The Heart Of Show Business With Alexia Melocchi

Italian Pride and Global Purpose: NIAF's John Calvelli On Culture and Building Bridges

• Alexia Melocchi

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A room of 2,300 people fell completely silent—and not just any room, a ballroom filled with passionate Italians—while Andrea Bocelli sang “Mamma.” That shared hush becomes our doorway into a rich conversation with John F. Calvelli about what truly unites us: heritage, humility, and the courage to build bridges across differences.

John wears two hats that reveal one mission. At the Wildlife Conservation Society, he champions global conservation from the Bronx Zoo to the farthest field sites. As the new chairman of the National Italian American Foundation, he’s focused on three priorities: energizing young professionals through mentorship and community, deepening U.S.–Italy ties in both culture and business, and building sustainable funding so those ambitions endure. We dive into the electric momentum of NIAF’s 50th anniversary gala—honoring a 104‑year‑old WWII veteran, watching a new generation sing along, and witnessing a respectful, cross‑party conversation with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senator Joe Manchin, and Maria Bartiromo that modeled what civic grace can look like.

Threaded through it all is a leadership philosophy shaped by family tables, immigrant grit, and St. Francis’s wisdom: in giving we receive. John explains why stories move people more than statistics and how that insight helped power wins like naming the bison America’s national mammal—a coalition effort spanning Native nations, policymakers, and the conservation community, rooted in the Bronx Zoo’s historic role in bringing bison back from the brink. We explore how community and entertainment—film festivals, documentaries, shared meals—turn values into action, whether the goal is cultural pride or wildlife protection.

If this conversation resonates, tap follow, share it with a friend who cares about culture or conservation, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find the show. Your voice helps us keep building a community that protects what matters—our stories and our wild places.

About your Host- Alexia Melocchi

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SPEAKER_01:

Alexa, acceso. If the door is a good thing, we're going to have to ready for some unfiltered field tasks with entertainment visionaries from all over the world. Let's go out and access. Today, in the heart of show business, I'm actually joined by a very special soul. I think him and I have many affinities that go beyond the whole Italian American roots, which of course we're going to discuss. But just the fact that he worked for the Wildlife Conservancy, like he had me as that. I almost didn't even care about me after this point because you know me. I'm a huge animal lover. So but that's not what we're going to talk about. Today I'm joined by someone who embodies the perfect intersection of heritage, leadership, and heart. John F. Calvelli is the executive vice president of public affairs at the Wildlife Conservation Society, where he's helped shape global conversation efforts from the Bronx Doo to the farthest corners of the planet. He's also the newly appointed chairman of the National Italian American Foundation, as we Italians call it, NIA. And I was just there at Dargala. It was amazing, by the way. We're going to talk about that. And as he stepped into that role, exactly that, we had a 50th anniversary, huge event with 2,300 people. I think there were maybe more, because the ones that didn't have tickets and just crashed the hotel, right? And so a little history too is that John and I met earlier this year by email through Joe Razzi, who's the author of L'America, and it's an upcoming film project that we at Little Studio Films are producing. And uh through that collaboration, we also had the honor of doing a small sponsorship at the Spring Gala in New York City. So what started as a film commissioner was like a meeting of the minds and hearts, which is important, and our shared Italian heritage and our deep love for animals that could go on and on. So I am here as we settle in to have this conversation with the one and only who speaks so so Italian and I'm so proud, John F. Calvelli. Welcome to my show.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you so much. I cannot tell you how uh happy and honored I am that uh we're meeting, especially right after the gala. So the timing is is perfect. Um I'm still on the high from being with over 2,000 uh Italian and Italian Americans of celebrating 50 years of the work of the National Italian American Foundation to actually meeting you in person. Um that was we we've been communicating via Zoom, but uh especially being Italian, there's nothing like actually sitting, seeing someone and having to talk with them and having a meal together and sharing a moment. So it was it's very special on many levels.

SPEAKER_01:

It was so special, and hopefully this is the first one of many, you know. Um I know that you just stepped into a very big role, obviously, beyond your quote unquote your day job, into the chairmanship of NIAF. Uh I wanted to ask you what's the first thing that you ask yourself when you walked into that role? And and is there also a question that you still haven't answered about the role?

