Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to John W. Beach. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi John W., thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
The same risk that everyone takes in the entertainment industry, working in it. This industry is relentless, and it takes time, and 100% passion and persistence to do it. The real courage here, is staying the course. The easy road, to quit and move back home. But, if you persist, and dedicate your everything to making it work, you will make it. It’s taken me over 20 years to get to where I am, and I don’t even consider myself a success. I’m a constant work in progress.
With that being said, I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made. And, I make a point to celebrate all the little wins along the way.
John W., love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’ve spent over 30 years in the entertainment industry – starting as an actor, then moving to behind the scenes in the literary department at Paradigm, and moving on to ACME Talent & Literary, where I worked with my mentor, the late, great, Mickey Freiberg. Mickey was a natural salesman, and he taught me everything I know about books/books to film. It was that experience, that relationship, that ultimately led me to where I am today. Mickey passed in 2012, but not a day goes by without some sort of Mickey’isms! The Cowboy, as they called him, is truly missed.
After surviving cancer in 2014, I started Gravity Squared Entertainment, a Los Angeles based management/production company, where I now manage writers and directors, and film & TV rights for over 400 published books, some being Pulitzer Prize winners and New York Times Bestsellers.
What am I most proud of… Working with amazing clients that do unbelievable things and tell unforgettable stories.
One specifically; Judy Heumann. In 1977, Judy protested disability rights when she and her disabled friends shut down the San Francisco Federal Building. This 26-day protest (the longest sit-in at a federal building to date) led to the signing of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which ultimately paved the way for the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
I signed Judy right out of the Obama Administration, where she had worked in disability rights since the Section 504 protests. We got her book published with Beacon Press in 2020, and sold the film & TV rights to AppleTV in 2021 w/ Sian Heder, the Academy Award winning writer/director of CODA, on board to write and direct. We start shooting in May 2025, in Toronto.
Judy passed in Mar. 2023. I miss her every day and my only mission now, is getting her story right, and seen! I’ve called her cell phone (which is still on for some reason) numerous times to give her the updates. It’s been great to hear her voicemail greeting!
What sets me apart from others… Let’s make this one more general, as opposed to just “what sets me apart…” What sets us apart… Passion and a general love for people and their individual story. I’m no different than anyone else in this business, I just dedicate every ounce of my passions towards great stories, great lives. Like Judy’s, or Mickey’s, for that matter.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
For the entertainment industry, go back to the movie theaters. What else can I say here? Our industry has been suffering for many years, and we’d all like to blame that on streaming formats like Netflix, but, if I’m being honest, our industry might not be alive without them. They saved our industry. Now, it’s time to return to the theaters.
Support movie theaters. Support independent film.
For creatives… Create! I don’t have a job if you don’t create. So, Write. Direct. Paint. Build. Create.
We can all talk, at nauseam for that matter, about doing things, but if action is not implemented, it’s all just talk!
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
If you’re a writer, read ‘Story’ by Robert McKee, ‘Screenplay’ by Syd Field and ‘Save the Cat’ by Jessica Brody. One of them would suffice, but all of them will help you hone your style and soon you’ll start seeing the commonalities in all three books. The commonality, in my opinion, is start writing. Get that vomit draft out, then fine tune it.
For everyone else, read ‘Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist’ by my clients, Judy Heumann and Kristen Joiner. This book truly changed my life.
Watch my clients TV show NOT QUITE NARWHAL by Jessie Sima. It’s a wonderful story about a unicorn that was raised by a family of narwhal. 2 seasons are currently available on Netflix.
https://www.netflix.com/title/81296780
Watch my clients film, MAKE A WISH by Meta Akkus, which I executive produced. It’s a great Turkish language film about a boy coming of age against bullying. You can find it on AppleTV, Amazon and numerous other platforms.
Read ‘A Curious Mind’ by Brian Grazer. This book inspired me to reach out to people and ask them for 5 minutes of their time.
And, while we’re here, watch Comedy Central’s, Civil Rights episode of Drunk History about Judy Heumann.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y505KwHp4O4
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Gravity-Squared.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jwbeach/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnwbeach
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwbeach/
Image Credits
Image Descriptions
#1 – John W. Beach
#2 – Gravity Squared Logo.
#3 – BEING HEUMANN book cover.
#4 – Judy Heumann on the cover of Time Magazine.
#5 – John W. Beach, Sian Heder, Nic Novicki @ the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.
#6 – NOT QUITE NARWHAL Netflix tv poster.
#7 – MAKE A WISH movie poster.
#8 – Comedy Central’s DRUNK HISTORY, w/ Ali Stroker playing Judy Heumann.