We were lucky to catch up with John Gunn recently and have shared our conversation below.

John, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

As a filmmaker and author I am often overwhelmed with ideas of films and books. The hard  part is to choose the right one and bring it to life. My first film, “I can, I will, I must.” Is  regarding veteran suicides. Approximately 22 veterans commit suicide everyday. When I  heard about that I knew I had to do something to help bring that number down to zero. Having at the time recently healed from my own battle of depression and my own suicide attempt. I  decided to team up with several veteran friends and produce an awareness film regarding  veteran suicides. 

During my research and pre-production I heard of a U.S. Marine Veteran and actor Jeffery  Gray. Who was also raising awareness of veteran suicides and helping fellow vets choose life instead of suicide. We met and I immediately knew I had found my lead actor and a man I’m  proud to call a friend. Through Jeff I met several other veterans who also worked in the film  industry and suddenly I had a full crew and talent ready to make a film. 

The entire film was shot in six days. I couldn’t have done without each one of my crew  members and talent. They did an outstanding job and I’m extremely proud of how the film  came out. 

Looking back on how my idea came to life and how everything fit together is amazing. I had  the easy part. My crew and actors took my idea and breathed life into it. Every single one of  us had the same goal. To help our veterans choose life and to find a reason to keep going.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The reason I’m alive today is because God literally stopped me as I was pulling the trigger of  my gun. I had given up on life. I had no purpose, no reason to live. I had dedicated my life to a career in the military and law enforcement until my eye doctor found a detached retina in my  right eye. At that time I was an Air Force R.O.T.C. Cadet in college with a bright future ahead  of me. A few months after I had the eye surgery to repair the retina I heard that my friend was  killed in action in Ramadi Iraq. I made two more attempts to enlist in the military, each time I  was medically disqualified due to my eye injury. I fell into a deep depression. It ultimetlly led  me to suicide. 

I placed the barrel of my gun to my temple and pulled the trigger. The moment the gun should have gone off I heard a crash. 

During this time I had to move back home and the crash that I heard was my Mom dropping a frying pan. That accident made me pause. I paused and thought of how my suicide would  affect my family. So I made the decision to live for them. 

I got up, put my gun back into the safe. I asked God to give me a reason to live. The words  “Tell the story” kept repeating in my mind. I got angry and told God, “What do you want me to  do to write a book?” Eight months later I held the first paperback copy of my first book written  in honor of my friend who was K.I.A. in Iraq. It’s called “The price I paid, Ramadi.” Available  on Amazon.

I continued writing a short story series called “The Artist ” also available on Amazon. Imagine  Jason Bourne and James Bond combined into one character. 

My purpose now is to tell the stories of our military, police and clandestine services so we as  a country can better understand what they have gone through in our defense. 

That is my purpose. 

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I get to tell the stories of our nations heroes. 

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

A quarter of my first film was raised through donations. I used my own funds for the rest of the film. I’m currently using the funds from my books and film sales to fund my first feature film  that will hopefully get into theaters nation/worldwide. 

So if you would like to help out with that you can buy my books / film. The links are on my  website. www.johnmgunn.com 

Thank you for your help!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://johnmgunn.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jmgunn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gunnscelica
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnmgunn711
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C5MV3PC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=I+CAN%2C+I+WILL%2C+I+MUST.&qid=1593633336&s=instant-video&sr=1-1

Image Credits
John Gunn