SPEAKER_00:

It's it's very funny when you mentioned St. Francis of Assisi and you touched on on my no, you didn't mention that. You mentioned the the work of uh not NIF and my work at the Wildlife Conservation Society. And um I thought of St. Francis of Assisi and and who he is, and I think there's so many wonderful quotes that come to mind. Um, and one seems perfect uh for this, it is in giving that we receive. And I think that my my goal with the foundation is truly that, to give back to my heritage. I have been fortunate and lucky to have had a successful life. My parents were hardworking immigrants from Calabria. Um my wife's family are hardworking immigrants from Abruzzo. They were all able to send their children to college and to law school, and we've been able to make a life for ourselves and now a life for our for our son, Gendomenico. So, therefore, in in that sense, is why am I doing this? And I think that's that's the question that always uh kind of engages me is like why? So, why am I involved with the National Italian American Foundation? Why is NIEF so important? It's that sense of giving back to the community, it's that sense that that each of us, if we can do something, we can make the whole better. And um that's what NIF does for me. Um, and that's why I'm involved. Now, what do I want to do is uh is a much more uh uh thought-provoking or complex question, but I think in in in the end, um there are probably three things that that I would like to accomplish during my time, and I'll be chair, God willing, for four years. Um number one is focusing on the next generation. We need to be thinking about the youth, um, young professionals building that connection for those generations. We've been saying this for years. Um the immigration from Italy is not as great as it was a hundred years ago, um, so that therefore, but it's not gone completely. Um but we need to be thinking about how are we bringing third, fourth, even fifth generation uh Italian Americans back and understanding the values, the values that make Italians incredibly special. There's also the idea of getting young people involved that are from Italy. What people don't realize is that the last census that I saw from the Italian government, there were over 55,000 young people uh living in North America that were Italian. So um, how do we get them involved? And I I can kind of share what what we've been doing in the six months I've been chair now. So that's one piece. The second is really building effective links between the United States and Italy from a business and cultural perspective, and that is taking on its own life and and um engagement. Um we've been very focused on the uh cultural component through the years, but the business component has been something that's been taking up a significant amount of our time. Um, how do we help bridge the financial needs of both countries, the business needs of both countries? And interestingly enough, we we had uh two sessions at the embassy working with Confindustria, TIC, the Italian-American Chamber of Commerce, bringing all these elements together to try to think through where do we go from here. And last but certainly not least is how do you pay for all this, right? And that's the kind of the uh how do we raise the money to make all of this happen? And that is uh something that's always front and center in my mind as well. So that's kind of my if I said that was my agenda, if somebody asked me what do I want to do, those would be the top three things that I would I would hold myself accountable for.

SPEAKER_01:

I love those answers, John. And you know it's interesting because you beat me to the young people connection. It was one of my questions, and you pretty much cover that. But what I thought was a moment that I thought you're doing something right, you're already doing everything right. But the moment that I thought in the in the moment, let's say at the gala was and Bocelli came on stage and he was singing Mamma, and I was looking around me and I was seeing a lot of young, 20 to 30-year-old Italian Americans that they knew the words.

SPEAKER_00:

We now have 250 young professionals signed up in the New York metro area alone, and that was really almost a test. And now we want to start seeing where else we can do this around the country. So I I have, you know, build it and they will come. I mean, I'm a huge uh I'm a huge movie buff. And um, I believe that. And we built this little this little thing, this idea, and it's already taken off in a huge, huge way in a couple of months.

SPEAKER_01:

That is fantastic. Oh wow, that that is quite a nice number when it just started.

SPEAKER_00:

This we just I mean, we literally in I I I'm I don't even the people are hard to believe uh to stand back and say you can't be you're making this up. I'm not. We literally in less than two weeks, 61 people signed up.

SPEAKER_01:

That's incredible.

SPEAKER_00:

It was just amazing. So I to say that the that the young profession young people don't want it, that that's not true, they want to engage, that's just not true. I think what we're trying to do is provide a product that is important to them. So it's about mentorship, it's about networking, it's about socializing with people, it's about learning about their heritage. If you put it all together, then people will accept that and say that there's a value for that from an from uh a personal perspective for their head and their heart. So that's what we're trying to do.

