Meet John Handem Piette

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to John Handem Piette. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

John, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

Thanks for having me, it’s always enlightening looking back over the years with a wider lens and trying to process how certain things shaped me and my career. Throughout my life there have been many spaces, from classrooms to offices, where I was the only person in the room that looked like me, in plain terms…the only black person in the room. I come from a mixed family so pretty much from birth I’ve had to become comfortable standing out and being a little bit of an enigma. I’m sure many people, in their own unique ways, relate to that feeling of isolation. But from a racial standpoint it was really important for me to develop a good sense of identity and self-worth before I could ever become successful.

My family immigrated from Europe to the US in 1991 when I was 7 and I still had a British accent which isolated me from both black and white Americans. My first goal was assimilation, just fit in at all costs, and I did that through sports. I could prove myself on a soccer field, track, basketball court and that imbued me with a sense of confidence that translated pretty quickly into making friends and finding “my people”, so to speak.

As a working professional it’s been a lot trickier though, especially as a writer and filmmaker. In sports it’s a meritocracy, skills are quantifiable by goals, stats and trophies but as an artist and storyteller it’s subjective and a little abstract. There’s that old saying I’ve heard time and again for black people in America that, “you have to work twice as hard to get half as far”, which I don’t interpret as mathematical fact…but I’ve sort of used that as a self-imposed motivator. If I DO have to work harder, I welcome that challenge because it’ll only make me that much better at what I do. And that’s where my confidence and self-belief come from, that I have the experience and I’ve put in the work to achieve whatever I want and deserve in my career, it’s just a matter of time and resilience. I really wouldn’t have it any other way though, because I’m incredibly grateful to be me and have the life I’ve had, and to sometimes be the only one in the room that looks like me… but thankfully that’s happening less and less these days.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ve been working in film and entertainment as a writer, director and editor for over 15 years, since graduating from film school at the University of Texas at Austin. I made my first feature film as a senior in college called, Power Trip, of course I can only see the flaws now, but it was honestly the best lesson in how insanely hard it is to make a compelling film no matter what the scale or budget. For years after college I worked as a freelancer, editing other projects while shooting my own things on the side and even some acting here and there.

My latest film was a documentary called, Lightning in a Bottle: A Festival Story, about a life-changing music festival experience I had back in 2016 with 19 friends who I interviewed in 2020 amidst quarantine and the pandemic. It premiered last year at Marina del Rey Film Festival in LA and we won an award for Best Documentary and we’ve picked up a dozen other awards from festivals around the world. My production company, Assemble Studios, just partnered with a distribution company so stay tuned for when you’ll be able to check out the film at home.

Currently, I’m the creative director of an organization called, Seeds of Wisdom, which helps preserve, support and promote the voices of Indigenous communities around the world. I’m working on a docu-series about some very special Indigenous communities we support in Mexico that will premiere on our YouTube channel soon. And this summer I’ll also be filming a documentary about a large Native American peace gathering between tribes that’s very rare and has an immense cultural significance called, The Wampum Renewal Gathering.

Creatively, I’m always drawn to projects that reflect a diverse and evolving world that needs to unify to survive, that’s usually the through-line, “How do we come together in spite of our differences to make the world a better place.”…and if I can make people laugh, that’s the cherry on top. We should laugh more…I think we can all agree laughing’s good.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I’d say the 3 key factors in my success are; passion, work-ethic, and resilience. Those sound pretty boring and cliche but as life goes on and you experience ups and downs, it becomes really clear what decisions and inherent personality traits helped pave the way to my various successes.

As far as passion is concerned, I think it’s been important for me to have a true love for storytelling and filmmaking. Without that intrinsic love of films and reading books and writing stories, I’d have given up a long time ago.

Whatever stage of life you’re in, I think it’s always important to identify the things that light you up. What makes your heart beat a little harder? That’s the thing you’ll climb a mountain for and endure failure after failure for. So in essence, Passion fuels Work Ethic and Resilience, so it all comes back to love…that’s the juice that powers everything for me.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I’m always looking to collaborate with cool, inspiring people and fellow artists who have a story to tell but maybe aren’t sure where to start or how to connect to their audience. My production company and our small team are always looking for projects we can produce, film, write and edit. I’ve worked on many different types of projects across mediums and genres so anyone looking to have a compelling video made and their story told, I’d be happy to chat and hopefully form a mutually beneficial and rewarding relationship.

I’m also currently writing my next film which is a music-driven thriller called, The DJ. I’ll leave it at that for now. So we’ll be pitching that to production companies and investors later this year and I’m super excited about it!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Professional shots by Mallury Patrick Pollard

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