Biography

John Scoular is a Emmy award winning Writer/Director/Cinematographer and the President of Manta Films. He started his career in N.Y. as an actor before moving to Los Angeles where he honed his writing & directing skills. John wrote and directed several stage plays, as well as award winning short films before deciding to go back to film school. John began his career studying Drama at the University of Texas at El Paso on scholarship, where he also led as quarterback of the division 1 football squad. Scoular's artistic path led him back to New York to continue his studies at Herbert Bergoff Studios under renowned character actor BillHickey. He is a graduate of The Los Angeles Film School where he majored in Directing,Cinematography & Screenwriting. Upon graduating with honors John Directed his first feature film from his original screenplay. "Lunatics, Lovers & Poets". The film won 6 awards including "Best Screenplay", "Best Feature", "Best Director"... The award winning film was released in theaters through Carmike Cinemas across the United States. John switched gears from Narrative work to Documentaries with Paradise Reef, a documentary film which took 3 years to film and aired on PBS. Both Director John Scoular and producer Madeline Scoular received Emmy Awards for their work on Paradise Reef. which is now distributed through Amazon. John also produced, directed, filmed and edited the documentary film "Marcus Jansen: Examine & Report" about the rise of African/American Artist Marcus Jansen and how he broke through a closed network to have his art featured in Museums around the world. The documentary film has won awards and screened in Milan, Italy, German, U.S. and England, Distribution is through Amazon. After 17 years in Hollywood, Ca. the father of 4 traded in the LA grind and moved his family and Manta Films to beautiful Naples, Fl, where he continues to create compelling stories in Documentaries, Commercials, and mini-documentaries alongside his producer/wife Madeline Smith Scoular. Since moving to Naples a lot of John's film work has been focused on the ecosystem of the Everglades and Gulf of Mexico notably a Mini-Doc with renowned Marine Biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle and the Oyster Restoration project for Sanibel Island, as well as creating films that support Special Needs organizations and non-profits.. John's creative work has taken him on a wild ride. From the South Pacific to England and many locations in between. Whether it was filming on a tiny island in Fiji telling the story of a Fijian Chief leasing an island to a hotel developer for 100 years, or shooting out of a chopper chasing Go-Fast boats off the coast of New Orleans and Martha's Vineyard. John continues to Direct and shoot his own projects and is also hired as a Cinematographer for TV shows and other productions outside of Manta Films. When John isn't filming he is coaching his kids in Flag Football or helping his wife with homeschooling, or Travel Soccer or Swim Meets.
- IMDb mini biography by: Keila