SPEAKER_01:

That is amazing. And you know, it brings me to some added events, obviously, beyond the the Buccielli singing and the whining and dining. Um, and I'll be curious and I'll tell you what was the event. The event for me that crystallized uh what Italian American identity looks like in 2025 was when you had our ex-speaker of the House um on a panel with Maria Bartiromo and our wonderful now uh independent centered, you know, uh Democrat senator uh Munchin, Mancini, as they say in Italy. Mancini, because it's kind of like whatever. To me, that was an event that crystallized um what really NIAF stands for moving forward, because it was, yes, you brought politics to the table, but it really was about the effect the Italian heritage and culture had on these three people on stage. And it was really interesting because it all resonated with family values, with welcoming conversations. You know, we're Italians, we like to converse over a good meal. And uh, how can we go across the aisle? How can we solve the problem? And um, I don't think it was who who of the two gentlemen, but I think it was one of the two who said about, I, you know, I want to beat you, but I do not want to defeat you. And I actually think that's something that we Italians do. We're not there to say, how can I annihilate my the person that is going against me, but how can I welcome this synergy of people? And and even if we come with different viewpoints, how we can collaborate, which is what I loved about the events. You have people in aerospace and finance, and what they were all looking at ways to collaborate. And maybe we think differently, but we're gonna reach out maybe with a glass of wine, maybe with some salami, as you said, and and have a conversation and have empathy. And Italians are known for that. So was there a moment for you personally, John, that crystallized saying this is what Italian American identity looks like in 2025?

SPEAKER_00:

At the event or in life?

SPEAKER_01:

In at the event.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, at the event. I I think um I, you know, I think that there were just so many different moments, but I I I I completely agree with you. The the um luncheon program with um Speaker McCarthy and Senator Manchin and Maria was uh illustrative of what can be done when you step away from I'm a Democrat, you're a Republican, you're a conservative, I'm a liberal, you're MAGA, I'm progressive, whatever, and say we're human beings. And um you have a point of view, I have a point of view, and that we respect each other as human beings. And we can agree to disagree. Um, but what you also found there was a real love and respect for each other, which is another one of those Italian-American values. Didn't matter if you were, you know, what your party affiliation was, I respected you as a human being, and that came from um their their shared Italian heritage and culture. But I will tell you, for me, another moment was actually at the gallop. And it was the I want to just cover the whole uh space of that gallop.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Because when I spoke and introduced Dominic Critelli, who is this who came to America at the age of eight and fought in World War II and landed in and um landed in Normandy, fought the Battle of the Bulge, and was here to um for us to thank him for his service at 104. And then literally right next to it, I said, and next two tables over are the young professionals that are going to be the future of our country. In that moment for me, we spoke about the Italian-American experience in its truest form, from respecting the past to thinking about the future. And I think that's the way we have to look at the work that we do. We if we don't know the past, then we won't understand our future, our present, and we won't be able to change the future. So it is a continuum, and that's the beauty, I think, of NIEF. And for me, that moment helped to crystallize what it meant to be Italian American and be in that space with everybody else. Having said that, the third element was Bucelli singing. And my gosh, you know, um to get 2,300 people to be quiet is a virtual impossibility. Yeah. But to get 2,300 Italians to be quiet is an act of God. And and for a moment there, you just sat there and I was on the dais, and I'm videotaping the whole scene, and it was mesmerizing because it it we had a shared moment. It was a communal moment. You could hear a pin drop in that room because everybody was focused on this individual giving us his God-given talent and sharing that with all of us. It was amazing. And I to me that really helped to make the I get me vengoed. I still get a goosebumps of thinking about that moment. It was so powerful and and for me, uh, so uniting as a community.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, no, I agree with you on that.

SPEAKER_00:

I give you three as opposed to one, so my apologies.

SPEAKER_01:

But no, that's okay. You know, we're Italians, we can break the rules anytime, as long as we do it with a smile. It's totally okay. No, you know, I love what you said about the veteran because and and 104-year-old wonderful soul that I got to also hug and take a picture with. It's again, it goes with the perception, and that's why I also got involved in America as a producer, is the perception that Italians are either mobsters or pizza makers, and and there's so much more to Italians. I mean, look at what Italians are doing, and it brings me to your work with uh protecting wildlife and the ecosystem of the wildlife conservation society. Um because the reason is that in intersecting the two, I'm curious as how that has shaped your philosophy of leadership uh with NIAF. And how do you see the parallels between protecting culture and protecting nature?

