By Steve Svetovich
He is a young man who uses his athleticism in combination with his artistic and creative talents.
That’s Dunmore graduate Johnnie Occhipinti.
The former University of Scranton rugby player used his athletic talents to land a part in the Amazon Prime rugby movie, “The Nomads.”
Occhipinti, 29, a young man of many talents, made the cover of the Amazon Prime movie, “The Nomads” won the audience choice award at the Napa Valley Film Festival and the Philadelphia Film Festival, as well as being featured on IMDb as a sports movie to watch when released in 2019 and 2020.
“I had one line in the movie,” Occhipinti said, “but I’m in the movie pretty much the whole way through.”
Written by Brandon Eric Kamin, “The Nomads” is a film inspired by a true story. The film stars Tika Sumpter and Tate Donovan.
Son of John and Kerri Ann Occhipinti, the 2013 Dunmore graduate attended the University of Scranton where he played rugby. Occhipinti used his rugby training and skills to land the part on “The Nomads.”
His cousin Tricia Lentowski, a teacher at Scranton High School, saw on Facebook that there was an audition in Philadelphia looking for rugby players to audition for the part in “The Nomads.”
The creative athlete/actor auditioned and got the part, even appearing on the cover.
“The audition was an actual rugby practice with a group of real rugby players. That’s what they wanted and I got the part.
“I thought I had a good chance of getting the part. I fit the description of one of the characters. I was working as a dishwasher at McNally’s, formerly McMullen’s, in Green Ridge when I got the call. I got lucky and got the part. It was a surreal moment to be in the movie. I was happy to get the part.
“I had a line in the movie and was hoping for a few scenes,” he said. “You can see me on the cover. I’m the only one you can see on the cover. It was a cool moment. And I ended up in a lot of scenes throughout the movie.
“The company that produced the movie is called ‘Game Changing Films.’ They do sports- related films. And they use real athletes, not actors portraying athletes. That is their approach.”
Occhipinti said he has auditioned for other parts, including a movie, “The King of Staten Island,” He was to portray a baseball player in the movie, but his part was cut. “It was worth it though,” he said. “I met actors Pete Davidson and Bill Burr. I got to talk to them and learn from them.”
The Dunmore native said he also made a cameo appearance in the movie, “Snow Babies.”
Multi-talented, Occhipinti plays baseball as an outfielder in the Tri-Valley Summer Baseball League. He plays drums in a band called “Running in Flip Flops.” The group plays Indie and psychedelic rock.
He is also in the process of writing a book called, “Paint the Corners,” a baseball story based on his life. “I played baseball as a young kid through Little League and Teener League. It’s a book about my life and about getting back in the game after breaking away from it for a while.”
The well-versed artist/athlete said he is very close to his dad. “He taught me to be a good guy. It doesn’t matter what your status is in life as long as you treat people well.”
Always eager to learn something new, Occhipinti is currently a student at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke where he studies audio and video taping and recording. He also plays on the baseball and basketball teams.
“I would love to be able to open up my own recording studio someday,” he said.
Occhipinti, who played semi-pro rugby for the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Breakers, said his goal is to continue as an athlete/artist/actor.
“My goal is to look at the landscape in media on U Tube and build up an audience there. I want to continue to use my athletic abilities in my artistic pursuits. I don’t want to stop learning.”