A real-life "Forrest Gump" (with a higher IQ), Joseph Tatner had braces on his legs and orthopedic shoes until he was 2. He nearly died from a kidney condition at age six and suffered severe asthma attacks at age 8, when he began tap dancing to strengthen his legs and started singing to develop breath control. Dancing and singing led to a career in television, movies and stage--appearing on The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch, Fame, numerous TV commercials, stage productions, concerts, etc. His father, Jack Tatner, led a popular quartet in the 1940’s called The Songweavers, which was featured on Coast-to-Coast radio.
Graduating from Chapman University in 1982 with a BA in Communications and an emphasis in Theater Arts, Joseph left the entertainment industry to join the seminary, eventually studying to be a priest in Rome, but was hit by a car when he returned to America for summer break. After months of physical therapy, Joseph returned to show business by taking over a large singing telegram service in Orange County and produced many large promotional events.
Seeking a lifetime career he could be proud of, Joseph was accepted on the first application as an Air Force Officer candidate at age 28. He was commissioned as a 2d Lieutenant and sent to March Air Force Base not far from his home in Southern California. The day he got to the base, the KC-135 tankers he was to be in charge of were transferred to a Reserve unit by an act of Congress and Joseph was left without an official job. Although he volunteered for Desert Shield and worked to supply our forces overseas, earning the National Defense Service Medal for his service, there was no place for him in the Air Force even in time of war. Major cuts were being made to the military, and upon the advice of his base commander, Joseph reluctantly resigned after only a year and was discharged under honorable circumstances.
Joseph continued working on his Master’s Degree in National Security Studies at California State University San Bernardino and completed the two-year program in one year with a 3.77 GPA while working fulltime as a substitute teacher for the Riverside and San Bernardino school districts. His Master’s thesis was delivered and defended orally on the subject of anti-terrorism. He moved to Washington, DC to pursue a career with the Defense Intelligence Agency or Central Intelligence Agency, only to arrive soon after a government-wide hiring freeze was initiated. Unable to get a government job even as a copy room technician in the Library of Congress because of the freeze, Joseph started working for temp agencies as a computer technician.
Before long, Joseph worked his way up to Director of Technical Services at Talking Technology, Inc, a global voicemail hardware and software company. 9 months later, the company was sold and Joseph became an independent computer contractor, technical writer and business analyst. Shell Oil (Royal Dutch Shell) sent him to 3 different countries (New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Guam) to design, document and implement the rollout of Shell’s "Global Office" computer infrastructure. He has worked for such major companies as Charles Schwab, Kaiser Permanente, Canon, PG&E, SCE, and Baxter BioScience.
Meanwhile, a polyp developed on one vocal chord that nearly destroyed Joseph’s voice. A surgeon eventually corrected the freakish ailment, but it took years to retrain his singing voice. When Joseph finally returned to the entertainment business, he did so with a bang. In addition to his computer and consulting "day job," Joseph became a manager, publicist and media relations specialist, produced a music CD and concerts that received stellar reviews from Los Angeles to New York. Joseph has also received accolades and certificates of special recognition from California Governor Gray Davis, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn, LA City Council members, United States Congressmen and Senators. Joseph finally returned to the stage himself in 2001 in two productions at Performance Riverside. He was nominated for ITL acting awards for both performances. He now studies with Edna Garabedian, director of the California Opera Association, who has greatly improved his singing voice.
Joseph acts as producer, musical director, promoter, host and Master of Ceremonies for the Cultural Concert Summer Series in Los Angeles. Through his company, Miracle Productions, Joseph is dedicated to promoting highly talented performers, raising cultural awareness, fostering careers in the Arts, helping charitable organizations, and producing the highest quality entertainment. He continues to offer consulting services in Information Technology, organizational efficiency, business analysis, and press relations. He created this web site and many others, including most of the graphics you see!
You really can’t keep a good man down!
Joseph Tatner's Home Page
Miracle Productions
