Introduce Yourself : Hi Stage 32 :) by John Varkados

Just wanted to re-introduce myself as I sort have been focusing on my mental health and overall sustainability as of late...

Name is John V and I currently reside in Atlanta, GA. After doing the Marine Corps thing from 2009 to 2014 I went to Boston to get my Bachelors at Berklee where I immersed myself with amazing artists and musicians. When I graduated in 2017 I was fascinated with video as me and a friend had a little record label where we made music videos. A couple of years doing videography in the New England area and taking a "stab" into acting (I think I'm SAG-E actually but no reason to go on the "other side" unless you have a sustainable production you are casted on) where I had a great agency that got me booked on commercial/lifestyle work which paid the Boston rent.

Fast-forward to 2019 I decided to go to BU for film school where I focused on line producing/production management. Made 2 thesis films which helped drill down where my interests lied in the industry. Instead of moving to LA like some of my friends, I decided to move to ATL where the theory was to do all my f**k ups there before or if deciding to make the "big move".

2020 happened and we all were trying to orient ourselves. Was able to have 2 producing credits on 2 full length shoestring budget features (I have the DPRs in boxes still lol) and realized how much more I loved the creative-side versus the logistical.

Now I'm 3 classes away from getting my MFA at SCAD in Dramatic Writing, have a full length and a Pilot script that endured several drafts and I think screenwriting is the thing I want to focus on from here on out.

The "day job" is at Accenture but as great as a company it is, don't see myself here forever but you never know where life takes you.

All of this to say...really love the Stage 32 community and plan to be more proactive in the lounges and whatnot - if you want to reach out via LinkedIn or IG @johnvarkados please do and say hi :)