Joseph Patrick Escalante (born January 30, 1963) is an American television writer, film and television director, musician, radio host, and former television executive. He is known professionally as the bassist and songwriter for the punk rock band The Vandals, and creator and episodic director of the paranormal travel series Monsters Across America on Fox Nation. Early life Escalante was born the youngest of 7 children in Long Beach, California to a Mexican father and Irish mother and grew up in Rossmoor, California, an unincorporated area of Orange County. His father was a pioneer in the electric sign industry, founding Superior Signs, Intl. and designing several iconic atomic age flashing signs that have dotted prominent American city skylines. His mother worked as a bowling alley clerk in Seal Beach, California. Education Escalante received his Bachelor degree from UCLA studying Viking civilization under Professor Jesse Byock and his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School. He graduated from Los Alamitos High School in the class of 1981 and was elected to the Los Alamitos High Hall of Fame in 2014. Escalante studied at University of Iceland at Reykjavik Graduate Program in 1985. Career Career with The Vandals In 1980, at age 18, Escalante joined the punk rock band The Vandals, becoming their first permanent drummer, and would remain the sole constant member throughout the rest of their career. The Vandals released their debut EP Peace thru Vandalism in 1982 through Epitaph Records. In 1984 Escalante and the other band members appeared in the Roger Corman film Suburbia, directed by Penelope Spheeris and released their first album When in Rome Do as the Vandals. In 1987 they appeared in another Spheeris film, Dudes. By 1989 Escalante had moved from the drums into the bass guitar position. Fluctuations in the lineup continued until 1989, when the current iteration of singer Dave Quackenbush, guitarist Warren Fitzgerald, and drummer Josh Freese released the album Fear of a Punk Planet, establishing themselves amongst an emerging new crop of southern California punk rock bands. This lineup would remain consistent throughout the rest of the band's career and would release numerous albums, tour extensively, and form their own record label. Television career After graduating law school in 1992, Escalante worked as an executive in the department of business affairs for CBS. During his time with the network, he negotiated actor, writer, and director deals on programs like Everybody Loves Raymond,