Vince Rocca, a true entrepreneur, was born into a lower middle-class family with a salesman father and an insurance agent mother. As a latchkey kid, he learned the art of risk-taking and risk management at an early age.
At the tender age of 14, he was already making a significant income of over $1000 per weekend by spinning records at house parties. Feeling fat with cash and bored with school, he dropped out of the ninth grade.
However, he soon realized that house parties weren't a sustainable career path. So, at 16, he got a job as a retail stock clerk and within two years, he was managing the company's third-largest store and had even bought an investment home.
By the time he turned 21, he had cashed out of his home and opened his own retail store. With a thriving retail business, he decided to pursue his passion for filmmaking. He saved some profits and started a video production company with his friend and co-producer, Michael Hutchinson.
Although business wasn't always smooth sailing, there was a point when the video company was on the brink of bankruptcy. However, thanks to swift action and a lucky phone call, the company was able to turn things around and sell over $125,000 worth of products in less than five days. The profits from this sale would later become the seed money for his film, _Kisses and Caroms_ (2004).
Despite dropping out of school, Vince was determined to learn the art of filmmaking. He started editing little projects using a video camera he purchased on credit when he was 16 and gradually improved his skills by buying better equipment and mastering new techniques.
He devoured every film book he could get his hands on and listened to Laser Disc and DVD commentaries. He even attended a film boot camp taught by Dov S-S Simens, which boasted alumni such as Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, and Chris Nolan. After hammering out a 92-page script, _Kisses and Caroms_ (2004) was born.
Today, Vince resides in Southern California with his childhood sweetheart, Deanna, whom he has been happily married to for over five years and has been with for over 15 years. They have no children but share their home with many animals, some of which can be seen throughout his movie.
