From 2003-2009, John was Head of Show Development at DreamWorks Animation SKG. He continues to consult to the company. During his tenure, John supervised DreamWorks’ early production program known as “PODS,” expanded the company’s internal Artistic Development program, and initiated and ran the successful Academic Outreach program to identify and recruit entry-level animation artists and engineers from leading universities worldwide. Overall, he was responsible for a number of talent development initiatives, including the migration of artists from traditional to digital workflows on the “front end” of animation production.
During the ‘80s and early ‘90s, as a production executive and producer, he supervised over a dozen movies including Diner, Pink Floyd: The Wall, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and The Power of One, for studios including MGM, Orion, Columbia, Village-Roadshow, Warner Bros and New Line. He co-wrote and co-produced the Playstation game, WarGames, based on the MGM movie, and produced the PC game Big Brother, based on George Orwell’s classic novel, 1984, for which he acquired all interactive rights from the Orwell estate.
From 1996 until 2002, John was the Co-founder and C.E.O. of Talkie, Inc., an internet technology startup that pioneered intelligent conversational animated avatars for online marketing, brand building, lead generation, customer service and training. Clients included Sprint, Intel, and Scottrade.
His work has led to speaking engagements with the National Association of Business Economics, Johns Hopkins University, Communications University of China, the Long Beach Community Foundation, and as the 2009 commencement speaker at Chicago’s Tribeca-Flashpoint Academy.
John has served on the National Policy Roundtable for Americans for the Arts, and on the Chancellor’s Entertainment Advisory Board for the California State University. As an educator, he serves as an Adjunct Faculty member for Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School of Public Policy, and for the University of Santa Monica.
John holds a B.A. from Amherst College, and a M.A. in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Raised in New York and Paris, he is a dedicated photographer and an avid cook.
