We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful John Mangiapane Jr.. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with John below.

John, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents had me late in life and I am their only child. They basically dedicated themselves completely in raising me, always giving me their all and full attention. From all activities and attentive development, they really helped develop my creative mind. My Mom always encouraged me to dream big and never settle for less. These values and dedication have really helped me in applying myself into the projects that I am passionate about.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Since small, I have been mesmerized by the power and exhilaration of the motion picture. My Mom took me to see Jurassic Park in the theatre and the next day I tried creating my own miniature mountain and dinosaur models out of papier-mâché. Ever since then, it became my passion to make movies. I would use my Dad’s camcorder to video and try to create films with my neighborhood friends. Fast forward 20 years later and I pursued these dreams in college at UCSD. My first real success came in a final project for one of my classes in 2005, when I made a documentary on my Dad’s life as a fisherman titled “My Father the Fisherman” (available on the iMDB). After graduating college in 2006 I was eager to begin making my own feature length movie, of which I would financially produce, write, film, direct and edit (looking back it was a very daunting task considering I wouldn’t finish the movie until 2020!) There wasn’t any money coming in from this passion venture, I needed to make a living, so I decided to begin my own video business based on my abilities learned, specializing in event/wedding videography and commercial production. I was slowly able to build up a good clientele through word of mouth, while still pursuing my ultimate dream of making a feature movie on the side. The experiences filming and capturing the life’s cherished moments, have been invaluable to developing and applying my craft. Whether it is an event or wedding, there is a special story to be told, and from a video standpoint, the client is giving me the precious responsibility to film and unlock that emotion to uniquely replicate one of the most special days of their life.
After years of trials, tribulations and and in between video work from my production business, COVID hit and all of our work came to a standstill. During this time, I was finally able to finish the editing on my feature movie titled “Shells of Men” in July of 2020. It would go on to win Best Feature at the 2021 International New York Film Festival.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I used a few thousand dollars that my Grandma had set in a savings account to purchase my first professional camera right after graduating college. From there I was able to start providing professional video services, initially starting with a single wedding which, through word of mouth lead to more weddings and corporate training videos. As I was able to build up my clientele, I would invest every so often in more equipment every year.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to touch people with the works I create, to inspire them. I am most proud of the 2 films I have made to this point (My Father the Fisherman and Shells of Men) and the recognition they have received through awards and being on the iMDB. It is also extremely gratifying every time a client comments about how much they love the work I have done for them, or a wedding couple that can’t thank me enough for how beautiful and emotional their wedding video is and how they intend to watch it over and over again throughout their life. That is the power of the motion picture that I refer to and what I love most- the ability to preserve a moment in time or in some cases, create that moment in time that lives forever. My ultimate goal is to create a fascinating catalog of work and films that live forever.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://johnbproductions.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mangiapane-jr-a8241261/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK6dQ5e0D2jbrEg5H7xoSug
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/john-b-productions-inc-san-diego?osq=John+b+productions+inc

Image Credits
Self