SPEAKER_00:

Wow, what a great question. I I think those are inextricably linked. And actually, for me, culture is the way to change um hearts and minds and then be able to save wildlife in wild places. I think at times what people forget is that we uh we live in the narrative form. People need to know, have a story, and need to understand the you need to give them a reason to bring them in. Um I love statistics. I'm yeah, I'm one of two people probably on the planet that do, right? It's most people don't, but I I love stu I love statistics in terms of looking at it, but I also know that that's not what's going to move people, right? And and that is the Italian experience. Quince, you know, quintessential being Italian is the ability to tell a story, to understand, uh, to have empathy for others, and then share that um that moment with them uh over a good meal, over uh over that shared experience. And then when you go to see a film, right, that's what that's about. It's a shared experience. So my culture shaped the way I then work on um uh on issues dealing with conservation and bringing people to the table. So for example, two quick examples. One is we now run a film festival. Uh it's the New York wild, it's called Real Wild. It's the only film festival of wildlife documentaries in New York City. And we brought together this year alone, we've had 150 people, documentarians that have submitted their work uh for screening. So that's gonna be in April. But even before that, uh one of the projects that I worked on was helping to name the national bison our our national mammal. The bison is our national mammal. And fascinating. Amazingly, it's not, it wasn't. And um, I remember going to Congress and meeting with members of Congress to ask them to join. And one was a congressman from St. Louis, Missouri named Lacey Clay. And and Lacey Clay uh said to me, Oh, I I don't want to just sponsor the bill, I want to be one of the authors of the bill. I said, Why? He says, Well, my grandfather my great uncle was considered and was called by the Native Americans a buffalo soldier. And he had this real connection to the to Buffalo, right? And then on top of that, our story of how we took there was 30 million bison and they were hunted down to 21 in the wild. There were 21 in the wild left. There were what were called gentleman herds. We brought them to the Bronx Sioux, we we bred them, and then we released them back into the wild working with the Osage Nation and working with business people and President Teddy Roosevelt. And you as you're telling that story and adding the richness of that experience, people then can connect to that and feel that sense of connection. So the sponsors of this legislation, we had the Native American community involved, we had the uh the uh producers involved, we had the conservation community involved, um, you know, it was about Bronx pride because the Bronxu was the one who was doing it. So you all these different elements as you're telling these different stories that all add up into that one narrative of how this one species, this one animal had such an impact on uh on American history. Um so that that long answer to a short question, but to me, my Italian heritage, I wouldn't know that. You know, I I I know that because of sitting on my grandfather's knee, hearing stories as a child, you know, hearing my grandmother tell me stories, the way we interacted as a family, the time sitting at the table sharing information. You know, it's like I do that with my with my son. Like I want, he calls it elder Sunday now. So like we have Elder Sunday, and we get the elders together and we talk, and he hears those stories and he appreciates what they went through and their lives. And I know that impacts how how he lives his life as well.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, no, that is so true. And it's it's fascinating to me. And I just had this download moment as you were talking, because I think that there is two things that can bring about change in our society, and they are community and entertainment. And I feel that NIA is doing that with a sense of community and also bringing entertainment, such as a great event where people can get together, share a meal. And the same thing when we do when we're doing something for the animals, whether it's wildlife, whether they're rescue, right? How we create change is through community, which is what we're doing, right? Reaching out to sponsors and whatever, and entertainment, which is that you created this film festival, and you are bringing in the new generations of filmmakers who can do something to create awareness for this, you know. So I love it. We did a pilot about animal rescues last year in Florida. Yeah, and you know, it's amazing because we started in Dunadine or called Dugadine in Florida. And within just the fact that they knew there was a TV crew coming to film this, and we didn't even have a streamer on board, we raised something like$70,000 for the local rescue organization there. And we had Dave Batista show up, and now I'm doing, as I told you privately, this documentary series called Sanctuary Rising, which is will will touch upon all kinds of work of the rescue movement, and it's so important. Um I'm gonna give you one last question that has to do with the mindset, because you know, I'm all about mindset. You know, my it's called the hard of show business, but I also love to get into the thought, thought process of leaders such as yourself. So um my question is you are in two organizations that do deal with legacy, just like we talked about. NIEF is a cultural legacy, and uh WCS is natural legacy. So, what have you learned about legacy that most leaders get wrong?

