Today we’d like to introduce you to John Settles.
Hi John, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to tell stories.
In elementary school, I would write short stories and poems about whatever came to mind, whether it was historical fiction, fantasy, or just about my day at school. My parents always encouraged my writing, just as long as it would eventually lead me to make money in the future.
For years, I never really knew how I wanted to tell stories because there’s an endless amounts of ways to do so. Did I want to be a novelist? A short story writer? A playwright? An actor/voice actor? I would try out all of these avenues at some point in my life but nothing stuck.
Enter me in college, where I was studying Communications and Creative Writing. In my writing classes, thanks to my amazing writing professor, I gained a comprehensive understanding of what each type of writing required, from screenwriting to playwriting, poetry, prose, memoir, and so on. And eventually, I made my decision: I wanted to be a screenwriter. A million thank yous to my former professor Jessica Handler.
After graduating in 2022, I went on to be a Communications Intern at Out of Hand Theater. In between me doing my duties as the Comms Intern, I would work on their production sets as a Production Assistant and help out as Event Support when asked. Watching the artists, actors, and producers work in a theater setting was incredibly inspiring to me, and I knew from watching them that that was what I wanted to do for my long-term career.
Fast forward three years later, and I’ve gained invaluable knowledge in the world of indie filmmaking, taking on multiple roles in film, building my own community within the film/creative industry, and eventually releasing my first funded film, which granted me opportunities that I am eternally grateful for. My story is still being written, and I’m excited to see where the next chapter takes me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely was not a smooth road at the beginning.
When I first set out to pursue filmmaking, the person that said he wanted to make it happen with me ghosted me when it came close to actually making the project happen. In addition, I dealt with my fair share of late arrivals, last-minute cancellations, sour attitudes, and lack of proper equipment to achieve the vision I wanted to create. And this was all before my first funded film.
And then there were the internal challenges I struggled with. I had no proper film school training, which fed into personal insecurities that I wasn’t “worthy” of being called a filmmaker. I didn’t think anyone was going to take me seriously as a working creative and thought I would just be relegated to a corner office somewhere, wishing that I could go out and make my creative mark on the world.
But over time, these challenges became motivation for what I knew I wanted to accomplish in my career.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My specialty is in writing and directing, and God has been gracious enough to grant me opportunities within these fields.
I have served as Production Assistant, Assistant Director, and Creative Consultant on a number of indie film and other visual storytelling projects. Currently, I serve as a Assistant Director for my church’s media team, a Producer for Dear Black Gay Men Podcast, and am venturing out into the world of real estate Videography and Photography as of this summer!
The main project I am known for currently is titled “fear not.”, a short narrative film about a young black gay man named Jeremiah who has a crisis of faith after he discovers he has HIV, but with the support of his best friend and local pastor, he begins to find out who he wants to be in spite of his diagnosis. This film has garnered the attention of numerous organizations, such as NAESM, Positive Impact Health Centers, the Counternarrative Project, and more.
It has also allowed me to make media appearances with organizations like GLAAD, The Portia Show on FOX 5, the Black Wall Street Times, and more, all to talk about the importance of having conversations around HIV, queerness, and faith be positive.
This is also the project I am the most proud of, especially since it almost didn’t happen. When I first applied for this project, I had actually accidentally missed the due date by an hour, but truly by the grace of God, the grant organization reopened the submission box for one more day for everyone to submit. Since then, I have given my 110% to making sure everyone knows about this story and what’s to come next.
This drive and motivation I felt to see this project through to end is also what I believe sets me apart. When I decide to create something that I truly feel passionate about, nothing stops me from doing the best I can with what I have with the people I have.
What makes you happy?
I am at my happiest when I am surrounded by people that I genuinely connect with and see me for all of my faults, achievements, and everything in between.
As someone that deals with mental health challenges, it can be really easy to forget that there are people that love me, support me, care for me, and want to see me succeed. Knowing this unequivocal fact in my life is what keeps me going and what makes me happy.
I have always said that nothing in life is guaranteed to us, and that goes double for the people that we have in our lives. Things can change in a heartbeat. And knowing this as well, it brings me even more joy and happiness to know that I can and will do my best to pour into my people the same way that they have poured into me, no matter what was happening in life.
Seeing them succeed and do great in their lives also brings me joy and happiness, knowing that they are also achieving their dreams, goals, and aspirations in a world that gives us a million reasons not to. To know that they are persevering and overcoming all of their obstacles and going above and beyond what they thought possible, is a feeling that goes beyond happiness for me.
Ultimately, community is what makes the best art/artists and seeing my community become the best that they can be is what truly makes me happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fearnotfilm.com
- Instagram: @johnnyboidirects
- Other: https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/10/28/john-settles-connects-faith-and-sexual-health-in-fear-not/
