Developing stories and storytellers
Photo above: Angela Russo-Otstot, courtesy of AGBO
Angela Russo-Otstot was a few semesters into teaching an upper-level elective course on screenwriting at Case Western Reserve University in 2016 when she and her husband chose to make their hiatus from Hollywood permanent. After the intense pace as a writer on successful TV shows such as V and The Shield, Russo-Otstot preferred to raise their three children near family in Cleveland.
Her older brothers, however, had other plans. Within hours of hearing she’d be staying in their hometown, Anthony and Joe Russo called with news of their own—and a proposal: They were starting an independent production company (which they named AGBO); would Angela lead the story department?
Today, the youngest of the four Russo siblings (Anthony and Joe are 1.5 years apart, followed by their sister, Gabriella Russo Rosalina, JD, who is an attorney in Cleveland) is chief creative officer of AGBO, overseeing the studio’s portfolio and leading the development and production of television series, animation, video games and films, such as the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once. She recently executive produced and wrote on the Citadel TV spy-thriller series, produced Extraction and Extraction 2; and is serving as co-executive producer on the upcoming Avengers releases, among many others.
Just two years after moving back to Los Angeles, Russo-Otstot found herself in a “surreal” moment: watching the movie she co-wrote, Cherry, be filmed at Case Western Reserve.
It brought her back to her days at CWRU teaching future nurses, engineers and a range of other students how to write screenplays, and nurturing their natural talents and confidence—skills she brings to AGBO as she champions emerging voices.
How Cleveland, CWRU and community shaped Avengers directors Anthony and Joe Russo’s path to assemble the universe—the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that is.
“Many of the lessons I learned while teaching, I’ve carried into my role as a company leader and artist today,” Russo-Otstot reflected during a recent phone interview from her Los Angeles office. “I wish I knew when I was a student the power and value that I had for the teachers I was studying under. I always felt it was a one-way street, but I can say now that it’s not.”
