Biography

John Say is a filmmaker, acting teacher, and co-host of The Love of Cinema podcast. He holds an MFA in Film/TV Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, a BFA in Music Theatre from Elon University, and is a member of AEA. Hailing from Concord, North Carolina, John has performed throughout New York City and in regional theaters across the country. After founding and teaching Scene Study workshops with a community of NYC actors, John expanded the classes into an acting studio, providing a laboratory for thespians -- ranging from Broadway performers to beginners -- to explore script analysis and acting techniques developed by members of the Group Theatre and the Moscow Art Theatre.

John began writing, directing, and editing award-winning films in 2015, which led to his acceptance into the School of Cinematic Arts at USC. While navigating the highly competitive program, John had his scripts shortlisted every semester as finalists for the advanced fiction narrative production course, two of which were selected and produced. In addition, John helped develop the curriculum for an advanced directing class and was hired to direct one of the three prestigious Stark Special Project films selected annually by the Peter Stark Producing faculty. Each of John's films has been nominated in the School of Cinematic Arts' showcase festival, First Look, and will begin their national and international festival runs in 2025. John's adoration for performers and performance-driven storytelling grounds his insatiable pursuit of truthful human behavior in dramatic narratives.
- IMDb mini biography by: Ed Tarrow