Joe Kienast
Tutor, Screenwriting – Short Course
Joe Kienast, originally from Lower Saxony, now calls Berlin home. Joe joined Catalyst as a screenwriting instructor in 2025. Before this role, he worked as a head writer for a daily drama series, honing his skills in storytelling and production.
Joe's decision to join Catalyst is driven by his passion for teaching and his desire to empower others with the tools to tell their own stories. When not teaching, he dedicates his time to developing and realising film and series projects.
A storyteller at heart, Joe finds immense excitement in the art of storytelling and takes great satisfaction in being part of something bigger than himself.
Courses
Joe studied philosophy and sociology at the University of Bremen, dramaturgy at HMT Leipzig and, in 2010, film at UCLA. Joe's short films have been shown internationally at over 50 festivals and have won several awards. His first short film DIE COUCH was broadcast by several German TV stations such as ARD, MDR and RBB and has been available in the ARD media library for many years. Joe has worked with several production companies including UFA, Constantin, Komplizen Film, and Iconoclast Film Germany. He has written over 300 TV episodes and worked on the Grimme Award-winning Netflix series SKYLINES and the acclaimed ZDF-neo series DOPPELHAUSHÄLFTE. In the class of 2022/23, Joe successfully completed the Serial Eyes program at the DFFB. His short films DIE VERMIETERIN, ZINA and LOVERS have had successful festival runs, have been shown internationally at festivals and have won several awards. Among others, Joe is currently working on his nordmedia-funded feature film debut and is head writer of the daily drama series ALLES WAS ZÄHLT.