Bio
It all started in 4th grade when John got his hands on his first movie camera, a 1950’s era Bell & Howell 8mm. A few years later, in a summer that would lay the foundation for his future, he was introduced to the video camera, computers and 35mm photography. Throughout high school, John spent countless hours behind a camera, shooting mostly video but also lots of still pictures. In his senior year he made two short films that received much attention and accolades.
Continuing on the path he had started years earlier, John attended SUNY College at Purchase, majoring first in cinema, then in photography. It was there that he was introduced to the evolving arts of digital media, specifically 3D animation and the Amiga computer. His senior thesis was a combination of classical black and white photography and computer generated imagery.
In 1994 John moved from New York to Hollywood where he worked for writer & director, Steven E. deSouza. It was during this time that the Internet was growing increasingly popular and John saw it as the future of digital media creation and distribution. Working first at Virtuosity, John then moved to international interactive agency, Think New Ideas where he was lead site builder of the west coast office.
Not content with working in a corporate environment, John left to start his own Internet firm, HiP Design, with partner Lynne Haaland. Working for such clients as Disney, Kaman Music and The Doors, HiP Design, now known as Mineral Studios, evolved into a full server web design and hosting company, providing personalized service to both large and small clients.
During this time, John had not forgotten his passion for filmmaking. He wrote and directed two shorts, “The Man with Two Cigarettes” and “House Pest”, utilizing the new DV technology. Both shorts were distributed on the Internet via his site, JGFIlms.com, which was one of the first online movie sites. However, watching postage stamp sized movies on slow connections didn’t take off and it would be years before YouTube finally made online video a popular venue. John would go on to be an associate producer of the award-winning independent film “Angel’s Crest” as well as “Double Down”, one of the first digitally shot features.
In 1998, seeking a way to bring the usefulness of the Internet to the age-old methods of film production, John created the very first Virtual Production Office. The VPO is a centralized secure website for an entire film crew to share and manage information. With partners Scott Froschauer and Ahin Savara, Filmport.com was born. Filmport was the first of many companies to bring these new technologies to film production, working with such companies as Apple, Palm, Dreamworks, USC, ICM and William Morris.
In recent years, the rise of Hi-Def cameras has brought the dream of digital cinema to a reality. After working with Final Cut and digital media solutions, John decided it was time to get back behind the camera. Starting first with Panasonic’s groundbreaking VariCam, he has become a specialist in tapeless workflow specifically with P2 format cameras as well as the 4k RED digital cinema camera. In this respect, John has worked as a Digital Imaging Technician (DIT), media manager, and operator, using his extensive background in computers and cameras to bring a unique skillset to any production.
And eventually, he wants to direct…