Pamela Pulice: A Local Film Maker With an Impressive Debut Documentary Film
All Photos Courtesy of Pamela Pulice
Pamela Pulice, a local filmmaker, recently produced her debut film documentary entitled, “The Voice That Rocked America, The Dick Biondi Story.” If you’ve never heard of Dick Biondi, you are going to love his story!
Dick Biondi was a famous radio DJ back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s with a very distinct personality. He was a trailblazer who brought radio listeners to life. Dick Biondi worked as a DJ in Chicago for many years and he had a good ear for great music and what would sell, even if no other radio host or producer thought so. He was known for getting the careers of many famous groups and artists off the ground. A list that includes Elvis, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Little Richard, to name a FEW.
Filmmaker, Pamela Pulice, the person responsible for bringing The Dick Biondi Story to life, had a long history of interactions and friendship with the famous DJ. The documentary is very informative, well crafted, and entertaining. In this article we will get to know a few details about the filmmaker’s ties to Chicago and her film journey from start to finish in a question and answer interview.
Q&A With Pamela Pulice
Q. Where did you grow up?
A. “I grew up in Villa Park, Illinois, which is a little suburb about 20 miles west of Chicago.”
Q. How did you meet Dick Biondi?
A. “I met Dick Biondi in the summer of 1961, when I heard on the radio that he was going to be at our local shopping center. So, I begged my dad to drive us over there, and I got to meet him, and he was my hero at the time. I just loved him, I loved listening to his show every night from nine to midnight, which actually shot across the whole country because it was a clear channel station. WLS AM Radio back in those days. Clear channel coast to coast…therefore, Dick broke many records on the radio and some of them became national hits…I met Dick and just went crazy when I met him, because he was so sweet. I didn’t expect him to be so humble, because he was flown in by helicopter, but he was. He was the most humble, sweet man. So I started a fan club for him and I got to know him and we were friends my entire life.”
Q. What are some of the obstacles you have encountered in this project?
A. “The hardest part was finding my voice…I have grown so much personally and professionally by doing this film. It’s been amazing, amazing journey … anybody that has something in their heart they want to do I encourage you to follow your heart and do it. I learned that from Dick…the other hard part about making a film was fund raising, very difficult. I did all kinds of things to raise funds. Crowd funding, we did concerts, we did screenings, we had all kinds of contests. We did whatever we could to raise the money, and we got it done!”
Q. How long did it take you to write and produce this film?
A. “My film took 12 years to make…part of the reason was, I never made a film before and I had to learn quite a bit… also I had to grow into it, because I had never done a voiceover before… I actually narrate this film along with Mr. Robert Feder, Media Critic in Chicago, very well known…he did a tremendous job doing the history of Chicago radio and the history of Rock and Roll, whereas I told my personal story and I told it from the viewpoint of the fans, and Dick really appreciated that.”
Q. For any aspiring filmmakers in Chicago, what advice would you give to them on getting their film out there?
A. My advice for any filmmaker is to make sure you have enough passion in your heart to follow this all the way through, because it takes a lot. You really have a lot of obstacles in your way. It’s not an easy thing, but if you really want to do it, you can do it. If I can do it, you can do it………………”
Wait….this is not the end, THERE’S MORE! If you would like hear more practical advice for creating a film or to hear more details about her personal journey, click on the YouTube video below.
“The Voice That Rocked America, The Dick Biondi Story” is now streaming worldwide and can be seen on Amazon Prime. If you haven’t seen the film, be sure to click on our affiliate links below to watch it now!