How a former student landed a North H.S. teacher a TV show

Former North High School student and Malverne resident Samuel Catalano, 20, was learning about reality TV during an internship at a TV production company in January 2014, and wanted to pitch a show idea that would impress people there.

“I had this idea about the ‘B-side’ stories of history,” Catalano said. “I wanted to explore why some people get washed away and some people get remembered.”

The Binghamton University marketing and cinema major emailed his AP history teacher from North High School, Joe Moniaci, for some ideas.

“He used to drink a pot of coffee a day and go crazy,” Catalano said. “Everybody loved him.”

He discussed the concept with Moniaci, a Binghamton alumnus, who joked that if the show went anywhere, he would get to host it. But Moniaci wasn’t just joking, so he filmed a clip of his obscure history presentation and Catalano showed it to his superiors at Manhattan–based Atlas Media Corp. They liked it, and Moniaci went to the office for a 20-minute interview that lasted for more than an hour. He made a demo reel, and Atlas pitched the show, “What History Forgot,” to several networks. It was picked up by American Heroes Channel.

Moniaci, 41, who lives in Brooklyn and has taught at North for 17 years, said he had fun taping the show, although it was “a little strange” being on TV.

“I met a lot of interesting historians,” he said. “I’ve been to museums I’ve never been to before.”

Moniaci said that he found it gratifying that Catalano, a “great student,” remembered him. “I’m glad that students draw from this knowledge throughout their life,” he said. “I try to make the courses as interesting as possible.”

It is when he gets “off the beaten path” that he sees students perk up, he said. That appeal also applies to TV producers and audiences, and Moniaci said that his approach is rooted in the idea that there is no single way to tell history.

“It’s just a collection of experiences and narratives that historians use to try to piece together into a cohesive history,” he said. “The important question is why do some people and narratives get overshadowed or left out.”

Catalano said he hopes the show, which aired in June and is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes, would be picked up for another season.