The show that received 21 Emmys, five Golden Globes and endless support by fans has strong ties to West Essex. The West Essex area may not seem all that special, but notable alumni and ideas have evolved from the very community we are all a part of.
“The Sopranos,” created by David Chase, was based on an Italian-American mobster that lived in North Caldwell. Tony Soprano was pictured in various recognizable locations throughout New Jersey and New York, the Italian area adding to the depth of his character. The show itself highlighted many close locations including the Soprano family house on Aspen Drive in North Caldwell, Holsten’s Ice Cream Parlor in Bloomfield and Livia Sopranos’s house on Gould Street in Verona.
Chase, himself, lived in North Caldwell for part of his life and graduated from West Essex High School in 1964. After high school, Chase studied film at Wake Forest University before transferring to New York University. Later, he got his Masters of Arts degree in film from Stanford University. Post college, Chase pursued filmmaking and created many hit TV shows and movies.
Greg Contaldi who graduated in 2014,went on to start a career in writing and producing for a variety of TV shows after graduating from New York University. While still attending West Essex, Contaldi created the West Essex Film Festival, holding a contest where students throughout New Jersey could send in their short films. Their short films were judged by a panel of West Essex faculty as well as Emmy-Award-winning professionals under a variety of different categories. Chase alongside filmmaker Randy Rossilli was in attendance at the event judging and sharing advice for future film projects. Rossilli won an Emmy for his movie “The Adventures of Young Thomas Edison,” and graciously took the time to come to the festival. Rossilli also owns the Nightstand Studios located in Fairfield and enjoys creating projects in the studio.
The categories of the event included Best Documentary, Best Comedy, Best Drama and Best Overall Film. The creativity from these films was unmatched and the effort Contaldi put into creating an event for the school with special guest appearances highlights the ambition Contaldi had for filmmaking and the overall inventiveness of taking the time to honor film projects.
West Essex inspires many to design projects and be creative. “The Sopranos” and success of other TV alumni are examples of the innovation that comes from the community.
