Joseph Lovett founded Lovett Productions in 1989 after ten years as a producer at ABC News 20/20. There, Joe produced the first in-depth AIDS investigations for national television. Later, as an independent, he produced and directed "In A New Light", an annual broadcast of AIDS education and outreach specials interweaving celebrity performances and interviews with stories of people dealing with different aspects of the AIDS epidemic. "In a New Light” aired annually for five years on ABC. Joe's continuing work against AIDS won him the AIDS Action Foundation's AIDS Leadership Award.

In founding Lovett Productions, Joe has continued to explore critical health and social issues. The company has produced over 30 hours of prime time television specials in the past 19 years, including “Cancer: Evolution to Revolution,” an HBO film about what people with cancer need in order to maximize their chances of survival. The film was written, directed, and produced by Joe, and has been honored with The Peabody Award, The Christopher Award, and an Emmy nomination, as well as numerous awards from cancer advocacy organizations.

In 2006, Joe executive produced “Too Hot Not to Handle” with Laurie David (An Inconvenient Truth). An HBO special, the film is an exposé on the dangers of global warming and the measures being taken to remedy it. Other broadcast films include “Three Sisters: Searching for a Cure” and “Gay Sex in the 70s,” which both premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

“Three Sisters,” which aired on HBO, examines a family's struggle with the neurodegenerative disease ALS. “Gay Sex in the 70s” explores the development of gay sexual and political identity during the twelve years between the Stonewall Riots in June 1969 and the June 1981 article suggesting that a deadly epidemic targeted gay men. The film has played in festivals and theaters around the world with an American television premiere on the Sundance Channel.

Joe also wrote, produced, and directed “The Accident,” a startling perspective on love and loss in a family memoir shot over twenty-five years. His first personal documentary feature, “The Accident” toured the international festival circuit to sold out audiences.

Joe’s own experience with vision loss from Glaucoma prompted him to begin “Going Blind,” a unique documentary that aims to increase public awareness of sight loss and low vision issues profoundly affecting the lives of more and more people and those who love them. Also in production is “Blood Detectives,” a documentary about the world of hematology.