Michele Palermo
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
A published and award-winning playwright focused on telling women's stories, Michele was recruited for television when a TV Exec saw the premiere production of her play Ladies in Waiting. Since then, she has written myriad pilots and episodes; developed series with Peter Horton; David E. Kelley; and The Mansion, an upstairs/downstairs dramedy set in a Governor's mansion, for LIFETIME. Michele has written, produced, and directed two award-winning indie features, Ladies In Waiting (based on her play), and the mockumentary Unreel: A True Hollywood Story; in addition to the popular web series Chapin Circle.
Most recently, Michele created, wrote, directed and produced MIDDLEHOOD, the award-winning half hour comedy-drama streaming on Amazon Prime Video. MIDDLEHOOD takes a deep, sardonic dive into the mid-life crisis of LISA GIORDANO-NAVARRO, a comedically complicated woman who blew up her life at 50. Recently unemployed and soon-to-be EX-wife, Lisa is the daughter of immigrants and sole sister to three grown brothers who still act like children. Lisa seems stuck in a maze of aging parents, adult sibling rivalry, marriage, divorce and the tensions of our ever-changing culture.
Michele grew up between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Rome, Italy; is fluent in Italian and French; holds a M.A. of International Communication from American University; and was once recruited by the CIA (big "no" to that!). She spent four years as Chief of Staff/Speechwriter for Virginia First Lady Lisa Collis (wife of former Virginia Governor and current Senator Mark R. Warner) and a year researching tomatoes and compost for the incomparable Martha Stewart. Michele is incredibly honored to be an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of Film, where she teaches Writing for Television.
Most recently, Michele created, wrote, directed and produced MIDDLEHOOD, the award-winning half hour comedy-drama streaming on Amazon Prime Video. MIDDLEHOOD takes a deep, sardonic dive into the mid-life crisis of LISA GIORDANO-NAVARRO, a comedically complicated woman who blew up her life at 50. Recently unemployed and soon-to-be EX-wife, Lisa is the daughter of immigrants and sole sister to three grown brothers who still act like children. Lisa seems stuck in a maze of aging parents, adult sibling rivalry, marriage, divorce and the tensions of our ever-changing culture.
Michele grew up between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Rome, Italy; is fluent in Italian and French; holds a M.A. of International Communication from American University; and was once recruited by the CIA (big "no" to that!). She spent four years as Chief of Staff/Speechwriter for Virginia First Lady Lisa Collis (wife of former Virginia Governor and current Senator Mark R. Warner) and a year researching tomatoes and compost for the incomparable Martha Stewart. Michele is incredibly honored to be an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of Film, where she teaches Writing for Television.
