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Dr. Randall Rossilli Jr. (born January 11, 1968) is media entrepreneur and educator.
Rossilli has been nominated for four Emmys, winning one in 2009. He has also won the New York International Film Festival for his contributions to the Social Documentary, Presumption of Guilt. He was the founder and President/CEO of Nightstand Creations, Inc. as well as Nightstand Studios and the Nightstand Music Group. He is currently the teacher of Broadcast Journalism, and oversees PVTV for Passaic Valley Regional High School in Little Falls, NJ.
Rossilli was born January 11, 1968, in Clara Maas Hospital in Belleville, New Jersey, to Randall Rossilli, a self-employed entrepreneur who owned his own flooring business, and Patricia Rossilli, a legal secretary who would become a stay-at-home mom. Raised in Newark, New Jersey, Randy would be the oldest of the three children born to Randy and Patti. When Randy was 3, his parents had his sister, Karen, and nearly four years later they had his younger brother, Michael. At the age of 12, his parents moved him and his siblings from Newark, 15 miles outside of the city to East Hanover Township, New Jersey. Although relatively poor, Rossilli’s parents paid for many years of guitar lessons. He would continue his guitar studies into his college years.
Rossilli became interested in music at an early age and attributes his decision to take guitar lessons to seeing Harry Chapin perform on a popular children’s show, Wonderama, hosted by Bob McAllister. Chapin’s storytelling style and social conscience still drive him today. In addition to Chapin, his style and interests as a producer and music have been shaped by a diverse collection of artists varying from singer songwriters like Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and James Taylor, to the horn-driven Rock and Funk sounds of Huey Lewis and the News and Earth Wind and Fire, to a wide collection of country and R&B artists. He has released more than 25 songs on Apple's iTunes internationally (2)
Rossilli attended Hanover Park High School and graduated in 1986. [1] In high school, he became involved in the theater and music programs. He received his BA in communication - radio/television/audio production from William Paterson University, where he met his wife, Jenny, who was studying to be a speech pathologist. Eventually he went back to school to become a teacher and later received his master's degree in education and administration from Seton Hall University. Ultimately, Randy earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Northcentral University.
Rossilli spent four years as a middle school English and social studies teacher before being asked to become a supervisor, building principal and later district-level director. He initially left education to work his media craft full-time, and returned for one year as principal of a small private hearing-impaired school, while his production facilities, Nightstand Studios, were being built.
During his career in education he was named one of the Top-25 Technology Educators in North America by being awarded the Apple Distinguished Educator Award.
In 2017, Rossilli decided to return to the classroom, accepting a position to teach high school broadcast journalism at Passaic Valley High School, in Little Falls, New Jersey. [2] [3] [4]
Since July 2019, Rossilli has been principal at Celebrate the Children School in Denville, New Jersey. [5] Celebrate the Children is a premier school for children with autism and alternative learning needs. It employs the unique, relationship-based DIR/Floortime™ model to engage children in social-emotional growth, while ensuring they also receive their state-required academic mandates.
Rossilli is also an adjunct professor of media at the County College of Morris in Randolph, NJ.
Rossilli has been nominated for four Emmy Awards - three Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards as Director, Producer (2010 December Miracles) (3) and for Outstanding Programming, and he won the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Emmy award for Outstanding Program or special for Children/Youth/Teens for the pilot of his property The Adventures of Young Thomas Edison, (1) (4) for which is wrote, directed, composed and performed the music, edited, and designed the puppet and animated characters, as well as lending his voice to a handful of characters. Subsequently, he was nominated for a New York Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for his public television special Lil’ Grusome and the Nutshell Gang.
In addition to these productions, he also was recognized at the New York International Film Festival for his work as editor and co-producer of the Social Documentary Presumption of Guilt.
From 2016-2017, Rossilli consulted with MJH Associates in Cranbury, NJ. As their Director of Studio Operations and New Media, he helped design, build, and roll out their multimillion-dollar in-house television and recording studios. [6] Rossilli runs Nightstand Studios and Nightstand Creations, Inc. in Fairfield, New Jersey. He is married, has two children, and lives in Livingston, New Jersey.
Passaic County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's eighth-most-populous county, with a population of 524,118, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 22,892 (+4.6%) from the 2010 census count of 501,226, which in turn reflected an increase of 12,177 (+2.5%) from the 489,049 counted in the 2000 census. The most populous place in Passaic County is Paterson, with 159,732 residents at the 2020 Census, more than 30% of the county's population, while West Milford covered 80.32 square miles (208.0 km2), the largest total area of any municipality and more than 40% of the county's area. The county is part of the North Jersey region.
