a produced playwright and had my first play The Dancing Plague, a fictional retelling about the real-life dancing plague of Strasbourg 1518, commissioned and produced by The Right Brain Project in the fall of 2016. You can find all of my plays here.

When not making art, I enjoy going to the movies, running, group fitness classes (I’m an avid Les Mills Body Pump attendee), cooking, reading, traveling, and hanging out with my wife Sarah, my son Aidan, and our two cats Han Solo and Persephone.

Oh, I’m also a Capricorn, an INFJ, a cinephile, and an avid X-Men fan.

Headshot photo by MELISSA ELLEGOOD