SPEAKER_00:

I think um uh to I think at times people get, you know, and then the question is, uh unfortunately I'm also an attorney, so it's like how do you define, you know, how do you define leader and how do you define legacy? So therefore I get I I I will trip myself up in this, but I I from a from the leadership perspective in terms of legacy, um I have found the people that are willing to take less credit will get more accomplished. And that is by far the most important thing that I've taken away from legacy. If I feel that my legacy has to be my name on a wall or my or uh whatever the case may be, I will have less impact. And uh now both have value. Don't I don't want to take away from the importance of the naming opportunity, etc. But what I have noticed is the people that are willing, the humility is the greatest power that a leader can have. And the understanding that at times it is better to step back than step forward and let other people step forward. And I and that that's the thing I've learned most about legacy, and therefore, what that means is you know, I may not be known for many of the things that I've done, um, but they've been done and I and I feel that they are important, and that's my legacy. So I'll give you one example. I wrote the first bill to name uh October Italian Heritage Month in 1989. Yeah. So that was that was my bill. So I wrote that bill because I was working, I was chief of staff for a U.S. Congressman named Ellie Engel. He was not Italian, he was Jewish, but his wife was Italian, and he said to me, John, you know, he had complete he was he stood at my wedding. I mean, he's family. Um he said, John, do what you have to do. If this is important to you, then it's important to me. Wrote the bill, he introduced it, I worked my you know, I worked my tail off, we got it passed, then it passed House, passed the Senate, and President Bush signed it into law. So that is my legacy. I know that that we did that, and I am very proud of that because it then helped to um reinforce certain things about how we promote our own heritage. Does anybody know? Not really, but it's okay to me. It's all fine. It's okay with me. It's a it's a good thing that other people own it and feel that sense of connection and uh empowered by it.

SPEAKER_01:

That's huge, John. I am I'm even more flattered and I'm even more honored to have you on my podcast. And you know what? You said something very true. I am a deep believer in quiet, quiet leadership. And when we talk about quiet, doesn't mean that we're mousy or we're playing ourselves down, but in just like you said, what do we stand for? What are our values? You know, myself as a producer, I'm 35 years in the business. Maybe my name is not instantly recognizable. I'm not, oh, she's Jerry Buckenheimer, she's Don Paris. But but if they Google me and they look in my body of work and they see how I present myself in situation, for me, it's all about values, holding myself to high standards and values. And what do I believe and what do I stand for? And how I can make the world a better place to my action, which is exactly what you're doing and what I'm trying to do.

SPEAKER_00:

Amen.

SPEAKER_01:

Amen to that. So um this has been a great make drop moment that you just gave me about legacy. It's been a true pleasure having you on my show. I know you're a very busy man, but this was amazing having you here because you created awareness about Italians, Italian Americans, about nonprofits and the work that they do, both in the cultural and natural space. And uh, you know, we gotta keep at it, right? We gotta keep going at it.

SPEAKER_00:

And I I I will I started with a quote from St. Francis, I'll end with a quote from Saint Francis, which is start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible. And um, I am confident that working together with a shared vision and a set of shared values, that we can make the uh impossible possible. So thank you for this opportunity.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, thank you so much. And for anyone listening, if you enjoy this episode, please do subscribe, rate it, review it. I have no sponsors. I'm not NIF. I'm doing it for the love. Hopefully, one day I will, but I'm doing it for the love of bringing people like John on my show and getting him inspired to uh just be involved in the community. So thank you, John, for coming on, and I'll be speaking to you soon. The Heart of Shousiness over and out. Thank you for listening to this week's episode of The Heart of Show Business. If you enjoyed it, please share it with a friend. You can also subscribe, rate, and review the show on your favorite podcast player. If you have any questions, comments, or feedback for us, you can reach us directly at theheart of showbusiness.