East Hanover Township is a township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 11,105, a decrease of 52 (−0.5%) from the 2010 census count of 11,157, which in turn reflected a decline of 236 (−2.1%) from the 11,393 counted in the 2000 census.
Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city retained its position as the state's 11th-most-populous municipality, just behind 2020 #10 Trenton, and well ahead of 2020 #12 Cherry Hill, with a population of 90,296, reflecting an overall increase of 6,160 (+7.3%) from the 2010 census count of 84,136, which in turn reflected an overall increase of 5,464 (+6.9%) from the 78,672 counted in the 2000 census. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 88,709 in 2022, reflecting an overall decrease of 1,587 (1.8%) from the 90,296 counted in the 2020 census and ranking the city the 388th-most-populous in the country.
Hawthorne is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 19,637, an increase of 846 (+4.5%) from the 2010 census count of 18,791, which in turn reflected an increase of 573 (+3.1%) from the 18,218 counted in the 2000 census.
Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township was named for a waterfall on the Passaic River at a dam near Beattie Mill.
North Haledon is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,927, an increase of 510 (+6.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,417, which in turn reflected an increase of 497 (+6.3%) from the 7,920 counted in the 2000 census.
Passaic is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 16th-most-populous municipality, with a population of 70,537, falling behind Bayonne, an increase of 756 (+1.1%) from the 2010 census count of 69,781, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,920 residents (+2.8%) from the 2000 census population of 67,861. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 69,128 in 2022, ranking the city the 546th-most-populous in the country. Among cities with more than 50,000 people, Passaic was the fifth-most-densely-populated municipality in the United States, with more than 22,000 people per square mile.
Paterson is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's third-most-populous municipality, with a population of 159,732, an increase of 13,533 (+9.3%) from the 2010 census count of 146,199, which in turn reflected a decline of 3,023 (-2.0%) from the 149,222 counted in the 2000 census. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 156,661 in 2022, ranking the city as the 165th-most-populous in the country.
Pompton Lakes is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,127, an increase of 30 (+0.3%) from the 2010 census count of 11,097, which in turn reflected an increase of 457 (+4.3%) from the 10,640 counted in the 2000 census.
Ringwood is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,735, a decrease of 493 (−4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 12,228, which in turn reflected a decrease of 168 (−1.4%) from the 12,396 counted in the 2000 census.
Totowa is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,065, an increase of 261 (+2.4%) from the 2010 census count of 10,804, which in turn reflected an increase of 912 (+9.2%) from the 9,892 counted in the 2000 census.
Wanaque is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,317, an increase of 201 (+1.8%) from the 2010 census count of 11,116, which in turn reflected an increase of 850 (+8.3%) from the 10,266 counted in the 2000 census.
Wayne is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Home to William Paterson University and located less than 20 miles (32 km) from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New York City and regional commercial hub of North Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 54,838, an increase of 121 (+0.2%) from the 2010 census count of 54,717, which in turn reflected an increase of 648 (+1.2%) from the 54,069 counted in the 2000 census.
Woodland Park is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 13,484, an increase of 1,665 (+14.1%) from the 2010 census count of 11,819, which in turn reflected an increase of 832 (+7.6%) from the 10,987 counted in the 2000 census.
Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Clifton and into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New Jersey. As of November 2021, there were 21,005 total enrolled students: 16,374 undergraduate students and 4,631 graduate students. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The campus covers approximately 252 acres (1.02 km2). The university offers more than 300 majors, minors, and concentrations.
Joe Louis Clark was the principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey. He is also the subject of the 1989 film Lean on Me, starring Morgan Freeman. Clark gained public attention in the 1980s for his unconventional and controversial disciplinary measures as the principal of Eastside High.
Nutley High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Township of Nutley, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Nutley Public Schools. The school's colors are maroon and gray. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928. Students pursue an appropriate academic program to prepare for post-secondary education or for employment.
Hanover Park High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from East Hanover Township and Florham Park, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as one of the two secondary schools of the Hanover Park Regional High School District. Hanover Park's sister school is Whippany Park High School, which serves students from Hanover Township, where the school is located. The school opened in 1956.
Benjie E. Wimberly is an American teacher and Democratic Party politician who represents the 35th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly. He was also the head coach of the football team at Hackensack High School and is serving as the recreation director of Paterson.