About
The Towncast started in 2020 as a podcast focused on supporting communities impacted by COVID-19 in northern New Jersey. Our mission was to shine a light on small businesses and the impactful people who operate them. We have since grown into an award-winning 501(c)(3) organization that provides community events and enriching programs for families throughout the east coast.
Board of Directors
Flavio Romeo
Founder and Chairman of the Board
Flavio was born in Milan Italy in the early 60s. His family immigrated to America and settled in Hawthorne New Jersey in 1967. His father was a tailor and his mother a seamstress. Both worked countless hours to support their three children. Starting work at the age of 10 delivering the local paper, Flavio developed a work ethic that would serve him well in his later years.
After decades of corporate sales, he now has his own consulting firm, sourcing products internationally. Thankfully, with a strong faith, and the support of his family, he never stopped pursuing his life long passion for performance. Over the past twenty five years, he has performed in critically acclaimed off-Broadway theater, award-winning community theater, independent films, and nationwide voiceover work. A special sentiment for old radio and a deep love for his hometown inspired The Towncast, a podcast created during the pandemic to help support the local businesses and people of the community. The inaugural year captured the attention of the Communicator’s Award Committee and earned him their top prize. His goal is to use his gifts and The Towncast to support, enrich, and engage communities in small towns across America.
Contact Flavio for business inquiries or more information.
Shane Romeo
Design Director
For the past 15 years, Shane has worked to shape the brand identities of small and large companies throughout the United States. His large-scale clients include Independence Blue Cross, Aetna, McGraw Hill, HSN, Radisson, and UPS, and his work in print, digital, and interactive design is seen by thousands of daily viewers across the tri-state area.
In 2020, he launched his own design studio, Letterbend, and has broadened his focus from lettering and branding to interactivity and wellness. One of the first studio projects was Mezzo Journal, a mobile app founded on Stoic philosophy and created to encourage mindfulness, reflection, and motivation for its end users.
Shane collaborated with other members of the board throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to develop the identity and administer the web presence of The Towncast. The website launched in 2021 followed shortly by print and digital marketing campaigns to promote people and businesses throughout New Jersey.
Julie Miller Romeo
Director of Educational Outreach
Julie is the creator and director of the Fairy Tale Trials. As Director of Public Affairs for the Circuit Court of Cook County (1986-97), she developed the Fairy Tale Trials and then produced a professional touring children's theater ensemble to bring comprehensive law-related education to the Chicago Public Schools. With the support of a federal grant, she adapted the material to meet the needs of at-risk adolescents, produced an award-winning educational film, and created a course for middle-school students at Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development.
After moving to New Jersey to start a family of her own, she founded and directed New Life Montessori Midland Park, NJ from 2003-07. Since then, she has home schooled her two daughters while teaching classes to students (ages 8-17) in a wide array of settings: home school, public school, at-risk after-school, & gifted and talented. She has developed workshops, educational theater productions, and summer intensives based on the Fairy Tale Trials, as well as classes focusing on writing, rhetorical skills, public speaking and debate. Julie has a B.A. in English Literature from Smith College and an M.A. in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University.
Sofia Romeo
Director of Communication
Sofia Romeo has a demonstrated history of work in education and the nonprofit sector. She currently studies communication at Northwestern University and is employed at the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund. Her background also includes unique experiences in both the performance and hospitality industries. Overall, Sofia maintains a true passion for meaningful work.