Body
Whereas, Gene A. Pietragallo, II was born to Gene and Laura Pietragallo in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh and had an early penchant for sports and the performing arts; and
Whereas, Mr. Pietragallo attended Central Catholic High School and then attended Carnegie Mellon University to study in their prestigious drama department; and
Whereas, after his move to Los Angeles he studied at Loyola Marymount University and completed his degree in Television and Film Production; and
Whereas, upon graduation, Mr. Pietragallo worked in episodic television, and was a guest star in the final episode of the iconic television program M.A.S.H, then relocated to New York City for a brief time to play Brian Emerson on Search For Tomorrow; and
Whereas, Mr. Pietragallo returned to Loyola Marymount University to pursue his master's degree and eventually became the producer of the television series The Morton Downey Jr. Show, in which he produced and wrote 168 episodes; and
Whereas, Gene now owns and operates a successful production company that has produced national television spots for products, politics and tourism; and
Whereas, Mr. Pietragallo worked as lead actor and co-producer in the independent film The Encore of Tony Duran; winner of “Best Feature Film” at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, winner of “Audience Favorite” at the Tallgrass Film Festival, and winner of the Jury Prize for “Best Feature Film” at the Las Vegas Film Festival; and
Whereas, Tony Duran is a fictional character; the name is a homage to Gene's late father, Gene A. Pietragallo, Sr., who appeared under the stage name “Tony Duran” throughout his professional singing career; and
Whereas, The Encore of Tony Duran will premier in Pittsburgh this weekend at the 2011 Three Rivers Film Festival; and
Title
Now, therefore be it resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh honors the creative and artistic achievements of Gene A. Pietragallo, II, director Fred A. ...
Click here for full text